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Oklahoma might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of venture capital, but that’s exactly what makes it such a compelling destination for founders. With a rapidly evolving startup scene, a surge of investment in sectors like aerospace, life sciences, and B2B tech, and a growing roster of VC firms committed to underserved markets, Oklahoma is quietly becoming one of the most founder-friendly ecosystems in the country. Thanks to initiatives like the Midcon VC Summit and federal investments in autonomous systems, Tulsa's emergence as a national tech hub has helped shine a spotlight on the state’s potential. Combine that with a low cost of living, a collaborative community, and access to top-tier talent from regional universities, and it’s easy to see why more founders are choosing to build and fundraise in Oklahoma. In this guide, we’ll highlight the top VCs you need to know—from established funds like Cortado Ventures and Atento Capital to specialized firms supporting life sciences and frontier tech. Whether you're a local entrepreneur or considering a move, these investors are driving real momentum—and they might just be the partners your startup needs. Top VCs in Oklahoma Spur Capital About: Spur Capital has built enduring relationships across the venture landscape and invests primarily in early-stage technology and life science funds. SeedStep Angels About: SeedStep Angels is a group of accredited angel investors comprised of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in Oklahoma. Traction metrics requirements: Companies may be seed stage, but should have a prototype or a completed product or service that has been sold or has generated significant interest among prospective clients. Oklahome Life Science Fund About: The Oklahoma Life Science Fund, LLC (OLSF) is an early-stage venture capital fund that provides promising Oklahoma life science startups with the capital and guidance they need to grow. Since its inception in 2000, OLSF has been the single largest driver of attracting private equity capital to the state of Oklahoma. Cortado Ventures About: Based in Oklahoma City, Cortado Ventures is an early-stage VC firm focused on ambitious, growth-driven companies in Oklahoma and the Midcontinent. They invest in B2B tech, energy, logistics, and healthcare/life sciences. Atento Capital About: Atento Capital is a Tulsa-based venture capital firm focused on unlocking unsung potential in early-stage founders through providing access to venture capital, human capital and expanded professional networks. Atento Capital has created pathways to upward mobility and helped dozens of companies and entrepreneurs thrive in Tulsa’s tech ecosystem by democratizing access to venture capital for traditionally underinvested groups of people. Victorum Capital At Victorum Capital, our commitment to investing in tech startups drives us to identify and nurture the most promising early-stage technology companies across the U.S. Plains Ventures We're an early-stage VC that invests in entrepreneurs and innovative technology between the coasts. For founders, Plains Ventures helps navigate the startup journey by providing consistent guidance and a source of early-stage capital. For investors, we are a trusted source for access to high-growth venture opportunities between the coasts. Navigating Oklahoma's Startup Ecosystem: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges Oklahoma’s startup ecosystem is rapidly evolving, offering founders a unique blend of opportunity, support, and innovation. Whether you’re building in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, or beyond, understanding the local landscape can give you a real edge as you fundraise and scale. Key Trends Shaping Oklahoma’s Startup Scene Oklahoma is no longer just about oil and agriculture. The state is now a vibrant hub for technology, aerospace, biotech, and fintech startups. Tulsa, in particular, is making headlines as a tech innovation center, thanks to major events like the annual Midcon VC Summit, which recently attracted over 400 founders and$1 trillion in investable capital. This summit, hosted by Cortado Ventures and the Foundation for Unleashing the Startup Ecosystem, is a testament to the region’s growing influence and ability to draw national attention to local startups Journal Record. Recent investments, such as the$51 million federal grant to the Tulsa Hub for Equitable and Trustworthy Autonomy, are fueling growth in autonomous systems and aerospace—Oklahoma’s second-largest industry. The state’s low cost of living, strong workforce, and access to talent are also drawing both startups and investors to the region. Opportunities for Founders Launching a startup in Oklahoma comes with several advantages: Lower Operating Costs: Founders can stretch their runway further thanks to affordable office space, housing, and labor. Access to Talent: With universities like the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, there’s a steady pipeline of skilled graduates and workforce development programs Startup OU. Supportive Community: The local startup community is known for its collaborative spirit, with founders, investors, and organizations eager to help each other succeed. Challenges to Anticipate While the ecosystem is growing, founders should be aware of a few hurdles: Access to Capital: Although VC activity is increasing, Oklahoma still lags behind coastal hubs in terms of available venture funding. Building relationships with local and regional investors is key. Talent Acquisition: While there’s a strong talent pool, competition for top tech talent can be fierce, especially as more startups launch and scale. Market Reach: Oklahoma’s market is smaller than those in larger states, so founders often need to think regionally or nationally from day one. Networking Opportunities and Local Resources Oklahoma’s startup calendar is packed with events that connect founders to investors, mentors, and peers. Some of the most valuable opportunities include: Midcon VC Summit: The state’s flagship event for founders and investors, held annually in Tulsa Journal Record. Startup Grind Tulsa & OKC: Regular meetups for founders to share stories, pitch ideas, and build relationships StartupTUL. Demo Days: Events like i2E Bridge2 Demo Day and Build in Tulsa TechStars Demo Day spotlight early-stage founders and connect them with investors and the broader community. Accelerators and Incubators: Programs like gener8tor OKC and The Catalyst Accelerator offer mentorship, funding, and resources tailored to Oklahoma startups. Pitch Events and Demo Days to Know in Oklahoma For founders, nothing beats the energy of pitching live to a room full of investors, mentors, and fellow entrepreneurs. Oklahoma’s startup ecosystem is packed with high-impact pitch events and demo days that offer invaluable exposure, feedback, and—most importantly—direct access to capital. Here are the must-know opportunities for 2025 and beyond: Midcon VC Summit Tulsa’s Midcon VC Summit has quickly become the flagship event for the region’s startup and investment community. Drawing over 400 founders and $1 trillion in investable capital, this summit is a magnet for VCs, angel investors, and corporate partners. The event is known for its curated pitch sessions, networking, and panels featuring top investors and founders. If you want to get on the radar of Oklahoma’s most active VCs, this is the place to be. Build in Tulsa Techstars Demo Day This annual event is the culmination of the Build in Tulsa Techstars Accelerator, spotlighting some of the most promising Black and underrepresented founders in the region. Demo Day is a high-energy showcase where founders pitch to a packed house of investors, mentors, and community leaders. The event is open to the public and is a great opportunity for networking and inspiration. Bridge2 Demo Day (i2E) Hosted by