1. The forwardable blurb (write this first)
Subject: Intro to [their contact's name]? [Project] for [problem] Hi [Friend], Could you forward this to [contact name] if it seems relevant? Blurb below: "[Your name] maintains [project], an open source [what it does] used by [real number] teams on GitHub. They're talking to [job title, e.g. platform engineering leads] who run [project or competing tool] in production to learn what a paid [support plan / hosted version] would need. 20 minutes, no pitch deck." No worries if not. Thanks, [Your name] Use this whenever a friend says "send me something I can forward."
2. Ask a friend who works at a company that uses your project
Subject: Quick question about [Company] and [project] Hi [Friend], I saw [Company] in our [GitHub dependents list / issue #123 / Discord]. Do you know who owns [the infra / data pipeline / CI] there? I'd like 20 minutes with whoever is responsible for keeping [project] running, probably a [Staff Engineer / Head of Platform]. I'm trying to learn what they'd pay for: support, SSO, hosted, or nothing. If you know them, I can send a 3-line blurb to forward. [Your name] Use this after checking GitHub's "Used by" tab or your issue tracker for company emails and domains.
3. Ask an ex-colleague for a named person
Subject: Do you still know [Name] at [Company]? Hi [Friend], Long time. I've been building [project], open source, [one-line what it does]. I noticed you're connected to [Name], [title] at [Company], on LinkedIn. They run [relevant stack, e.g. Kafka at scale], which is where [project] helps most. Would you be comfortable introducing us? Happy to write the email so you just hit forward. [Your name] Use this when you've found the exact person on LinkedIn and need a warm path, not a cold message.
4. Ask an active contributor
Subject: Thank you, and a small ask Hi [Contributor], Thanks for [specific PR or issue, e.g. the ARM build fix in #456]. It shipped in [version]. I'm testing whether a paid [support tier / cloud version] could fund full-time work on [project]. Is your team at [Company] the kind that would pay for that? If so, who decides, your [Engineering Manager / VP Eng]? An intro, or just your honest opinion, would help a lot. [Your name] Use this with contributors whose commits come from a company email domain.
5. Post in your own project community
Post for [GitHub Discussions / Discord #general / Slack]: "Maintainer here. I'm talking to teams running [project] in production to decide what paid option, if any, would fund long-term maintenance. If you use it at work, or can intro me to whoever owns it at your company, reply or DM me. 20 minutes, I'll share what I learn back here. [Your name]" Use this once, pinned, when you have at least a few dozen active community members.
6. Ask a fellow maintainer in an adjacent project
Subject: Swap intros? [Your project] + [Their project] Hi [Maintainer], I maintain [project]. A lot of our users also run [their project], e.g. [issue or discussion link showing overlap]. Do you know any [Platform leads / CTOs at Series A-B startups] using both who'd talk about paid support? I'll do the same for you with anyone from our users looking at [their category]. [Your name] Use this with maintainers you've met in a CNCF Slack channel, an Apache mailing list, or at a meetup.
7. The thank-you and follow-up
Subject: Re: Intro to [contact name] Hi [Friend], Thanks for connecting me with [contact]. We talked [day]. They [one concrete outcome, e.g. need SOC 2 docs before paying]. I owe you one. If anyone else at [Company] or your network runs [project], I'd love the same favor. Use this within a day of every intro call. It earns the next intro. Hulby, an AI cofounder, drafts and tracks messages like these daily for founders who want this off their plate.
Mistakes to skip
- Asking "know anyone who might be interested?" instead of naming a person or job title.
- Making your friend write the intro instead of giving them a forwardable blurb.
- Pitching pricing in the ask. Ask to learn first.
- Never telling the friend how the intro went, so they never help again.
Want this done for your open source project, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
Who should I ask first?
People at companies already in your GitHub dependents, issues or star list. They have the shortest path to a real buyer.
What job title should I target?
Whoever owns the system your project runs in: Head of Platform, Staff Engineer, Engineering Manager, or the CTO at small startups.
How many asks per day?
Five to ten personal messages is enough. Quality and a named target matter more than volume.
What if my friend doesn't reply?
Send one follow-up after five days, then drop it. Do not take silence personally.