#01
Outreach sent · 2026-04Lenny's Newsletter
✉ NewsletterLenny Rachitsky · Product / growth, ~900k subs
Fit: Crossover with PM-turned-angel readers
Dream 50, the publishers we'd like to hear from
If you work backwards from where the right attention already lives, the same logic works for partners. These are the 50 newsletter writers, podcast hosts, and community owners whose readers are already primed for earlier startup signal, clearer timing, and proof-first language. Engagement status is current; we update the row when status changes. If you write or run one of these, scroll to the pitch templates, we ship the swipe kit pre-filled.
3
Engaged
0
Replied
8
Outreach
37
Pending
4
On hold
The roster
#02
PendingStratechery
✉ NewsletterBen Thompson · Tech strategy, 6-figure paid
Fit: Aggregation Theory readers care about platform-buildout signals
#03
PendingPlatformer
✉ NewsletterCasey Newton · Tech industry, ~170k
Fit: Audience overlaps tech-aware angels
#04
PendingAlex Xu, ByteByteGo
✉ NewsletterAlex Xu · Engineering systems, ~700k
Fit: Reads engineering-as-signal naturally
#05
Outreach sent · 2026-05IndieHackers Weekly
✉ NewsletterChanning Allen / Stripe · Indie founders ~120k
Fit: Founder-investor crossover, low CPL
#06
PendingFintech Business Weekly
✉ NewsletterJason Mikula · Fintech VCs + ops
Fit: Fintech sector overlap with our 15-sector grid
#07
PendingAxios Pro Rata
✉ NewsletterDan Primack · VC industry, ~80k
Fit: Direct VC-news audience
#08
PendingFortune Term Sheet
✉ NewsletterAllie Garfinkle / Jessica Mathews · VC industry, large
Fit: Daily VC briefing, methodology PR fit
#09
PendingNewcomer
✉ NewsletterEric Newcomer · VC scoops, ~80k paid
Fit: Pre-deck deal-flow scoop angle
#10
PendingThe Information, The Briefing
✉ NewsletterCory Weinberg · Premium tech, 6-fig
Fit: Methodology paper PR angle
#11
Outreach sent · 2026-04The Generalist
✉ NewsletterMario Gabriele · Deep-dive VC, ~150k
Fit: Long-form fit, could co-author a sector deep-dive
#12
PendingEvery / Napkin Math
✉ NewsletterEvan Armstrong / Dan Shipper · Tech-business analysis
Fit: Alt-data thesis fits Napkin Math house style
#13
PendingExec Sum
✉ NewsletterLitquidity · Finance Twitter readers, ~700k
Fit: Tweet-Teardown crossover; high-volume top-of-funnel
#14
PendingTechmeme Ride Home
🎙 PodcastBrian McCullough · Tech-industry daily, ~100k
Fit: VC-tools-news angle, methodology paper hook
#15
PendingPetition
✉ NewsletterTim Carlson · Restructuring + alt-data
Fit: Alt-data community overlap
#16
On hold · anonymity ruleTwenty Minute VC
🎙 PodcastHarry Stebbings · VC industry, large
Fit: Founder-as-Data-Nerd angle if anonymity relaxes
#17
PendingAcquired
🎙 PodcastBen Gilbert / David Rosenthal · Long-form tech, ~500k
Fit: Methodology paper hook for an episode segment
#18
On hold · anonymity ruleInvest Like the Best
🎙 PodcastPatrick O'Shaughnessy · Investing, large
Fit: Quant-side investing crossover
#19
On hold · anonymity ruleThis Week in Startups
🎙 PodcastJason Calacanis · Angel community
Fit: Angel-investor primary audience
#20
PendingFounders Podcast
🎙 PodcastDavid Senra · Founder reading-club, large
Fit: Bookish audience reads /book funnel naturally
#21
PendingAll-In
🎙 PodcastChamath / Friedberg / Sacks / Calacanis · Tech-VC, very large
Fit: Out of reach, methodology PR only
#22
PendingDecoder
🎙 PodcastNilay Patel · Tech industry
Fit: Platform-thinking audience
#23
PendingTech Deck
🎙 PodcastSequoia Capital · Sequoia portfolio + alumni
Fit: Out of reach, long-shot
#24
PendingThe Logan Bartlett Show
🎙 PodcastLogan Bartlett (Redpoint) · VC operators, growing
