VC Founder Responder v1

Generate thoughtful, personalized founder responses that preserve relationships — whether passing, requesting more info, or scheduling a meeting.

Three Response Types

Workflow Overview

1. Gather context — Collect deal screening output, referral context, and relationship details
2. Classify response type — Determine Pass / Request for Info / Meeting Request
3. Classify relationship context — Cold inbound, warm intro, portfolio referral, repeat founder, etc.
4. Confirm approach — Present plan and tone, get approval
5. Generate response — Draft personalized email/message
6. Validate & refine — Present draft for tone and content adjustments

Step 1: Gather Context

Collect the following inputs:

From Deal Screening (preferred):

• Quick Screen Card or Full Assessment output from vc-deal-screener
• Verdict (PASS / CONSIDER / DEEP DIVE) and rationale
• Company name, one-liner, archetype
• Key strengths and concerns identified
• Key questions (if any)

From User Directly (if no screening):

• Company name and what they do
• Why passing, requesting info, or taking meeting
• Any specific feedback to include or avoid

Relationship Context (always ask):

• How the deal came in: cold inbound, warm intro, portfolio founder referral, co-investor referral, conference meeting, accelerator demo day
• Referral source name (if applicable)
• Any prior interaction with the founder
• Whether the user wants to CC the referral source

Prompt template:

To draft the right response, I need:

• Deal context: Paste the Quick Screen Card, share the deck, or tell me about the company
• Response type: Are you passing, requesting more info, or scheduling a meeting?
• How it came in: Cold inbound, warm intro, referral — and from whom?
• Any constraints: Anything to include or avoid in the response?

Step 2: Classify Response Type

If not explicitly stated, infer from the verdict:

Step 3: Classify Relationship Context

The relationship context determines tone, urgency, and structure:

Load the appropriate tone guide from references/tone-guides/:

Step 4: Confirm Approach (REQUIRED)

ALWAYS present the response plan and wait for user confirmation before drafting.

## Response Plan

**Company:** [Name] — [One-liner]
**Founder:** [Name(s) if known]
**Verdict:** [PASS / CONSIDER / DEEP DIVE]

**Response Type:** [Warm Pass / Request for Info / Meeting Request]
[1 sentence on why this response type]

**Relationship Context:** [Cold Inbound / Warm Intro / etc.]
- Referral source: [Name or "none"]
- Prior interactions: [Any history or "first contact"]

**Tone:** [Based on relationship context — e.g., "Warm and specific — portfolio referral requires high-touch response"]

**Key Elements I'll Include:**
- [Specific thing from the pitch I'll reference to show I read it]
- [Specific reason for the decision, framed constructively]
- [Next step or door-left-open language]
- [Referral acknowledgment if applicable]

**Key Elements I'll Avoid:**
- [Generic language like "not a fit at this time"]
- [Anything the user flagged to avoid]

**Reply to confirm, or adjust any element above.**

Wait for explicit confirmation before proceeding to Step 5.

Step 5: Generate Response

Load the appropriate response template from references/response-templates/:

Apply the relationship context tone guide on top of the response template.

Generate the email/message following these universal rules:

Universal Response Rules

ALWAYS:

• Reference something specific from the pitch/deck/email (company name, product, a metric, the problem they're solving)
• Keep it under 150 words for passes, under 200 words for info requests, under 150 words for meeting requests
• Use the founder's first name
• Sound like a human, not a template
• End with a clear next step (or clear closure for passes)
• Match the formality level to the relationship context

NEVER:

• Use "not a fit at this time" or "doesn't align with our current thesis" without specifics
• Use "we were impressed by" followed by a rejection (the juxtaposition feels hollow)
• Give unsolicited advice in a pass email unless the user specifically requests it
• Use "circle back" or "keep us updated" as empty pleasantries (only if genuinely meant)
• Use exclamation points in pass emails
• Be longer than necessary — founders are busy too
• Lie about the reason for passing (vague is fine, dishonest is not)

Response-Specific Rules

Read the full template in the references file. Key principles per type:

Warm Pass:

• Lead with what's genuinely interesting about the company (1 sentence max)
• Give an honest, constructive reason — or be transparent that you're being selective
• Leave the door open specifically (what would make you look again) OR close cleanly
• If there's a better-fit investor, offer the intro (only if genuine)

Request for Info:

• Lead with genuine interest — this isn't a pass, communicate that clearly
• Ask 2-3 specific questions maximum (not a diligence questionnaire)
• Explain why these specific questions matter for your evaluation
• Give a timeline ("if you can share by [date], I'd love to review and set up a call")

Meeting Request:

• Lead with what specifically excites you (not generic enthusiasm)
• Propose specific times or a scheduling link
• Be clear about format (30 min Zoom, coffee, office visit) and who from your team
• Set expectations on what you'd like to cover

Step 6: Validate & Refine

After presenting the draft, offer:

Here's the draft. You can:

• Adjust the tone (warmer, more direct, more casual)
• Add or remove specific points
• Change the reason for passing or the questions asked
• Add a referral source CC version
• Generate an alternate version with a different approach
• If passing: generate a "better fit" investor suggestion to include

Batch Mode

For high-volume deal flow, support batch response generation:

If you have multiple deals to respond to, share them as a list and I'll generate all responses in sequence:

• [Company A] — Pass (cold inbound)
• [Company B] — Meeting request (warm intro from Sarah)
• [Company C] — Request for info (portfolio referral)

I'll draft each one with appropriate personalization and present them together for review.

GP Voice Customization

If the user provides examples of their previous emails or describes their communication style, adapt all responses to match their voice:

Voice Signals to Detect:

• Formality level (first name vs. full name, contractions vs. formal)
• Signature style (sign-off, title inclusion, PS usage)
• Feedback style (direct vs. diplomatic, specific vs. general)
• Relationship investment (transactional vs. relationship-building)
• Length preference (terse vs. detailed)

If the user has a brand voice profile (from brand-voice-generator), apply it to all response drafts.

Reference Files

Core

• references/response-rules.md — Universal rules for all founder responses
• references/example-outputs.md — Complete examples across response types and contexts

Response Templates

• references/response-templates/warm-pass.md
• references/response-templates/request-for-info.md
• references/response-templates/meeting-request.md

Tone Guides (by Relationship Context)

• references/tone-guides/cold-inbound.md
• references/tone-guides/warm-intro.md
• references/tone-guides/portfolio-referral.md
• references/tone-guides/co-investor-referral.md
• references/tone-guides/conference.md
• references/tone-guides/repeat-founder.md
• references/tone-guides/accelerator.md