The end-to-end outreach plan for Founder Index 2026. The funnel math, the named companies, the daily rhythm, the week-by-week revenue path, and what we need from you before Monday.
Silvia's LinkedIn Sales Navigator account runs at the 2026 safe‑automation ceiling through Unipile, with a parallel email channel from silvia@foundersquare.nyc. Over 24 active weeks, the funnel generates enough conversations to fill the base case comfortably and reach the stretch target if warm intros and email conversions land.
The blended close rate sits at ~5% from cold-to-signed. This is deliberately conservative — event sponsorship sales have hard conversion math, and we would rather under-promise. The buffer comes from the email channel running in parallel, warm intros on top-tier targets, and Silvia’s existing network.
The raise is distributed across 6 tiers, each with category exclusivity and a distinct moment at the gala. At full sell‑through (all 52 slots), the ceiling is $840K. We present two scenarios: a conservative base case of $500K (31 of 52 slots, 60% sell‑through) and a stretch target of $750K (47 slots, 89% sell‑through).
| Tier | Slots | Price | Revenue at sell‑through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title Partners Event naming rights and full category exclusivity | 2 | $100K | $200,000 |
| Presenting Partners Keynote introductions and stage visibility throughout the gala | 4 | $50K | $200,000 |
| Platinum Partners Dedicated breakout sessions with curated founder audiences | 8 | $25K | $200,000 |
| Gold Partners Award category presentation rights across six industries | 10 | $15K | $150,000 |
| Category Partners Experiential moments: coffee, bar, lounge, photo wall, gift bag, coat check, entrance, after‑party | 8 | $5K | $40,000 |
| Online Partners Year‑long digital presence across brochures, podcast, and newsletters | 20 | $2.5K | $50,000 |
| Total programme | 52 | — | $840,000 |
Every company on this list is a potential sponsor at any tier — from $2.5K Online to $100K Title. The conversation determines the fit, not our assumptions. Below are highlights grouped by industry so you can check the shape of the list.
Monday to Friday. Running under the 2026 safe‑automation ceiling so the account never triggers LinkedIn's behavioral anomaly detector. Unipile executes the sequences in the background. Silvia's only touch point is replying to warm hands.
A parallel email channel from silvia@foundersquare.nyc runs alongside LinkedIn outreach, staggered by 2–3 days. Same prospects, same tier, different medium. This recovers roughly 25% of conversations that go silent on LinkedIn — and it’s where the formal brochure gets delivered as a PDF attachment.
Every prospect in the 600-company list also gets a 3-email sequence from Silvia’s email. Two contacts per company: one via LinkedIn, one via email. Some overlap is intentional — seeing the name on both channels builds familiarity.
Email 1 (Day 10): Short intro + brochure link. Under 120 words. No pitch, just context.
Email 2 (Day 17): Brochure attached as PDF. Specific tier mentioned. 20-minute call ask.
Email 3 (Day 25): Break-up. Clean close. Offer to revisit later or connect to the right person internally.
Ansh configures DKIM, SPF, and DMARC on foundersquare.nyc so emails land in primary inbox, not spam. Silvia approves. One-time setup, takes a day. Sending begins Week 3 alongside Unipile.
Three messages, three stages. Each one starts in the reader’s world, not ours. The connection note earns 3 seconds of attention. The DM earns a reply. The email earns a call. Nothing gets pitched until something gets understood first.
[Name] — I noticed [Company] sponsored [recent event or runs founder programme]. We’re putting together Founder Index 2026, a year-long programme across 10 NYC founder communities (239K founders). The gala is at Cipriani Wall Street, Dec 10. Thought it’d be worth connecting.
Why this works: Opens with something true about THEM (their recent sponsorship or programme), not about us. No pitch. No ask. Just a reason to be in the same room. The number (239K) does the credibility work so Silvia doesn’t have to.
[Name], thanks for connecting.
Quick context: 10 NYC founder communities pooled their networks into one programme this year. 239,100 founders across the pipeline, 26 winners announced at a December gala at Cipriani Wall Street. We’re talking to brands that already spend on founder audiences about being part of it.
[Company] came up because [specific reason — e.g., “you ran the startup track at SaaStr last year” or “your founder programme already reaches this audience”]. Worth 20 minutes to walk through the structure?
Why this works: Doesn’t list tier names or prices. Instead, describes what the programme IS so the reader can self-select their interest level. The ask (“worth 20 minutes?”) is low-friction and assumes equality, not a sales pitch. The [specific reason] line is the only variable that changes per prospect — and it’s the line that earns the reply.
Subject: Founder Index 2026 — [Company]
[Name],
Tried you on LinkedIn — sending this as a backup in case the message got buried.
Founder Index 2026 is a 9-month founder recognition programme across 10 NYC communities. 239,100 founders in the pipeline. 26 winners announced at the gala at Cipriani Wall Street on December 10. Brochure attached.
We have 52 sponsor slots ranging from $2.5K to $100K, each with category exclusivity — meaning only one brand per category for the full year. [Company] fits the [category] lane.
Open to a 20-minute call next week?
Silvia
Why this works: Opens by acknowledging the LinkedIn message (“tried you on LinkedIn”) which signals persistence without desperation. Keeps the body under 90 words. Drops the price range ($2.5K–$100K) so the reader can self-qualify without needing a call. The exclusivity line (“only one brand per category”) creates scarcity without saying “limited spots!” — it’s factual, not hype.
Cash comes in waves, not all at once. Online and Category tiers close first — fast cycles, low friction, they build momentum. Platinum and Gold follow by summer. Title and Presenting close last because they need warm intros and internal sign‑off at the senior level. The base case ($500K) lands around week 17. Everything after that is stretch.
You get one deal owner, one operator, one technical lead, and yourself — in a specific shape that doesn't require you to touch the outreach machine at all. Your only job is replying to warm hands and joining the 15‑minute credibility moments inside discovery calls.
All three are quick. All three are blocking the Monday start. If any one slips, we lose a week.
Once we have your LinkedIn credentials, Ansh connects your account to Unipile (our automation layer). One‑time setup, no involvement from you after that. Without this, the outreach sequences can't start.
We need your LinkedIn login credentials and Sales Navigator access so our team can run the full outreach operation from your account. You don't touch anything — we handle the warm‑intro harvest, the connection requests, the follow‑ups, and the inbox. This is how we keep the daily rhythm running without taking any of your time.
We need a working email address on your real domain for the parallel email channel. This isn't a new inbox — it's your existing address configured with proper sending reputation. Ansh handles the DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. We need your green light to proceed.
Three things that could slow us down, and what we do about each.
Silvia's account is ~4 months old and the usage pattern has been irregular. A sudden jump to 90 connection requests per week could trigger LinkedIn's anomaly detector, throttling the account for days or weeks.
The outreach funnel depends on prospects clicking Silvia's LinkedIn profile and seeing a serious, active investor. If content posting slows, reply rates drop 30–50% within two weeks.
Tier‑1 close math assumes warm intros. If the Sales Nav warm‑intro harvest yields fewer than 15 strong paths, Title and Presenting close probability drops sharply and we miss the top of the raise.