Pitching to management, is it ok to include software architect in email?

Question

A close relative is looking to collaborate, preferably with a company, to further market their software tool. Currently they have one customer, implementing across more customers would require more people and also one or more competent sales people in order to get more customers.

I think it could be a fit with a former employer of mine, not 100% sure because it is outside my direct field of work (I worked on different kinds of projects when I was there).

I'm compiling a email to the director as an introduction to see if they are interested. I am considering to include in the cc one of the software architects and maybe also a consultant because I think they have a thorough understanding of the requirements of their customers and can judge if this collaboration would make sense. And also I think my relative and the architect would get along great.

Would that be considered strange, offensive or even suspect in some way by management? Should I ask the software architect and consultant what they think before pitching to management? This is a software company of about 50 people, a number of which are formally self-employed consultants who have been working for this company for a long time. The company culture is business-like but people are generally approachable and nice.

I ask because I have seen elsewhere (in academia) how people who are generally really nice and easy-going, can suddenly turn very aggressive even when they wrongly suspect someone is shooting amongst their pigeons in terms of funding or career opportunities. Neither I nor my relative are about to do such a thing.

Answer 1

Would that be considered strange, offensive or even suspect in some way by management?

It would indeed seem strange and perhaps a bit presumptuous.

It's as if you are trying to decide the team, before the company has decided they are even interested. The team roster is not your decision to make.

Pitch to the decision maker, not a team.

Should I ask the software architect and consultant what they think before pitching to management?

If you want to drop anyone's name as part of a pitch, you must ask their permission first. Otherwise, you risk a lot of embarrassment.

Answer 2

Let your close relative decide for themselves if this would be a good fit and let them pitch to your old company's management on their own.

They can include in their pitch that they were referenced by yourself, but the pitch should be addressed only to the person who would make a decision on accepting or rejecting this collaboration. If that person making the decision feels the need to consult with their software architect or anyone else at the company, that is their decision to make, not you or your relative.