i2E, Bridge2 Demo Day is a high-profile event that features early-stage founders from across Oklahoma. Startups present their companies to a panel of investors and industry experts, often leading to follow-up meetings and funding opportunities. The event is known for its supportive atmosphere and strong investor turnout. Startup Grind Tulsa & OKC Both Tulsa and Oklahoma City have active Startup Grind chapters, hosting regular pitch nights, fireside chats, and networking events. These gatherings are ideal for early-stage founders looking to practice their pitch, get feedback, and connect with local investors in a more informal setting.Startup Grind Tulsa | Startup Grind OKC Startup World Cup – Oklahoma Regional Powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures and hosted by Gradient, the Oklahoma regional of the Startup World Cup is a major annual competition. The winner earns a spot at the global finals in San Francisco, competing for a $1 million investment. The event features top startups from across the state, expert judges, and a packed audience of investors and supporters. GridX to Tulsa Demo Day The GridX to Tulsa Demo Day is a showcase for biotech and deep tech startups, this event brings together founders, VCs, and thought leaders to highlight innovation in sustainability, health, agriculture, and food. Oklahoma Innovation Conference & Expo Oklahoma Innovation Conference & Expo is hosted by OCAST, this two-day event is the state’s premier gathering for entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders. It features pitch competitions, innovation showcases, and extensive networking opportunities. Female Founders Pitch Night (Build in Tulsa) Female Founders Pitch Night is a dedicated pitch event for female-founded, tech-enabled startups, this night is designed to elevate women entrepreneurs and connect them with investors and mentors. gener8tor Oklahoma City Showcase gener8tor Oklahoma City Showcase highlights the latest cohort of gener8tor’s accelerator program, giving founders a platform to pitch to investors and the broader community. Connect With Investors in Oklahoma Using Visible At Visible, we often times compare a fundraise to a B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of your funnel, you are finding new investors. In the middle, you are nurturing and pitching potential investors. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through diligence and ideally closing new investors. With the introduction of data rooms, you can now manage every aspect of your fundraising funnel with Visible. Find investors at the top of your funnel with our free investor database, Visible Connect and find a filtered list of Oklahoma's investors here. Track your conversations and move them through your funnel with our Fundraising CRM Share your pitch deck and monthly updates with potential investors Organize and share your most vital fundraising documents with data rooms Manage your fundraise from start to finish with Visible. Give it a free try for 14 days here.

Virginia's startup ecosystem is booming, attracting founders with its unique blend of strategic advantages and supportive resources. In 2024, the GO Virginia State Board approved $22.7 million in funding for collaborative economic development projects, leveraging an additional $15.5 million in non-state investments, signaling a strong commitment to fostering innovation and growth. With its proximity to Washington, D.C., thriving tech and biotech sectors, and world-class universities, Virginia offers a fertile ground for startups across various industries. This guide is your roadmap to navigating Virginia's venture capital scene. We'll explore the key trends defining the ecosystem, spotlight the innovative startup hubs across the state, and equip you with actionable strategies to approach your fundraising journey confidently. Top VCs in Virginia GroTech Ventures About: Grotech Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm with a reputation for being a collaborative, long-term partner for entrepreneurs. Thesis: Early investors in high-potential technology companies. Lighthouse Labs RVA About: Lighthouse Labs is an 11 week startup accelerator focused on market validation, customer understanding, and venture readiness for launch! Founders receive $20K of equity-free funding and the perfect environment to learn, build, and grow! We are a member of the Global Accelerator Network/Morrow and a Top 25 seed accelerator. We focus on supporting a broad technology and product portfolio of US-based, seed-stage startups in Virginia and beyond. WHAT STARTUPS GET: • $20,000 in 0% equity seed capital • 11 of the most productive weeks of your life filled with guided workshops and amazing mentor sessions led by industry experts • 3+ months of free coworking space • Connections to mentors, investors, and partners Sweetspot check size: $ 20K QED Investors About: QED Investors is a leading venture capital firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. We are focused on investing in disruptive financial services companies in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe, Latin America, India and Southeast Asia and Africa. QED Investors is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages its partners’ decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping companies achieve breakthrough growth. Amplifier Advisors About: Amplifier Venture Partners is a seed and early stage venture capital fund that principally targets investments in technology companies. They are positioned to be the first institutional investor in promising technology companies and to provide highly focused, hands on assistance for entrepreneurs looking to team up with experienced business operators and managers to grow world class companies. 757 Angels Network About: 757 Angels is a select network of business leaders in the Hampton Roads region, who provide investment capital, strategic advice and mentoring to selected startup and early stage companies to help them achieve market leadership. 757 Angels seeks dealflow from the Hampton Roads region. Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. About: Connecting innovators with opportunities. VIPC operates as the nonprofit corporation on behalf of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). VIPA / VIPC is Virginia’s designated authority for leading innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia through research, commercialization, and technology advancement; entrepreneurship, startup, and venture capital growth; and regional ecosystem, tech hub, and industry sector expansion. Thesis: As part of its operations, VIPC manages internal funds which make direct equity investments in technology and innovation-led early stage / growth startup companies and venture capital funds, provides research commercialization grants to universities and entrepreneurs, and offers resources and support for entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation networks, and public-private partnerships at local, state, federal levels. SineWave Ventures About: SineWave is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to accelerating new technologies across the commercial and public sector ecosystems. Swan & Legend Venture Partners About: SWaN is a US-based, venture capital fund manager focused on multi-stage opportunities in the consumer sector. We target exceptional management teams aiming to take advantage of shifts in consumer behavior, initially taking non-controlling minority stakes where we can utilize our playbook of post-investment value creation through mentorship and hands-on support. Solas BioVentures About: Solas BioVentures is a venture capital firm that invests in early and development stage biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, and digital health companies. StoneMill Ventures About: StoneMill Ventures invests in disruptive cyber security companies, primarily at the seed