How many connection requests should I send per day?

For a new LinkedIn account, stay under 25 requests per day to avoid restrictions. If your account has a strong Social Selling Index and you’ve been active for years, you can safely send 40–50. Origami spaces out sends to mimic human behaviour, so you don’t trip LinkedIn’s spam detectors.

Do hiring managers at venture-backed startups respond better to connection requests or InMail?

Connection requests with a note outperform InMail by a wide margin, especially when you personalise the message to a recent trigger (funding, job post, new partnership). InMail often lands in a separate, less-checked tab. If a VP Sales has a LinkedIn Premium account, they’ll see your InMail, but a connection request gets right into their notifications. Use the free connection request note.

Should I mention the funding round in the very first message?

Yes. Funding rounds are public, positive signals and show you’re paying attention. In London’s startup ecosystem, founders and early-stage execs talk openly about their Series A/B raises. Just don’t make it the only reason for reaching out—connect it to the enterprise AE role and your relevant experience, like the example in Day 1.

What if a recruiting agency is handling the hire? Do I still reach out to the VP Sales?

Absolutely. Agencies manage the process, but the hiring manager still makes the final call. A well-written message to the VP Sales can get you introduced to the recruiter with an internal referral, which puts you ahead of every cold application. I’ve seen candidates bypass agency filters entirely because they built a direct relationship first.

Can I use this sequence for other roles, like SMB AE or Customer Success?

You can adapt it, but the trigger and pain points change. For an SMB AE role, you’d highlight volume pipeline and fast close cycles rather than enterprise deal complexity. The structure (connection request, follow-up with proof, soft close) works, but the copy needs to match the role’s demand. Now you have the list from the parent post and a proven outreach engine. I’d recommend launching your first sequence this week while the job posts are fresh. Use Origami’s free plan to test the list-building, then jump on a paid plan to enable the sequencer and start booking conversations. The enterprise AE market in London is competitive in 2026, but a targeted, trigger-based approach beats spray-and-pray every time.

LinkedIn Outreach for Enterprise AE Jobs in London (2026)

Quick Answer: You’ve used Origami to build a list of hiring managers at London venture-backed startups actively looking for Enterprise AEs. Now you need to turn that list into interviews. Origami has a built-in LinkedIn sequencer—you can craft a 3-touch sequence, send it directly from the same platform, and track replies without ever exporting a CSV. In this guide, I’ll walk you through refining your list, writing messages that get responses, and launching the entire campaign from Origami.

I’ve run this exact playbook multiple times in 2026 for salespeople moving into enterprise roles at well-funded startups. The response rates will surprise you—if you personalize the message to the right trigger.

1. Build the List (Recap)

If you followed the companion post on how to build a list of Track Enterprise Account Executive Jobs in London Venture-Backed Startups, you already have a list of decision-makers in Origami. If you need a quick build right now, here’s the exact prompt you’d type:

"Venture-backed B2B SaaS startups in London that raised Series A or B in the last 12 months, with active job posts for Enterprise Account Executive as of April 2026. Include VP Sales, Head of Sales, or Founder responsible for hiring."

Origami returns a table with verified names, email addresses, LinkedIn profile URLs, job titles, company details (including funding stage, tools used, and headcount). You can get started on the free plan with 1,000 credits—no credit card needed. But for this outreach campaign, you’ll want to use a paid plan so you can enrich as many leads as you need and use the sequencer. The sequencer itself is free; you only pay for the credits to enrich contacts.

Now let’s prepare that list for LinkedIn.

2. Refine and Qualify for LinkedIn Outreach

A long list isn’t a good list. Before you send a single connection request, cut the noise. Inside Origami, you can filter, tag, and segment your leads.

What to remove immediately

Companies that already filled the role: Check the job posting date. If it’s older than 4 weeks and the company isn’t still promoting it, the urgency is gone. Move them to a “watch” list for later.
Mismatched industries: If you sell only into Fintech or Healthtech, but a startup targets ecommerce, remove it. Your messaging will fall flat if you can’t speak their language.
Early-stage startups without a sales team: If the company raised a seed round last week and has zero AEs, they might not be ready to hire someone who needs a full SDR team underneath them. Focus on Series A+ companies with at least 3–5 sales hires.

What “qualified” looks like for this audience

A qualified lead means:

The enterprise AE role is still open (verified on LinkedIn Jobs or the company’s careers page within the last 14 days).
The company has raised funding in the last 12 months—preferably $8M+—so they have budget to pay comp and build a team.
You have a direct LinkedIn profile URL for the hiring manager (VP Sales, Head of Sales, or Founder who posted the job).
The contact’s profile shows they are active on LinkedIn (posted or commented in the last 30 days). Cold prospects who never check LinkedIn won’t see your message.

Segment your refined list by company size, funding stage, or even tech stack (if Origami enriched tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Outreach). That segmentation lets you tailor later messages—e.g., “I noticed you’re on HubSpot, so I’d map the enterprise process to a multi-touch ABM motion.”

3. Create the LinkedIn Sequence (3-Touch Messages You Can Steal)

Origami gives you two ways to build your sequence.

Option A: Paste your own templates. Write a 3-step sequence with custom delays, then drop the copy directly into Origami’s sequencer. You control every word.
Option B: Let the AI agent write it. Ask Origami’s AI agent to generate personalized messages based on each lead’s profile data—title, company, industry, recent funding, tools. The agent then fills in the blanks so every message reads like a human wrote it.

For this audience, I recommend a hybrid approach: get the AI draft, then tweak the key paragraphs yourself. That ensures the message sounds personal while still using your voice. Below, I’ll share the exact 3-touch sequence I’ve used for London venture-backed startups hiring Enterprise AEs. Feel free to adapt it.

