One particular problem in Miami and many other emerging startup ecosystems has is visibility. Entrepreneurs have a tough time identifying investors that would be a right fit for their venture. Typically, entrepreneurs then turn to their local startup events, their network, and websites to find their capital source.
Unfortunately, many venture investors don’t have a website dedicated to explaining their fund and investment criteria. In today’s age, it is so affordable and so valuable to have a website, it’s critical to successfully market yourself to entrepreneurs and the rest of the world.
Below is a list of five reasons why you should start building your fund’s website or if you do have one, making improvements to your existing one.
Who are you?
A website allows you to pitch your value to the entrepreneur. Do you have extensive experience in a certain field? Do you have a deep network in the startup’s industry? Ultimately, you want to show that you are bringing more than money to the table.
Additionally, it’s a great opportunity to expand on your interests and tell entrepreneurs why they should be excited at the value that you can bring to their company.
What’s your ethos?
Your ethos is not what you do or how you do it but more importantly, why you invest in the space you do. Good entrepreneurs will use this to know when not to waste everyone’s time with a mismatched pitch or opportunity.
Furthermore, it demonstrates your thinking about your fund as a serious business. Illustrating your investment strategy is a good way for entrepreneurs to identify that they will likely find more overlap and potential business partnerships from future and current investments by working with a portfolio of like-minded companies.
What are your investments?
One of the largest possible value adds for many entrepreneurs is a warm introduction to the right company. Displaying your portfolio will help them understand which companies you can do that for. Your ability to make your portfolio work for each other and yourself is both an asset for yourself and actively seeking entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it will also demonstrate your portfolio companies previous success.
How do I reach you?
Of course, you also want them to be able to connect with you. This is a great way to let entrepreneurs who can’t get an introduction get in touch with you and even send a pitch deck. Some even go further with built-in calendar applications or the opposite, stating simply they demand a warm introduction and offer their LinkedIn and AngelList profiles. Alternatively, many funds have now decided to put together a formal application process built right into their site to streamline the deal flow process.
Do you expect portfolio companies to have a website?
Similar to an investor’s expectation of their portfolio companies to have a strong digital presence, many entrepreneurs expect that their investors have a strong digital presence. A good rule of thumb is to hold your fund accountable for the same marketing expectations you hold your portfolio companies.
There are many other uses of a website, such as creating a blog to share your thoughts, showing off metrics of companies or your fund, or sharing your social media feeds and so much more.
Also, consider that entrepreneurs aren’t the only ones who might be visiting your website. Your next syndicate partner, LP, or partner opportunity (think being a judge or panelist) could come from someone visiting your website!
Disclosure: I am the CEO and founder of Mission Ctrl, a digital agency focused on startups. We have a custom web package available for MVCA members. Please reach out to me at Connor@missionctrl.co
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