stage. We are active investors and look for founding teams that can benefit from our experience building pioneering security companies. As such, we tend to focus our investing in the Washington, DC metro area where we can be hands on but we will invest globally given the right opportunity. Why Virginia is a Hotbed for Startup Fundraising Ecosystem Growth and Investment Momentum Virginia’s commitment to fostering a robust startup environment is evident in both public and private sector initiatives. In 2024 alone, the GO Virginia State Board approved $22.7 million in funding for 40 collaborative economic development projects, successfully leveraging over $15.5 million in additional non-state investments. These investments are strategically focused on startup ecosystems, cluster scale-up, workforce development, and site infrastructure—key pillars that drive the state’s economic diversification and innovation capacity. The result is a thriving landscape where high-growth startups are not only launched but also supported through every stage of their journey, from ideation to scale-up and exit. Unique Geographic and Sector Advantages Virginia’s proximity to Washington, D.C. offers startups access to federal agencies, defense contractors, and policy makers, making it a prime location for companies in sectors like cybersecurity, national security, and government technology. The state is also home to a vibrant tech and biotech scene, with major hubs in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Norfolk. These regions are recognized for their concentration of talent, research institutions, and industry leaders in fields such as SaaS, healthtech, fintech, and artificial intelligence. Strong University and Research Ecosystem World-class universities—including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and George Mason University—play a pivotal role in fueling the startup pipeline. These institutions not only provide a steady stream of highly skilled graduates but also drive innovation through tech transfer offices, incubators, and research partnerships. Programs like UVA’s i.Lab help transform cutting-edge research into high-growth commercial ventures, further strengthening the state’s reputation as a launchpad for breakthrough startups. Local Resources and Inclusive Initiatives Virginia’s startup founders benefit from a rich network of accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces, and angel investor groups. Organizations such as Startup Virginia, Lighthouse Labs RVA, and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) provide mentorship, funding, and community-building opportunities. The new VIPC-led “Virginia Invests” initiative is set to catalyze $250 million in investment into over 100 high-growth startups over the next 3-5 years, with a focus on supporting diverse and underrepresented founders across sectors like health/life sciences, fintech, AI, and national security. Virginia’s Startup Hubs Northern Virginia The region is a powerhouse for tech, cybersecurity, and government-focused startups, thanks to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and a dense network of federal agencies, contractors, and Fortune 500 companies. Northern Virginia is home to major players like Appian, Cvent, and Alarm.com, as well as a growing number of high-potential early-stage companies. Richmond Richmond’s startup community is anchored by organizations like Startup Virginia and Lighthouse Labs RVA, which provide workspace, mentorship, and funding. The city’s affordable cost of living, creative culture, and access to state government make it an attractive destination for founders in SaaS, fintech, and consumer products. Charlottesville Home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville is a hub for biotech, healthtech, and edtech startups. The city benefits from strong university-industry collaboration, a vibrant angel investor community, and a high quality of life that attracts top talent. Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads This coastal region is seeing growth in logistics, maritime tech, and defense-related startups, leveraging its naval presence and port infrastructure. Organizations like 757 Angels and the BFM Fund are helping to build a more connected and well-funded startup community. Connect With Investors in Virginia Using Visible At Visible, we often times compare a fundraise to a B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of your funnel, you are finding new investors. In the middle, you are nurturing and pitching potential investors. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through diligence and ideally closing new investors. With the introduction of data rooms, you can now manage every aspect of your fundraising funnel with Visible. Find investors at the top of your funnel with our free investor database, Visible Connect and find a filtered list of Virginia's investors here. Track your conversations and move them through your funnel with our Fundraising CRM Share your pitch deck and monthly updates with potential investors Organize and share your most vital fundraising documents with data rooms Manage your fundraise from start to finish with Visible. Give it a free try for 14 days here.

Detroit, the Motor City, is no longer just about cars—it's a hub for startups racing toward success. Detroit's startup scene is exploding with innovation, fueled by a unique blend of tech, mobility, and manufacturing expertise. But navigating this dynamic landscape requires more than just a great idea; it demands the right connections. This guide is your roadmap to Detroit's top venture capital firms, the investors who are actively fueling the city's entrepreneurial revolution, and the resources you need to navigate the fundraising landscape with confidence. Discover the VCs actively investing in Detroit, the trends shaping its future, and how you can leverage this vibrant ecosystem to accelerate your startup's growth. Top Detroit VCs Detroit Venture Partners About: Detroit Venture Partners is an American venture capital firm that funds seed- and early-stage technology companies. Sweetspot check size: $ 250K Thesis: Detroit Venture Partners is an American venture capital firm that funds seed- and early-stage technology companies. Courtside Ventures About: Courtside Ventures invests in early-stage companies focused on sports, gaming, and collectibles. Invest Detroit Ventures About: Invest Detroit is a mission-driven lender, investor, and partner that supports business and real estate projects that will ignite economic growth in Detroit. Our goal is to increase density and job opportunities in a way that is strategic and inclusive. Red Cedar Ventures About: The Michigan State University Research Foundation supports the MSU ecosystem with resources that increase the impact of research and innovation. The Foundation achieves its mission through grant programs that contribute over $10 million annually to the University, entrepreneurial programming and early-stage investments that accelerate technology transfer and startup growth throughout Michigan, and environments where startup businesses and collaborators can thrive. Ludlow Ventures About: VC is a customer service business. Whether it's testing product, pushing pixels, leveraging our network, or forcing people to download your app, we're here to help. You make our dream jobs possible and we're forever thankful for that. Sweetspot check size: $ 1.25M Thesis: We believe in VC without ego. We invest with insane conviction and love backing the right teams when others think it's too early. Woodward Angels About: Woodward Angels activates early stage, founder friendly investment capital for high-growth startups in and around Detroit. We invest in tech and digitally scaling companies at the pre-seed and seed stage, and invest our time and energy in helping those companies succeed. Invest Michigan About: Invest Michigan is a