Fit: Operator-investor audience match
#25
Outreach sent · 2026-05Latent Space
🎙 Podcastswyx + Alessio · AI engineering, ~50k
Fit: Agent-side MCP hook lands here
#26
Engaged · 2026-05 (weekly)IndieHackers community
◇ CommunityChanning & Rosanna Allen · ~50k MAU
Fit: Solo-founder building public; we already post weekly
#27
Engaged · 2026-04Product Hunt
◇ CommunityRyan Hoover et al. · PH Top 50 reach
Fit: MCP launch, Tweet-Teardown launch fits
#28
On hold · blockedHacker News
◇ Communitydang (mod) · Tier-1 tech traffic
Fit: Account block needs resolution before resumption
#29
PendingLobste.rs
◇ CommunityPeter Bhat Harkins · ~25k engineers, invite-only
Fit: Methodology paper fits site rules
#30
Engaged · 2026-05r/venturecapital
◇ CommunityMod team · ~95k
Fit: VC subreddit; affiliate disclosure required
#31
Outreach sent · 2026-05r/AngelInvestor
◇ CommunityMod team · ~30k
Fit: Direct angel audience
#32
Pendingr/startups
◇ CommunityMod team · ~1.5M
Fit: Founder side; teardown / dashboard hook
#33
Outreach sent · 2026-05r/SideProject
◇ CommunityMod team · ~500k
Fit: Show-and-tell-friendly community
#34
PendingBuild & Fund (Founders Network)
◇ CommunityMike Suprovici · Vetted founder community
Fit: Indirect, partners for affiliate co-promo
#35
PendingOpenVC community
◇ CommunityStéphane Nasser · ~20k founders + investors
Fit: Direct VC-tools fit
#36
PendingTomasz Tunguz blog
✎ BlogTomasz Tunguz · VC ops + analytics
Fit: Data-driven VC angle, methodology paper hook
#37
Outreach sent · 2026-04The Pragmatic Engineer
✉ NewsletterGergely Orosz · Senior engineers ~700k
Fit: Engineering-org signals fit his beat exactly
#38
PendingStay SaaSy
✎ BlogAnonymous SaaS exec · B2B SaaS ops
Fit: Anonymous-author parallel; soft cross-promo
#39
PendingPaul Graham essays
✎ BlogPaul Graham · Founder canon
Fit: Methodology paper PR, long shot
#40
PendingEd Zitron, Where's Your Ed At
✉ NewsletterEd Zitron · Tech-criticism ~100k
Fit: Counter-warm-intro narrative fits his beat
#41
PendingFireship
▶ YouTubeJeff Delaney · ~3M devs
Fit: GitHub-visualisation hook, could land a 100s short
#42
PendingY Combinator (YouTube)
▶ YouTubeYC team · Founder canon
Fit: Methodology paper interview-segment fit
#43
PendingLex Fridman
🎙 PodcastLex Fridman · Long-form, very large
Fit: Out of scope, long-shot list anchor only
#44
PendingBenedict Evans
✉ NewsletterBenedict Evans · Tech analyst ~140k
Fit: Methodology paper PR fit
#45
PendingNo Mercy / No Malice
✉ NewsletterScott Galloway · Business-tech, very large
Fit: VC-tools commentary fit
#46
PendingMatt Levine, Money Stuff
✉ NewsletterMatt Levine · Finance Twitter, ~300k
Fit: Quirky alt-data fits his column tone
#47
Outreach sent · 2026-04The Diff
✉ NewsletterByrne Hobart · Finance / strategy ~50k paid
Fit: Methodology paper fits Byrne's research style
#48
PendingAlpha Signal
✉ NewsletterLior · AI research ~150k
Fit: AI/ML sector overlap, MCP hook
#49
PendingTLDR Newsletter
✉ NewsletterDan Ni · Devs ~1M
Fit: Devtools sector overlap
#50
PendingTech Brew
✉ NewsletterMorning Brew · Tech business ~600k
Fit: Methodology paper PR fit
#51
PendingAI Supremacy
✉ NewsletterMichael Spencer · AI-business ~100k
Fit: AI sector deep-dive co-promo
#52
PendingInterconnects
✉ NewsletterNathan Lambert · AI research-eng
Fit: MCP / agent-side hook fit
The pitch templates we send
One template per archetype. Copy-paste, fill the [BRACKETS], send. If you're on this list and you'd rather skip the outreach pleasantries and go direct, the email is signals@gitdealflow.com with subject "Dream 50, I'm on your list."
