Quick Answer: After building your list of UK early-stage startups that are fundraising using Origami, the next step is to turn those names into conversations. This guide walks you through refining that list for LinkedIn, writing a three-touch outreach sequence with copy you can steal, and sending it all from Origami's built-in sequencer — no export, no extra tools.

If you don't have a list yet, first follow the companion guide: how to build a list of UK Early-Stage Startups That Are Fundraising. That post shows you how to use Origami to generate a targeted prospect list of founders, CEOs, and UK-incorporated startups showing fundraising signals, with verified emails and LinkedIn profiles, all from a single prompt.

Now let's sequence it.

Step 1: Refine and segment your Origami list for LinkedIn

You've got a list that Origami pulled together — maybe 150 to 500 contacts. Not all of them deserve a LinkedIn touch. Some are angel investors, some are advisors, some are companies that raised three years ago and aren't active now. Your first job is to whittle the list down to people you'd genuinely want a conversation with.

Open the list inside Origami. Don't rush into the sequencer. Spend 15 minutes qualifying.

What to remove

Anyone not on LinkedIn — The built-in sequencer only works with LinkedIn profiles. Origami enriches LinkedIn URLs for most contacts, but if the field is blank, pull them out. You can still email them separately.
Roles that aren't decision-makers — If you're selling a service that helps with fundraising or operational scaling, you want founders, CEOs, CFOs, or occasionally heads of growth. Remove marketing managers, junior ops hires, and non-exec directors.
Companies outside your stage range — If you only work with pre-seed and seed, drop Series A and beyond. Origami sometimes returns companies that raised a round but might be too late for you. Check the funding data column and cut anyone who has closed a round larger than, say, £2m in the last 18 months.
Dead or dormant companies — Do a quick visual scan of the company names. If you recognise a name that hasn't tweeted since 2024 or whose last Crunchbase update was two years ago, remove it. Founders at zombie startups won't reply.

How to segment the remaining list

Now group what's left into two or three segments. This matters because you'll tweak your messaging for each.

Segment A — Actively raising (strong signals)
These are startups with a recent press mention about fundraising, a pitch event appearance, or a job posting for a CFO. Origami often surfaces these signals in the enrichment fields. They'll see the most value in what you're offering. Aim for 20–40 contacts here.

Segment B — Likely raising (inferred signals)
The company has grown headcount by 30%+ in six months, the founder just left a big corporate role, or they recently filed documents at Companies House for a SEIS advance assurance. These are second-priority. 50–80 contacts.

Segment C — Recently raised (nurture)
They closed a round 3–9 months ago. They may not need your service now but are worth keeping warm. You'll dial down the urgency in messaging.

For this guide, I'm building the sequence for Segment A — actively raising UK early-stage startups. You can tone down for B and C later.

What “qualified” looks like for this audience

A truly qualified lead for a LinkedIn campaign targeting UK fundraising startups checks these boxes:

Role: Founder, co-founder, CEO, CFO, or head of finance.
Company: UK-incorporated (check the company number if Origami provides it).
Stage: Pre-seed or seed, with a clear round target (£250k–£2m).
Activity: In the last 60 days, they've done at least one of: updated Crunchbase, posted on LinkedIn about traction, hired a key operator, or been mentioned in UK tech press (Sifted, Tech.eu, UKTN).
Persona: They speak the language of cap tables, SAFE notes, and EIS certificates. If your message doesn't instantly resonate with that world, you'll lose them.

Once you've segmented, tag them in Origami. Later, when you launch the sequencer, you can filter by tag and create separate sequences for each segment. Don't skip this step — it doubles your reply rate.

Step 2: Write the 3-touch LinkedIn sequence (copy-paste ready)

The sequence below is written for a hypothetical service that helps early-stage startups prepare their investor outreach — think fractional CFO, pitch deck consultant, or fundraising coach. The messages use the language of UK fundraising: SEIS/EIS, advanced assurance, bridge rounds, angel networks.

You can adapt it to any service as long as you preserve the founder’s internal monologue: “Do you understand my world, and can you help me close this round faster?”

The sequence structure

LinkedIn's limits shape the cadence:

Day 1: Connection request with a note (max 300 characters).
Day 3: First follow-up message (only after they accept).
Day 7: Second follow-up (soft close).

You won't send InMails unless you have a premium account. The connection request note is the silent workhorse; make it count.

Touch 1 — Connection request note (Day 1)

Note:

Hi [first name], noticed [Company] is raising its seed — great timing. I help UK founders like you tighten their pitch deck and investor targeting so they close faster. Happy to share a 2-min template that’s working for SEIS-eligible rounds this year. Worth a connect?

Why it works: It names the company and the activity (raising). It dangles a small, specific asset (a template) rather than a meeting. And it uses UK-specific tax-advantaged language — immediately signals you're not a generic salesperson.

If you prefer a tone that's a bit more direct:

[first name], caught that [Company] is going out to angels this quarter. I work with seed-stage teams to build data rooms and financials that get investor yeses faster. Quick question on your timeline — worth connecting?

Touch 2 — Follow-up message (Day 3, after they accept)

Wait three days after they connect. Don't pitch yet. Give value that feels earned.

Message:

Thanks for connecting, [first name]. As you're likely heads-down on your raise, here’s something practical: I'm seeing UK angels in 2026 ask for a one-page SEIS compliance summary before they'll look at a deck. Most founders I meet don't have one ready. I have a free checklist that covers exactly what HMRC expects — no fluff. If you want it, just say the word. No pitch.