non-profit funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund. As fund manager for both the Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 and the University Commercialization Fund, Invest Michigan invests in early-stage high tech businesses located in Michigan. The Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 is an investment fund aimed at supporting pre-seed and seed stage technology companies located in Michigan. The MPSF 2.0 offers equity or convertible debt initial investments ranging from $50,000 – $150,000 with the goal of supporting our portfolio companies with additional follow-on investments. The University Commercialization Fund provides funding of up to $100,000 for the commercialization of technologies originating from any of the 15 Michigan public universities. A signed option or license agreement from the Technology Transfer Offices is required. Fontinalis Partners About: Investing in early-stage startups on the new frontiers of efficient movement, industrial innovation, and sustainability. Thesis: Macro trends are driving demand, Mobile & big data are catalyzing growth, Proven technology can be scaled globally, A strategic approach enhances value creation. BELLE Impact Fund About: Our mission is to provide superior returns for our investors while serving the early stage capital needs of women-led companies. GM Ventures About: GM Ventures invests in start-ups that share General Motors’ vision of a world of zero emissions, zero crashes and zero congestion. Thesis: We are focused on key technologies that can be implemented in GM’s vehicles, manufacturing facilities and operating businesses. Belle Capital We look for capital efficient companies with a unique product or service filling an urgent market need. We target the digital/mobile/internet (IT), technology-enabled products and services, life sciences/medical devices/health IT (Digital Health), and CleanTech market sectors. Companies seeking our capital must have at least one female founder or C-level exec, and/or be willing to recruit top female talent to the C-suite and Board of Directors. We prefer teams with strong domain expertise, and proven commercialization and entrepreneurial experience. Detroit’s Startup Ecosystem: Trends and Opportunities Detroit has rapidly transformed from a traditional manufacturing powerhouse into one of the most dynamic and diverse startup ecosystems in the United States. The city’s unique blend of tech innovation, mobility leadership, and advanced manufacturing expertise is attracting founders, investors, and talent from across the country and beyond. Key Trends in Detroit’s Tech, Mobility, and Manufacturing Sectors Tech and AI: Detroit’s tech sector is booming, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital privacy. Startups like Hush (AI-driven digital privacy), Judy Security (AI-powered cybersecurity for SMBs), and TiiCKER (investor relations software) are leading the way. The city has seen a 22% annual increase in tech investments over the past five years, with AI and climate tech startups receiving significant attention from VCs and corporate partners. Detroit’s innovation district, anchored by the $1 billion renovation of Michigan Central Station, is now a magnet for tech talent and new ventures. Mobility and Automotive Innovation: As the historic heart of the automotive industry, Detroit remains a global leader in mobility and transportation technology. The city is home to a growing number of mobility startups, including Canopy (vehicle security, backed by Ford and ADT), and several electric vehicle and autonomous driving ventures. Detroit-based automotive tech startups like EVenergi, CYTK.io, and Optimotive all raised significant Series A rounds, outpacing other Midwest cities in mobility innovation. Advanced Manufacturing: Detroit’s legacy in manufacturing is evolving with the rise of Industry 4.0, robotics, and smart factory solutions. The city’s startups are leveraging automation, AI, and IoT to modernize traditional manufacturing processes, making Detroit a hub for advanced manufacturing innovation. Notable Recent Exits and Success Stories Detroit’s ecosystem has produced several high-impact exits and unicorns in recent years, fueling further growth and attracting new capital: Rivian Automotive: The electric vehicle manufacturer, originally rooted in the Detroit area, went public in one of the largest IPOs in automotive history. Duo Security: Acquired by Cisco for $2.35 billion, this Ann Arbor/Detroit-based cybersecurity company is a prime example of the region’s tech prowess. Onestream Software: Birmingham, MI-based Onestream filed for a multi-billion-dollar IPO in 2024, highlighting the region’s strength in enterprise software. Lineage Logistics: Novi-based cold storage giant Lineage filed for an IPO with a $30 billion valuation in 2024, underscoring Detroit’s continued leadership in logistics and supply chain innovation. The Role of Local Universities, Accelerators, and Corporate Partners Detroit’s startup ecosystem is supported by a robust network of universities, accelerators, and corporate partners: Universities: Institutions like the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University are major engines of innovation, providing research, talent, and commercialization support. University-affiliated programs such as the Michigan Venture Center and TechTown Detroit offer founders access to labs, mentorship, and early-stage funding. Accelerators and Incubators: Detroit is home to several leading accelerators, includin, the Detroit Mobility Lab, and the MEDC’s Pre-Seed III Fund. These programs provide founders with capital, mentorship, and connections to industry leaders. Corporate Partners: Detroit’s corporate giants—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis—are deeply involved in the startup ecosystem, investing in and partnering with local startups through innovation labs, venture arms, and open innovation challenges. The Ford-ADT joint venture behind Canopy is a prime example of how corporate partnerships are fueling new ventures in the city. Community Initiatives: Programs like Connect 313 are expanding digital access and skills training, with over 29,000 Detroit residents participating in tech upskilling programs and new tech hubs opening across the city. Networking and Community Resources for Detroit Founders Detroit’s startup ecosystem thrives on its strong sense of community, robust support infrastructure, and a calendar packed with high-impact events, accelerators, and collaborative workspaces. Whether you’re a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, Detroit offers a wealth of opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. Flagship Events and Meetups TechTown Detroit Workshops: TechTown, a leading nonprofit incubator, regularly hosts workshops, pitch events, and networking sessions for startups and small businesses. Their programming covers everything from marketing and fundraising to product development and scaling. Detroit Means Business Summit: This annual summit convenes over 300 Detroit entrepreneurs for a day of interactive workshops, resource sharing, and networking, providing tangible takeaways for business growth. Top Accelerators and Incubators TechTown Detroit: The city’s flagship incubator and accelerator, offering programs like Start Studio, Scale Studio, and Traction for tech startups. TechTown has supported over 6,000 businesses and helped raise more than $400 million in startup and growth capital. Build Institute: Focused on access and equity, Build Institute provides early-stage entrepreneurs with classes, mentorship, and a supportive network to turn ideas into scalable businesses. NextEnergy: A nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage ventures in energy management, sustainability, and mobility innovation. Backstage Capital: Investing in and accelerating companies led by underrepresented founders, with