The Exact Cold Emails I Used to Land Startup Roles

In August 2025, a few hours before I had a final exam, I sent a five-line email and a one-minute video to the CEO of a startup that had ignored my application four months earlier. He'd already co-founded a billion-dollar company. He replied 55 minutes later, and that email turned into my first startup job.

I sent the same kind of email to a few other startups, and every single one replied.

Here's everything I sent, word for word:

• The exact email

• The video I sent with it

• The same email with blanks so you can make it yours

• The follow-ups I sent after

• What I'd do this week if I were you

If you've been applying through career portals and hearing nothing back, start here.