Why it works: It references a genuine 2026 trend (angel due diligence shifting to compliance documents). It offers a useful asset and explicitly states “no pitch.” That permission structure gets replies.

If your service is more operational (e.g., recruitment, office space), switch to a relevant pain point:

Since you're scaling during the raise, one thing that tripped up two portfolio companies I work with was hiring a senior engineer too early — burned cash without revenue impact. Happy to share the simple hiring timeline we use that keeps runway intact. Want me to send it over?

Touch 3 — Final message (Day 7, soft close)

Seven days after the first follow-up. Keep it low pressure. Give them an off-ramp.

Message:

Last one from me, [first name]. If you're still shaping your investor story and want a second pair of eyes, I'm offering a 20-minute audit call to a few founders this month — we'll look at your deck, data room, or cap table and I'll tell you what's working and what's not. No cost, no follow-up unless you want it. If it's not the right time, no worries at all. Good luck with the raise.

Why it works: The word “audit” is safe — it implies an expert review, not a sales call. “No cost” combined with “no follow-up unless you want it” removes risk. The final line gives permission to ignore you. That paradoxically increases replies.

Customising for your offering

Swap out “SEIS compliance summary” for your own lead magnet. Whatever you offer, it must be:

Tiny (can be consumed in under 5 minutes),
Specific (“the 5-point cap table checklist” not “a guide to fundraising”),
UK-specific (mention the British Business Bank, SEIS, EIS, Angel CoFund, regional angel networks).

If you sell tech or SaaS to startups, tie your message to runway or speed: “We help seed-stage teams close their first five customers 30% faster without hiring more people.” Founders care about velocity and cash.

Step 3: Send the sequence from Origami's built-in sequencer

Once your messages are ready, you don't need to export the list to a separate outreach tool. Origami has a lightweight LinkedIn Sequencer that handles connection requests and follow-up messages directly.

Here's how to launch it:

Filter your list inside Origami to the segment you want (e.g., your Actively Raising segment).
Click the “Sequence” tab at the top of the list view. If it's your first time, you'll need to connect your LinkedIn account via a secure browser extension — Origami will prompt you.
Create a new sequence. Name it something like “UK Seed – Actively Raising (Feb 2026)” so you can track performance later.
Add your touches:
- Touch 1: Connection request. Paste the note from Step 2. Leave the default delay at 0 days (it sends immediately).
- Touch 2: Follow-up message. Paste the Day 3 message. Set the delay to 3 days after connection acceptance.
- Touch 3: Final message. Set delay to 7 days after Touch 2.
Optionally, add a wait condition between touches: “Only if no reply received.” This prevents you from messaging someone who already responded.
Hit “Run Sequence” and select the contacts. Origami will batch-send the requests with randomised intervals to stay within LinkedIn's limits.

The best part: Origami's sequencer tracks everything. You'll see which contacts accepted your connection, when messages were delivered, and who replied. Replied contacts automatically pause out of the sequence, so nobody gets a follow-up after they've engaged. All your list data — names, company, role, enrichment — stays inside Origami. No CSV imports, no toggling between tools.

Important note on limits: LinkedIn restricts the number of connection requests per day (typically around 100 for Sales Navigator users, fewer for free accounts). Origami spreads your sends across days to keep you safe. If you have 150 contacts in your segment, the sequencer will run over a few days. That's fine — let it breathe.

Step 4: What results to expect and when to iterate

Let's set realistic expectations. UK early-stage founders are bombarded with LinkedIn pitches — VCs, accelerators, service providers, recruiters. But a founder who is actively fundraising has a heightened need for solutions that close their round, so they're slightly more receptive than the average startup contact.

Ballpark metrics for this specific audience

Connection acceptance rate: 18–30% if your request note is personalised and mentions their company activity. Generic notes without a specific reason struggle below 12%.
Reply rate (after connection): 6–12% across the whole sequence. Touch 2 tends to get the most replies because you're offering a free asset with no strings.
Meeting booked (if your CTA is a call): 2–4% of total outreached contacts. So from 200 invites, expect 4–8 discovery calls over a three-week period.

When to change the messaging

If your connection acceptance drops below 15% after the first 50 invites, stop. Don't burn the rest of the list. Tweak the opening note:

Is it too generic? Add the company name or a recent trigger (funding news, new hire, award).
Are you hitting the wrong role? Maybe you're sending to CEOs when CFOs would respond better. Check the segmentation.
Does the offer feel spammy? Replace “I help with fundraising” with something more tangible: “I have a list of 25 active UK angel networks with minimum cheque sizes under £50k.”

If you're getting strong acceptance but low replies on Touch 2, the value asset isn't sharp enough. Founders won't ask for a checklist unless they immediately understand how it saves them time. Try a different asset: a calculator, a template, a short recording. Test two versions of Touch 2 on half the list each.

When to go back to the list

If you've optimised your messaging three times and still see replies below 3%, the problem isn't the copy — it's the list. Use Origami to rebuild a tighter prompt. Maybe you targeted “UK early-stage startups” too broadly and you're landing on micro-businesses that aren't investable. Narrow down: “UK tech startups with at least 5 employees that filed for SEIS advance assurance in the last 6 months.” The better your Origami prompt, the more qualified the list, and the higher your LinkedIn conversion.

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How to Run a LinkedIn Outreach Campaign Targeting UK Early-Stage Startups That Are Fundraising (2026 Guide)