a Detroit presence and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. Grand Circus: A tech bootcamp and accelerator offering coding education, workshops, and access to Detroit’s growing tech talent pipeline. Co-Working Spaces TechTown Detroit: Beyond its accelerator programs, TechTown offers flexible coworking and office space in Midtown, providing founders with a collaborative environment, meeting rooms, and access to a vibrant entrepreneurial community. Bamboo Detroit: A popular downtown coworking hub, Bamboo offers flexible desks, private offices, and a packed calendar of networking events, workshops, and pitch nights. It’s a go-to spot for early-stage founders and remote teams. WeWork Detroit: Located in the heart of downtown, WeWork provides modern coworking amenities and regular community events, making it easy for founders to connect and collaborate. SpaceLab Detroit: Focused on design, architecture, and tech startups, SpaceLab offers coworking, private offices, and event space, fostering a creative and professional atmosphere. Connect With Investors in Detroit Using Visible At Visible, we often times compare a fundraise to a B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of your funnel, you are finding new investors. In the middle, you are nurturing and pitching potential investors. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through diligence and ideally closing new investors. With the introduction of data rooms, you can now manage every aspect of your fundraising funnel with Visible. Find investors at the top of your funnel with our free investor database, Visible Connect and find a filtered list of Detroit's investors here. Track your conversations and move them through your funnel with our Fundraising CRM Share your pitch deck and monthly updates with potential investors Organize and share your most vital fundraising documents with data rooms Manage your fundraise from start to finish with Visible. Give it a free try for 14 days here.

When monitoring a portfolio, having the right insights at the right time is crucial. Whether it is a sudden dip in cash runway or a surge in MRR, knowing exactly when portfolio company key metrics shift can mean the difference between proactive support and missed opportunity. Our recent updates to Metric Alerts make it easier to stay connected to your portfolio’s performance. Support Companies With Smarter Alerts We have redesigned Metric Alerts to help you monitor your entire portfolio with ease, spot red flags faster, and stay connected to each company’s performance. A New Home for Alerts Metric Alerts now live in a dedicated section of your sidebar under Monitoring. Here you will find: A New Alert button for fast setup A Log View showing every triggered alert with icons, timestamps, and direct links to your portfolio metrics Easy edit access. Click the metric name or the icon button to quickly update alerts in a side panel Now you can manage all alerts in one place without any hassle. Portfolio-Wide Metric Selection You no longer need to set up alerts company by company. With the Metric Alerts, you can: Select any Portfolio Metric, such as Revenue or Runway, and apply the alert across all companies Receive notifications when a company’s metric meets a specific criteria Creating alerts across your portfolio ensures that you will never miss any shifts across your portfolio. Proactive Support Metric Alerts equip you with actionable information to stay on top of material changes. Use the Log View to track historical alerts and identify patterns Drill down to the Metric page from the alert to conduct further analysis Edit alert criteria instantly using the side-panel form Founders rely on you to be proactive, responsive, and informed. With Metric Alerts, you can stay connected to the numbers and the people behind them. Put Metric Alerts to Work The new and improved Metric Alerts are now available to all Visible customers. Whether you are looking to monitor key metrics across your entire portfolio, catch red flags sooner, or strengthen your relationships with founders through proactive insights, Metric Alerts are designed to keep you connected and in control. To explore how Metric Alerts can streamline your portfolio monitoring and support your investment strategy, head here.

About Airtree Ventures Airtree is a Sydney-based venture capital firm backing founders based in Australia and New Zealand building the iconic companies of tomorrow. The firm was founded in 2014 and is now deploying out of its 4th fund with $1.3 billion in assets under management. Their portfolio includes over 105+ portfolio companies and 250+ founders who have helped create over 17,000 jobs. Airtree’s portfolio includes the region’s breakout technology companies, such as Canva, Go1, Employment Hero, Pet Circle, Immutable, and Linktree. For this case study, we spoke to Dan Lombard who is the Data Lead at Airtree Ventures. Related article: Airtree Ventures already returned its first fund thanks to Canva while maintaining the majority of its stake Fragmented Systems and Processes Prior to Visible Prior to the integration of Visible, Airtree relied heavily on a fragmented system of spreadsheets to manage their portfolio of 105+ companies. Each quarter, four employees were tasked with managing the relationships with the points of contact at 15 to 20 portfolio companies through manual outreach and communications. This reliance on spreadsheets resulted in inefficiencies and potential data loss, as spreadsheets are prone to break when modified. Challenges With Data Accuracy and Scaling Manual Outreach to a Growing Portfolio Before Visible, 80% of Airtree’s portfolio monitoring problem was having clean data and scaling outreach to their portfolio companies. They faced two primary challenges with their former system: Operational Efficiency: Four team members spent significant time manually collecting data from over 100 companies every quarter. The Airtree team members were sending one-off email communications to each company and manually keeping track of who needed to be followed up with at each company which diverted resources from other critical projects they could be working on. Data Integrity and Scalability: Frequent changes to the data in spreadsheets resulted in errors in the sheets and data loss, which caused frustration as there was no way of understanding which changes were made to the sheet and when. This process made it difficult to scale portfolio monitoring operations as Airtree grew. Why Airtree Chose Visible as their Portfolio Monitoring Platform Airtree chose Visible for its robust, scalable, and user-friendly platform. Key factors influencing their choice included: Ease of Use and Customization: Visible's platform offered unparalleled customization and ease of use. Support and Development: Visible’s team actively listened to feedback, offered best practices, and continuously invested in their product, ensuring a partnership that catered to Airtree’s evolving needs. Automation and Integration: Visible excelled in automating portfolio monitoring and offered a frictionless experience for founders. Airtree leveraged the Visible API to seamlessly integrate data into their existing data warehouse system. Airtree’s historical data collection process, previously led by four Airtree team members, is now a streamlined process led only by Dan, who leverages Visible Requests to collect data from their portfolio of 105+ companies. Visible Requests empowers Dan to send customized link-based data requests to each company, automate the email reminder process, and easily keep track of where companies are in the reporting process. View an example Visible Request below. Onboarded to Visible within 24 Hours Visible provided Airtree with an efficient and supported onboarding. When asked about Airtree's onboarding with Visible Dan Lombard shared the following: Visible stood out by enabling a swift and seamless transition