The email to Elad has to be perfect. Maddy is in my kitchen, perched on a stool with her battered MacBook, reading the draft aloud in her best NPR voice. Jian is right beside her, eyes scanning for the hidden landmines, the phrasing that could detonate our shot at a meeting. I pace the tile floor, chewing on the edge of my mug, pretending I'm not absolutely losing my shit.
"Dear Elad," Maddy reads, oozing sincerity. "We're a founding team out of UCSB and Berkeley working on a thermodynamic approach to AGI. We saw your work with the Israel Defense Innovation Fund and think you'd be the right first check. We're not ready to share the deck just yet, but we'd love to talk. Can we set up a call?"
She stops, glances at Jian. He is frowning very slightly, which is how you know he has a million notes.
"Too eager," Jian says. "Don't say 'think you'd be the right first check.' It's weak. More confidence."
Maddy cracks her knuckles. "You try, then."
Jian leans in, edits as he talks: "We're a founding team with deep technical and business backgrounds. We're building the next evolution of intelligence, and we're currently selecting investors for our pre-seed. Your portfolio is a perfect fit. Let us know if you want to lead. We can share the deck after a quick call."