Every Raise Has a Hidden Bottleneck. Find It Before Investors Do.
Every Raise Has a Hidden Bottleneck. Find It Before Investors Do. In my experience, most managers think a slow raise means the market got tougher. Sometimes that is true. Often, the deeper issue is th
Most Co-Investment Promises Are Hand-Waving. Here’s What LPs Actually Want.
Most Co-Investment Promises Are Hand-Waving. Here’s What LPs Actually Want. A lot of managers talk about co-investment like it is a magic word. They drop it into a deck, mention it on a call, and assu
The Case Against Vanity Metrics in a Fund Raise.
The Case Against Vanity Metrics in a Fund Raise. A lot of managers want their raise to look bigger than it is. So they build a scoreboard that creates motion instead of confidence. They lead with webs
Your Due Diligence Room Should Tell a Coherent Story Without You in It.
Your Due Diligence Room Should Tell a Coherent Story Without You in It Most managers think diligence starts when they get on the call. Wrong. It starts the moment an LP opens your investor data room a
The Backchannel Problem: LPs Are Diligencing You Long Before the Meeting
The Backchannel Problem: LPs Are Diligencing You Long Before the Meeting A lot of emerging managers still think the fundraising process begins when the intro lands. It does not. By the time you get th
The Case for Pre-Wired LP Objection Maps
The Case for Pre-Wired LP Objection Maps A lot of managers think objection handling starts when the LP raises a concern in the meeting. It does not. By the time an investor says, “Help me understand t
LP Due Diligence Starts Before the Call.
LP Due Diligence Starts Before the Call. By the time you are on Zoom with a serious LP, the file is already open. Not officially. Not with a formal diligence request. But in the only way that matters
If Your Portfolio Support Story Sounds Generic, LPs Assume It’s Fiction.
If Your Portfolio Support Story Sounds Generic, LPs Assume It’s Fiction Most GPs do not lose credibility on portfolio support because they promise too little. They lose credibility because they promis
Most Emerging Managers Need a Reference Strategy, Not More Meetings.
Most Emerging Managers Need a Reference Strategy, Not More Meetings. A lot of emerging managers misdiagnose the problem. They think the raise is stalling because they need more meetings, more