that was operational in less than 24 hours, a stark contrast to other providers who estimated a quarter for full implementation. This rapid integration was facilitated by a comprehensive onboarding template provided by Visible. Visible API & Airtree’s Data Infrastructure With the implementation of Visible, Airtree wanted to take a more sophisticated approach to the way they handle their portfolio data with the goal of driving more valuable insights for their team. The approach needed to be automated, integrate with other data sources, and have a singular view accessible for the whole team. This was not possible when their data lived in disparate systems, files, and spreadsheets. Dan Lombard has led the improvement of Airtree's data infrastructure. Now, data sources like Visible and Affinity are piped into Snowflake via recurring AWS Lambda jobs. Airtree leverages the Visible API daily. Dan mentioned that while Airtree collects data quarterly, a daily sync of the data is crucial because Airtree is always onboarding new companies, communicating with their founders, and uploading historical data. “The Visible API gives us this level of daily fidelity and only takes the AWS Lambda job 5 minutes to populate an entire data architecture.” - Dan Lombard, Data Lead at Airtree Ventures Once the data is in their database, Snowflake handles the ETL and entity matching. Airtree then has Streamlit sit on top of Snowflake to query data, provision access, and build out new insights. Advice for Other VC Firms Building Out Their Data Infrastructure Don’t overcomplicate things to start. It is easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles. Dan recommends a bias towards simplicity. Start small and use it as a stepping stone as you build things out. Conclusion Airtree’s adoption of Visible transformed their portfolio management by automating key processes and centralizing data, thus enabling more strategic decision-making and efficient operations. The case of Airtree is a testament to how the right technological partnerships can profoundly impact business efficiency and data management.

Visible supports hundreds of investors around the world to streamline their portfolio monitoring. One of the most common questions we receive is — what metrics should I be collecting from my portfolio companies? Everyone from Emerging Managers writing their first checks to established VC firms ask this question because they want to make sure they're monitoring their portfolio companies in the most effective way possible. The Standard Metrics Value-Add Investors Should be Monitoring It’s important to know which metrics are the best to collect from portfolio companies so that investors can extract the maximum amount of insight from the least number of metrics. This streamlined approach is easiest for founders and allows investors to get what they need to provide better support to their companies, inform future investment decisions, and have good records in place for LP reporting or fundraising. Below we outline the six most common metrics investors collect from portfolio companies. 1) Revenue Definition: Money generated from normal business operations for the reporting period; also known as ‘net sales’. We recommend excluding ‘other revenue’ from secondary activities and excluding cash from fundraising. Revenue tells you how a company’s sales are performing. This metric is a key indicator for how a business is doing. It can be analyzed to understand if new marketing strategies are working, how a change in pricing might affect the demand for a good or service, and the pace of growth in a market. By asking for revenue from just ‘normal business operations’ you’re excluding money a company could also be making from secondary activities that are non-integral to their business. This helps keep the revenue data more precise, allows you to compare the metric more accurately across the portfolio, and will allow you to use it more accurately in other metric formulas such as Net Income. Visible helps over 400+ VCs streamline the way they collect data from companies with Requests. Check out a Request example below. 2) Cash Balance Definition: The amount of cash a company has in the bank at the end of a reporting period. Cash Balance is an important indicator of ‘life expectancy’. This metric is essential to track because it tells you about the financial stability and risk level of the company. There’s no bluffing with this Cash Balance metric. A company either has a healthy amount of cash in the bank at the end of its reporting or they don’t. Cash balance also gives you an idea of how soon a company will need to kick off its next round of financing. 3) Monthly Net Burn Definition: The rate at which a company uses money taking income into account. The monthly burn rate will be positive for companies that are not yet profitable and negative for companies that are considered profitable. Net burn is usually reported as monthly and calculated by subtracting a company’s ending cash balance from its starting cash balance and dividing that by the number of months for the period. We recommend collecting this metric from companies on a quarterly basis but still asking for the monthly rate — this helps rule out any one-off variability. Monthly Net Burn = (Starting cash balance – ending cash balance) / months Monthly Net Burn is an indicator of operational efficiency. This metric becomes even more relevant during market downturns when the focus shifts from growth at all costs to growth with operational efficiency. This is a good metric to benchmark and compare across all companies in your portfolio. You can also use this metric to calculate a key metric, Cash Runway. Related resource: Burn Rate: What It Is and How to Calculate It Related resource: How to Reduce Burn Rate: 8 Cost-Saving Strategies for Startups 4) Cash Runway Definition: Cash runway is the number of months a business can survive before it runs out of cash. It can be calculated as: Runway = Cash Balance / Monthly Net Burn Cash runway tells you when a company will run out of cash. This metric is essential because it determines when a company needs to kick off their next fundraising process, usually, it’s when they have 6-8 months of runway left. If you see one of your companies hit a cash runway of six months or less, you should be reaching out to see if they need support or guidance on their fundraising efforts. While Runway is definitely considered a key metric, you don’t need to ask your companies for it since it can be calculated easily with other data you should already have on hand (Cash Balance & Monthly Net Burn Rate). 5) Net Income Definition: Net income is a company’s total earnings (or profit) after all expenses have been subtracted. It is calculated by taking a company’s revenue and subtracting all expenses, including operational expenses, interest expenses, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. Net Income = Revenue – Total Expenses Net Income is an indicator of profitability. If net income is positive, meaning revenue is greater than a company’s total expenses, it is considered profitable. This is a metric that startups should have readily available since it’s the ‘bottom line’ of an Income Statement, making it very easy to report. This metric can also be used in a formula to calculate Net Profit Margin, total expenses, and cash runway. 