A warm intro is not just a mutual connection

A warm intro is not just “I know someone who knows them.”

For founders, the harder part is usually deciding whether the path is actually warm enough to use.

A useful intro needs a few things:

- relevance: the person connects to the goal

- timing: there is a reason to reach out now

- trust: the middle person would feel comfortable making the intro

- context: the ask can be explained without sounding transactional

This is where contact lists and CRM notes often fall short.

They can tell you who you know, but not always:

who is relevant now,

why this path makes sense,

and how to make the ask feel natural.

For founders here, what usually breaks first when you need a warm intro:

finding the right person, finding the warm path, or writing the ask?