Ask HN: B2B, Our idea is nothing unless we find our first pilot

We’re building a B2B product and keep hearing from successful founders that, in the early days, they sent hundreds or even thousands of cold emails—testing different templates, until something resonated and the first company responded.

Right now, we’re facing that same struggle. Not getting replies is frustrating, especially when you're just trying to validate whether your idea is even worth pursuing, but the market won’t give you a shot.

So my questions are: - Do I really need to send hundreds or thousands of emails to validate? - Or if my idea clearly solves a real pain, should I expect replies even in the first batch? - Are companies today just harder to engage, especially with early-stage or pre-seed ideas? - Is it a matter of trust, and if so, how can we overcome that without traction?

Would love to hear how others approached this stage. What worked for you?