6) Total Headcount This is the total number of full-time equivalent employees excluding contractors. Contractors are excluded because of the variability of the nature of contract work — a contractor may only work a few hours a month or they could work 20 hours per week. This variability will cause back-and-forth clarification between you and your companies which wastes time. This metric gives you insight into company growth and operational changes. This metric is important to track because it’s a reflection of decisions made by the leadership team. If there’s an increase in headcount, the leadership is investing in future growth, on the other side, if there’s a major decrease in total headcount it could be because the leadership team has decided to reduce burn by letting people go or employees are churning. All are post-signs of operational changes worth paying attention to. Check out an Example Request in Visible. Suggested Qualitative Questions to Ask Your Companies While metrics are the best way to aggregate and compare insights across your portfolio, you may also be wondering which qualitative questions you should ask portfolio companies as well. Qualitative prompts can be a concise and valuable way for startups to share more narrative updates on company performance with their investors. Below we outline the two most common qualitative questions investors ask portfolio companies as well as suggested descriptions. 1) Recent Updates & Wins Description: Please use bullet points and share updates related to Sales, Product, Team, and Fundraising. This will be used for internal reporting and may also be shared with our Limited Partners. We suggest asking companies for bullet points on these four categories because it’s a focused way for investors to understand the narrative context behind a company’s metrics. With your companies’ permission, this narrative update can also serve as the foundation for your tear sheets for your LP reporting and your internal reporting. 2) Asks Description: How can we best support you this quarter? You can make your reporting processes more valuable for your portfolio companies by asking your companies if there are specific ways you can provide support to them in the next quarter. Once you have responses from your portfolio companies, you can take action on their requests and you’ll be able to extract support themes to inform the way you provide scalable portfolio support. Monitor Your Portfolio Companies Seamlessly With Visible It’s important to know which are the most important metrics to collect to ensure your portfolio data collection processes are streamlined and valuable both for you and your companies. In this article, we highlighted Revenue, Net Income, Cash Balance, Runway, Net Burn Rate, and Total Headcount as the top metrics to collect from all your portfolio companies. With Visible, its also easy to ask for any custom metric and assign it just to specific companies. Investors of all stages are using Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting processes. Book some time with our team to learn how Visible can automate your portfolio monitoring processes. Visible for Investors is a founder-friendly portfolio monitoring and reporting platform used by over 400+ VCs.

In an era where the effects of climate change are being felt more acutely every day, the need for bold, innovative solutions has never been greater. Climate tech startups are at the forefront of this revolution, creating technologies that address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. These leading climate startups are not only pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation but also reshaping industries by offering practical, scalable solutions to reduce carbon footprints and foster environmental resilience. From carbon capture technology to renewable energy storage and sustainable agriculture, these companies are addressing critical issues head-on. This article highlights 15 innovative climate tech companies that are making significant strides in combating climate change. Whether they are developing groundbreaking technologies for cleaner energy or devising new ways to sequester carbon, these startups represent the future of green innovation. Related Resource: Leveraging Innovation and Sustainability: A Guide for Clean Tech and Climate Tech Founders Emerging Climate Tech Trends Impacting Startups in 2024 As climate tech evolves, several trends are directly shaping the trajectory of climate tech companies and their ability to address environmental challenges. These trends reflect not just advancements in technology but also the shifting demands within the industry, influencing how startups scale, secure funding, and innovate. Below are the key trends influencing climate tech companies in 2024. Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is rapidly becoming a core focus for many climate tech startups, particularly those aiming to reduce industrial carbon footprints. Startups working on direct air capture (DAC) technologies are gaining significant traction as industries and governments seek scalable solutions to meet global emissions reduction goals. As funding for CCS increases, companies within this space are seeing more opportunities for partnerships with heavy industries like oil and gas, cement, and steel. However, the cost of these technologies remains a challenge, pushing climate tech companies to innovate in ways that make CCS more affordable and efficient for widespread adoption. Long-Duration Energy Storage The transition to renewable energy is pushing climate tech companies to develop long-duration energy storage solutions that go beyond traditional battery technology. Energy storage startups are now at the forefront of enabling a renewable energy grid that can handle fluctuations in solar and wind energy. This trend is driving significant investment into companies creating vanadium redox flow batteries, iron-air batteries, and other next-gen storage solutions. For these startups, the ability to secure contracts with energy utilities and prove the scalability of their technology will be key to future success. The demand for reliable energy storage is expected to grow exponentially as more countries mandate higher percentages of renewable energy in their grids. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Tech Climate tech companies focused on sustainable agriculture are seeing rising interest from both investors and governments as the agriculture sector faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions. Startups developing technologies like vertical farming, precision agriculture, and agroforestry are helping traditional farms and food producers become more resilient to climate risks. For example, companies offering precision agriculture solutions can optimize water usage and reduce chemical inputs, making farming more sustainable. This trend is particularly relevant for climate tech startups targeting regions prone to droughts and extreme weather, as their solutions offer tangible ways to mitigate the effects of climate change on food production. AI-Driven Environmental Insights The integration of AI into climate tech is transforming how companies gather and leverage environmental data, offering them a competitive edge in developing smarter, more targeted solutions. Startups providing AI-driven platforms that analyze climate risks, predict environmental shifts, and optimize resource use are seeing increased demand from sectors like renewable energy, real estate, and agriculture. For climate tech companies, this trend offers a unique opportunity to position themselves as data-driven innovators, capable of helping businesses and governments adapt to changing environmental conditions. Companies specializing in geospatial AI are especially well-positioned to attract funding as they provide essential insights for industries looking to mitigate environmental risks. Key Challenges Facing Climate Tech Startups While the climate tech sector is thriving, climate tech startups face several significant challenges that can hinder growth and scalability. From securing adequate funding to navigating complex regulatory landscapes, these barriers are unique to companies striving to create sustainable solutions. Below are some of the climate startup challenges that founders need to consider as they work toward building impactful, scalable businesses. High Research and Development (R&D) Costs One of the primary barriers for climate tech