Brand differentiation has become crucial for both attracting capital from limited partners (LPs) and winning deals with companies. In today’s crowded investment landscape and competitive deal environment, distinguishing yourself from others is essential. This requires more than just savvy negotiations; it demands effectively communicating your unique value.

Crafting an effective 60-second elevator pitch requires a combination of storytelling and clarity. Here are some of the key elements…

A critical component of establishing your fund’s differentiating investment thesis is how you articulate and execute your vision and strategy. Your vision is your desired outcome, and your strategy is the collection of resources used to reach the desired outcome. Vision and strategy share an iterative and mutually beneficial relationship: the more you clarify your intended outcome, the more apparent your resources become…

Once your business is ready to fundraise a priced round to propel your expansion, be sure to create a clear plan. Raising money for a priced equity round, often called a Series A, requires a methodical approach; and by separating your process into clear steps, you give yourself the best chance of success. Here are the steps to fundraise in 3 months…

One of our favorite things about the early-stage investing ecosystem is our “pay it forward” culture. In the holiday spirit of giving, a few of our favorite Limited Partner (LP) investors have kindly shared their wisdom for emerging venture fund managers. We asked: “What piece of advice do you wish more fund managers knew?”…

Relationships are critical for identifying investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, creating value for portfolio companies, fundraising from Limited Partners (LPs), and finding co-investors or sourcing customer relationships for investments. We often see fund managers mishandle relationship-building through transactional exchanges, overkill networking, or the “it’s not what you know, it's who you know” mentality…

As a Fund Manager looking to raise capital from institutional investors — a pitch deck is a necessity. Pitch decks serve as a quick overview of your fund, your strengths, your investment thesis, and your plan for the fundraise. This allows you to communicate clearly and succinctly with potential investors, while also forcing you to streamline your internal messaging…

Clear company messaging is important as your business grows to ensure consistency of your narrative internally with employees; and externally with your customers. Here are steps to create clear company messaging (you can find a completed template at the end of this article)…

If your business is looking to expand, fundraise, or bring on additional stakeholders — you will typically need a pitch deck. Pitch decks serve as a quick overview of your business, your long-term vision, an imminent opportunity, and your ask. Pitch decks allow you to communicate clearly and succinctly to potential stakeholders, while also forcing you to streamline your internal messaging. Here are 14 slides I recommend including in a pitch deck…

Managing your investor relationships is a critical part of running a business. After completing your fundraise, begin regular communications with investors to build a long-term relationship with those who believed and invested in you. This article describes the reasons to send investor updates, their components, and an example investor update…

As your business begins to reach a broader audience, you’ll need an arsenal of materials to quickly explain your offering. A one pager allows you to distill several ideas about your products or services into one page, with the goal of getting a customer interested to learn more. Here’s how to write a one pager, plus a sample at the end of this article…