// Hacker Noon · 5 June 2026

Out of 2,159 Cold Messages, Only 4 People Replied

I spent five weeks trying to validate startup ideas the hard way. The numbers: 2,159 LinkedIn connection requests, 766 accepts, ~575 personalized follow-ups, and 4 genuine replies (a 0.7% reply rate, one real conversation per 540 requests). Zero confirmed "I'd pay for this." Of 3 ideas, I've killed...

Hacker Noon

@hacker-noon · Alex Cloudstar

hackernoon.com

Hacker Noon@hacker-noon