One Cold Email to Mark Cuban. $1M Investment. Now Worth $4B

Here's what happened

Synthesia raised $550M and hit a $4B valuation.

Started with academic researchers from UCL and Technical University of Munich who built AI video generation tech.

Early investor meetings went the same way: “Interesting technology. Come back when you have customers.”

So they got customers. Then cold emailed Mark Cuban.

14-hour email exchange. Cuban wired $1M.

Everything changed after that.

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What Happened

2017: Founder cold emails Mark Cuban → $1M investment
2018: Seed round (Seedcamp, MMC Ventures)
2020: Series A (FirstMark)
2021: Series B (Kleiner Perkins, Air Street)
2023: Series C at $1B valuation (Accel, Kleiner, Google Ventures)
2025: Series D at $2.1B, $180M raised (NEA leading)
Jan 2026: Series E at $4B, $200M raised (GV leading)

Total raised: $550M

The company investors passed on is now worth $4 billion.

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Why the Cold Email Worked

The email to Cuban was short. Under 150 words.

What made it work:

• Specific problem with numbers (training videos cost $50-200K, we do $1-5K)

• Real traction (15 pilots, 85% retention)

• Honest about the challenge (hard to explain to investors)

• Asked for perspective (is this real?)

• Easy to reply (happy to share more if useful)

Cuban replied in hours. Asked detailed questions.

Founders answered with specifics and data.

14 hours of back-and-forth.

Then: “I’m in for $1M.”

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What You Get Below

Most articles tell the story and stop.

This one gives you the actual playbook.

Premium subscribers get:

• Cold Email Templates That Work
  3 proven patterns for reaching investors like Mark Cuban. Based on what worked for Synthesia.

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  Full 18-slide deck that raised at $2.1B valuation. See exactly what it emphasized.

• When Cold Outreach Works vs Dies
  Decision framework. Clear criteria based on real patterns.

• How to Structure the Email
  7 elements that separate emails that get replies from emails that get ignored.

• The Follow-Up System
  When to send, what to say, when to stop.

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The Templates, Synthesia’s $180M Deck, and Frameworks 👇