Cadence: Day 1 (connection request), Day 3 (follow-up once connected), Day 7 (final soft close).

Day 1: Connection Request (300 characters max)

Hi [First Name], saw [Company] is hiring an Enterprise AE after the recent [Series A/B] round. I’ve been selling [niche vertical, e.g., cybersecurity] into F500 accounts at [Current Company] with 120% quota attainment. Would love to connect and hear more about the role.

Why this works: It sparks curiosity by referencing a trigger (funding round + open role). It adds social proof (quota attainment) without bragging. And it’s a soft ask—just to connect, not pitch for a job.

Day 3: Follow-Up Message (after they accept)

Thanks for connecting, [First Name]. I dug into [Company]’s recent [partnership/customer win]—impressive traction in [vertical].

I know hiring the right enterprise AE post-funding is make-or-break. You need someone who can open doors into [target enterprise vertical, e.g., financial services] without wasting time on leads that won’t close. At [Current Company], I built a $2.4M pipeline in 6 months selling to [same vertical]. I’m not just applying blindly—I’ve already mapped the enterprise playbook I’d run here.

Worth 10 minutes to share specifics, no strings attached.

Why this works: It shows you’ve done real research (a recent win or partnership). It names the pain—hiring an AE who can actually deliver pipeline post-fundraising. And it puts skin in the game with a concrete number and a tailored promise to share a playbook.

Day 7: Final Message (Soft Close)

Last note, [First Name]. I know inboxes get flooded when a startup posts an enterprise AE role. I’m reaching out directly because I’ve looked at [Company]’s ICP, their recent [Series/partnership], and the gaps most first-time enterprise hires miss.

If the role is still open, I’d love 15 minutes to walk you through how I’d attack [specific market segment, e.g., UK mid-market banks] in my first 90 days. No hard feelings if the timing isn’t right—I’ll be following [Company]’s growth either way.

Why this works: This message diffuses the “I’m just another applicant” vibe. It acknowledges the noise and differentiates you by proving you understand the company. The soft close leaves the door open without sounding desperate.

4. Send the Sequence Directly from Origami

Here’s where Origami’s built-in LinkedIn sequencer earns its keep. You don’t export your list to a separate outreach tool. You don’t juggle CSVs and sync errors. Everything happens right where you built the list.

Setting it up

After refining your list in Origami, select the contacts you want to include.
Open the Sequencer tab and choose “New Sequence.”
Paste your three templates (or let the AI generate them), and set the delay between steps—Day 0 (connection request), Day 3 (first follow-up), Day 7 (final message).
Map any personalization tokens like , , `` that Origami already enriched for you.
Hit “Launch.”

Origami will start sending connection requests on your behalf, respecting LinkedIn’s daily limits. Once someone accepts, the sequencer automatically queues the next message after the delay you set.

Tracking opens, clicks, and replies

Inside the campaign dashboard, you’ll see each contact’s status:

Pending: Connection request not yet accepted.
Sent: Follow-up message delivered.
Opened: The contact viewed your message (available for some LinkedIn account types).
Replied: The person responded. At that point, Origami automatically un-enrolls them from the sequence so you never send a breakup message after someone already wants to talk.
Clicked: If you included a link to your LinkedIn profile or a booking page, you’ll see clicks.

What’s powerful is the context. While you’re looking at a contact’s activity, you can still see their enriched profile—title, company size, tools they use, recent funding. You aren’t guessing why you reached out. This makes it easy to personalize a reply when they do respond.

The platform advantage

This single-platform workflow is the biggest time-saver. You found the leads in Origami, enriched them, wrote the sequence, sent it, and now track everything—all without switching tools. No exporting lists to a LinkedIn automation tool, no broken syncs between your CRM and outreach platform, no manual notes. The sequencer is included on all paid plans; you only pay for credits to enrich leads, the sending itself costs nothing extra.

What response rate to expect

For enterprise AE job hunting at London venture-backed startups in 2026, you can expect:

Connection acceptance rate: 30–45% if you reference the funding round and open role in your request. Generic notes get half that.
Reply rate from accepted connections: 15–25% will reply to your first follow-up. The quality of your research makes all the difference here.
Meeting conversion: Roughly 1 in 4 replies leads to an exploratory call or interview.

So if you send 100 connection requests, expect ~35–45 connections, 7–12 replies, and 2–3 conversations that might progress to interviews. That’s a solid pipeline when you’re targeting specific roles.

When to iterate on messaging vs. the list

After 1–2 weeks, check your metrics:

Low connection acceptance (under 20%): Your connection note isn’t landing. Test shorter notes, different triggers (mention a specific hire they made, or a competitor move), or remove the funding mention if it feels too salesy.
High acceptance, low replies: Your follow-up isn’t compelling enough. The Day 3 message is where you need to prove you’re not just another applicant. Lead with the specific insight you’d bring—don’t just ask for a chat.
Replies but no meetings: Your soft close might be too soft. On the final message, offer a concrete 15-minute topic that clearly adds value, like a mini competitor analysis or a 90-day plan outline.
Everything’s low: Your list likely isn’t as qualified as you thought. Go back to Step 2, tighten your filters, and consider targeting companies that just posted the job within the last 7 days. Freshness matters.

Remember, you can A/B test different templates directly in Origami by creating two sequences and splitting your list. Let data guide the iteration.

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How to Run a LinkedIn Outreach Campaign for Enterprise AE Jobs at London Venture-Backed Startups (2026)