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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metal.so/llms.txt

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Cold outreach to investors fails most of the time. The alternative is a warm introduction — but identifying who in your network can reach a specific investor, and how to ask them credibly, is manually intensive at scale. Paths solves this. It maps every introduction pathway from your network to your target investors and surfaces the highest-leverage connectors — people who can unlock multiple investors in a single conversation — along with the exact relationship chain behind each route. Navigate to Network → Paths to access the view.
Pathways populate from investors already in your pipeline. If the Pathways Feed appears empty, add investors to your pipeline first — Paths works on top of your existing target list.

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Top Connectors

At the top of the Paths view, the Top Connectors module ranks the people in your network by how many target investors they can reach. The person at position one can open more doors on your pipeline than anyone else in your network. Each connector card shows:
  • Name, photo, and current role — who they are and where they work
  • Relationship tag — how well you know them: Don’t Know, Warm, Close, or Not Relevant
  • Investors reachable — the count of target investors they can introduce you to, with investor avatars shown inline
Click View Pathways on any connector card to filter the Pathways Feed below to only that person’s pathways. This is the fastest way to assess a specific connector’s network before reaching out to them.
Start with Top Connectors before diving into the Pathways Feed. The connectors ranked highest are the ones worth prioritizing — a single conversation with the right person can unlock introductions to dozens of investors on your pipeline simultaneously.

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Pathways Feed

The Pathways Feed is the core of Paths. It displays every individual introduction pathway available to you — each card representing a three-node chain:
You (or your connection) → Connector → Target Investor
Each pathway card in Detailed view shows:
  • Your link to the connector — the evidence type explaining how you are connected, and the strength of that relationship
  • The connector’s link to the investor — the evidence type explaining why this connector can reach that investor, and the strength of that relationship
  • Draft Intro — a button to immediately open the intro request flow for that pathway
The feed supports Compact and Detailed views. Compact shows each pathway as a condensed row — investor name, connector, and top-level strength signal at a glance. Switch to Detailed when actively evaluating pathways: each card expands to show full evidence types, strength signals on both links, and the Draft Intro action.

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Reading the Chain

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1. Evidence Types

Each link in the pathway chain has an evidence type explaining why Metal believes that connection exists.
Evidence TypeWhat it means
Raised fromA founder in your network previously raised capital from this connector’s fund
Co-investmentsThe connector has co-invested alongside the target investor on prior deals
Prioritize pathways with strong evidence on both sides of the chain. A path where your connection raised from the connector, and the connector has deep co-investment history with the target investor, is a fundamentally different quality of path than a weak two-hop chain.

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2. Relationship Strength

Each link also carries a strength signal.
StrengthWhat it means
Don’t KnowNo direct relationship — an indirect path only
WarmA light connection; a mutual introduction or social engagement
CloseA working relationship with meaningful prior interaction
StrongA high-quality, reliable relationship with a track record
When prioritizing outreach, favor pathways where your connection to the connector is at least Warm, and the connector-investor relationship is Strong. Pathways where both sides show Don’t Know are cold chains and are unlikely to produce a genuine warm introduction.

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3. Filters

Paths has a full filter set across three categories: Investors, Connectors, and Relationship Strength. Open the filter panel by clicking Filter in the toolbar. Filter configurations you use regularly can be saved via Saved Filters and recalled in one click.
  • Specific Investment Firms — scope the Pathways Feed to routes toward specific investors by name (e.g., Sequoia, a16z, Y Combinator)
  • Investors by Pipeline — show only investors in a specific pipeline stage
  • Investors by Tag — filter to investors you have tagged in a specific group
  • Investors by Relevance — surface pathways to your highest-fit investors first

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Activating an Introduction

From any pathway card, click Draft Intro to open the introduction request flow. Richard AI drafts a forwardable email for your introducer — pre-loaded with a company description aligned to the investor’s thesis and context on why the fit is strong. You can review, edit, and send from within Metal, or copy it to your own email client.
All introduction requests sent through Paths are routed via your own email address. Metal prepares the message; you send it.
  1. Open Paths at Network → Paths and review the Top Connectors module to identify your highest-reach contacts.
  2. Click View Pathways on your top two or three connectors to see which specific investors they can reach.
  3. Use the Specific Investment Firms filter to focus the feed on your priority investors.
  4. In Detailed view, scan for pathways where both links show strong evidence and high relationship strength.
  5. Click Draft Intro on the strongest pathway to each priority investor and send the request.
Use Paths alongside the Access tab on individual investor profiles. Paths gives you the macro view — who in your network can reach the most investors at once. The investor profile Access tab gives you the micro view — all pathways to one specific investor. If key target investors have no identified warm pathway, expand your coverage:
  • Add more existing investors — each one unlocks their full portfolio of backed founders as potential connectors
  • Rate your connections — set relationship tags on connector cards (Don’t Know, Warm, Close) to improve pathway quality. A connector rated Close will surface ahead of one rated Don’t Know even if their investor reach is similar
  • Ask Richard — “Who in my network is closest to [investor name]?” for a targeted pathway analysis