Template 1, Newsletter recommendation block
Subject: methodology pitch, would your readers want this? Hi [Name], Big fan of [Newsletter], [specific recent piece reference]. I run GitDealFlow. Short version: we scan 350+ venture-backed startup GitHub orgs every Sunday and surface the ones whose engineering velocity just spiked. The methodology is on SSRN with a panel of 219 startup-period observations that the signal preceded by 21-47 days. Free Sunday digest, 5 names a week. I don't want a paid placement. I want a one-time recommendation block in a future issue, only if your readers are the kind of people who would actually use this, readers who care about earlier startup signal, clearer timing, and proof they can inspect. If that's plausible, I'll send the swipe block (40 words, your edit). If it's not, totally understand, please ignore this. The Data Nerd gitdealflow.com/methodology
Template 2, Podcast / interview pitch
Subject: a 12-min segment on engineering signals before fundraises Hi [Name], I'd like to pitch a guest segment on [Show], not as the founder of GitDealFlow but as the author of an SSRN paper that tracked 219 startup-period observations and found GitHub commit-velocity acceleration preceded the round announcement by 21-47 days. The pitch is the methodology, not the product. 12 minutes, three concrete examples (which we can pre-clear with the orgs), and a takeaway your audience can apply themselves without subscribing to anything. Constraint: I can do voice-only or written-correspondence interview, not on-camera. Founder-anonymity is part of the product's credibility position. Most hosts skip on this, totally fair if it doesn't fit. If it does, I'll send a one-pager with three episode angles you can pick from. The Data Nerd gitdealflow.com/methodology · ssrn.com/abstract=6606558
Template 3, Community owner / mod outreach
Subject: would [Community] welcome a methodology share? Hi [Name / Mod team], I run GitDealFlow, free Sunday digest of GitHub commit-velocity spikes that historically preceded fundraises. I read your community rules before drafting this. Two ways I'd want to engage if it fits: 1) A single, mod-approved post sharing the methodology (SSRN paper, public dataset, the rationale). Disclosure-marked. Affiliate link OR no-link version, you pick. 2) Long-term: I'd like to be a member who shows up consistently, not a drive-by promoter. Most weeks I have something useful to add to discussions on alt-data, GitHub signals, or solo-founder ops. If neither fits, no problem, I'll lurk and contribute on substance only. If one of them does, I'll send the post draft for your edit. The Data Nerd gitdealflow.com
Template 4, Blogger / writer cross-promo
Subject: a free dataset for your next [topic] piece Hi [Name], You've written about [specific overlapping topic], I have a dataset that may be useful for your next piece on it. GitDealFlow tracks engineering acceleration across 350+ venture-backed startups. The full panel + methodology is open: SSRN paper (n=219), Zenodo dataset, public methodology page. CC-BY-4.0, no permission needed. If you want a custom cut for your piece, e.g., "the 10 fastest-accelerating [sector] startups in Q3 2026", I'll generate it for free. No paywall, no asterisks. The product is downstream of the public methodology; the paper helps the product whether or not anyone clicks the affiliate link. Useful? The Data Nerd gitdealflow.com/dataset · ssrn.com/abstract=6606558
What we've learned about the Dream 50
- Most yeses come from the bottom-third of the list, not the top. The big-canon names take 6+ months to get a reply, if ever. The niche newsletters and engineer-led communities reply within 72 hours, and their conversion rate is higher per-impression.
- The methodology paper is the unlock. Pitches that lead with the SSRN paper get reply rates roughly double pitches that lead with the product. A peer-reviewable dataset is the credibility currency that turns "another founder pitching their tool" into "a researcher with a paper."
- Anonymity costs us roughly 8 of these 50 outright. On-camera podcast hosts (20VC, Invest Like the Best, This Week in Startups) won't book a faceless guest. We mark those "On hold" rather than "passed" because the door re-opens if voice-only formats grow.
- Co-promo > affiliate. The 20% lifetime affiliate program is on the table for everyone on this list, but the conversation that lands is "let's co-author a sector deep-dive," not "here's a referral link." The one-time editorial collaboration creates the recurring referral as a side effect.
Related
- → Affiliate program 20% lifetime, 60-day cookie, 6-channel swipe kit, monthly Stripe payouts.
- → Top 100, buyer roster the customers we're pointed at, parallel to this publisher list.
- → Distribution map every channel we're live on today.
- → Hook tests the copy we send into the channels these partners run.
- → Methodology the SSRN paper that anchors every pitch above.
- → Press kit wire-ready releases the journalists on this list can pull.