companies is the high cost of research and development. Unlike many software startups that can iterate quickly and cost-effectively, climate tech solutions often require significant investment in hardware, materials, and testing facilities. Whether developing new carbon capture technologies or refining energy storage systems, climate startups need extensive capital to move from concept to commercialization. This financial hurdle can slow down progress, particularly for startups without access to substantial early-stage funding or grant support. Navigating Regulatory Challenges Regulatory hurdles are another critical challenge for climate tech startups. Governments and regulatory bodies are increasingly enacting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, but the path to compliance can be complex. Startups must navigate a patchwork of regulations, often varying by region and industry. For example, renewable energy companies may face permitting delays, while those in carbon capture or waste management might contend with strict environmental standards. This regulatory uncertainty can deter investors and slow down the deployment of new technologies, making it a significant barrier to success. Scaling Across Sectors Climate tech solutions often require cross-sector partnerships to scale effectively. A company developing energy storage technology, for example, may need to partner with both energy utilities and hardware manufacturers to bring its product to market. Likewise, startups focusing on sustainable agriculture might need collaborations with large-scale farming operations or governments to deploy their technologies at scale. Establishing these partnerships can be difficult for early-stage startups, especially those without a proven track record or established industry relationships. The need for coordination across sectors and industries is a major challenge that climate startups must overcome to ensure long-term success. Related resource: Top 10 VCs Fueling Innovation in Transportation Securing Sufficient Funding While investor interest in climate tech is growing, many climate startups still struggle to secure sufficient funding, particularly during the early stages. Venture capital firms often look for quick returns, but many climate tech solutions require long timelines before reaching commercialization. Startups in this space may also face competition from other sectors for investor attention. The need to demonstrate both environmental and financial impact adds another layer of complexity when raising capital. As a result, climate tech startups often need to explore alternative funding sources such as government grants, impact investors, and green bonds to bridge the gap. 15 Climate Tech Startups to Watch in 2024 1. CarbonCapture CarbonCapture stands out in the climate tech sector with its innovative approach to direct air capture (DAC) technology. The company's systems, which use molecular sieves and renewable energy sources, are designed for adaptability. These machines not only remove CO2 from the atmosphere but also capture clean water distilled from the air, a dual functionality that enhances both environmental and practical value. The potential impact of this technology is substantial, offering a scalable and efficient solution to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. This approach is particularly promising in the fight against global warming and climate change. Year founded: 2019 Location: Pasadena, California Funding amount/type: The company has raised a total of $35 million over three funding rounds. Funding series: The most recent, a Series A round completed in September 2023. Major investors: Climate Pledge Fund, Ethos Family Office, Rio Tinto, Idealab Studio, Idealab X, and Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures. 2. Astraea Astraea is a significant player in the climate tech sector, particularly with its innovative use of data analytics for environmental insights. The company has developed an AI platform for geospatial data, which includes products like EarthAI Site and EarthAI Enterprise. These tools offer vital insights using imagery, analytics, and dashboards, catering to a variety of industries such as real estate, renewable energy, conservation finance, and agriculture. Astraea's EarthAI platform is particularly notable for its ability to aid in understanding climate patterns and their impacts, leveraging AI and geospatial data to provide actionable insights​​. Year Founded: 2016 Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA​​ Funding Amount/Type: Astraea has raised a total of $16.5 million over four funding rounds​​. In a recent development, the company raised $6.5 million in Series A funding​​. Funding Series: The latest funding, completed on July 21, 2022, was a Series A round​​. Major Investors: The Series A funding was co-led by Aligned Climate Capital and Carbon Drawdown Collective, with other participants including CAV Angels, Tydall Investment Partners, and the University of Virginia Seed Fund​​. Astraea's role in climate tech is particularly exciting due to its innovative use of AI and satellite data to provide critical environmental insights. This approach is essential for addressing complex climate challenges, enabling better decision-making and strategy formulation in various sectors. The support and funding received from notable investors reflect confidence in Astraea's potential to make a meaningful impact in the field of climate technology. 3. CellCube CellCube, known for its innovative energy storage solutions, is making significant strides in the field of climate tech with its focus on vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). As a leader in sustainable, future-proof, and durable energy storage infrastructure, CellCube has emerged as one of the first and largest developers, manufacturers, and sellers of VRFBs globally. Their modular CellCube batteries are designed to store large electricity capacities efficiently for 4 to 24 hours, meeting the highest safety standards and boasting a lifecycle of 20 to 30 years. This technology is crucial for enabling the storage of energy from intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind, thus facilitating their integration into the energy grid and enhancing the sustainability of energy systems​​​​. CellCube, initially known as Enerox, has evolved over the last ten years from a specialized product developer to a leading provider of comprehensive energy storage solutions. With more than 140 systems installed worldwide, they have established themselves as a key player in the industry​​​​. Year Founded: Not explicitly stated, but with 20 years of research and development, it suggests a founding date around 2002-2003​​. Location: Denver, Colorado, USA​​. Funding Amount/Type: The company arranged a non-brokered private placement financing for gross proceeds of CDN $10 million​​. Major Investors: Bushveld Minerals increased its investment in CellCube to 27.6%, as part of its energy storage business strategy​​​​. CellCube's significance in the climate tech field is highlighted by its role in enhancing renewable energy integration. Their VRFBs provide a reliable and scalable solution for energy storage, addressing one of the most significant challenges in the shift towards renewable energy sources. By enabling more efficient storage and use of renewable energy, CellCube contributes significantly to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change. Their progress and the growing investor interest underscore the critical role of energy storage technologies in achieving a sustainable future. 4. Jackery Jackery, a leader in the field of portable solar power solutions, was founded in 2012 in California, USA, by a former Apple battery engineer. The company is recognized for its innovative approach in developing portable solar power generators, solar panels, and other related products. Jackery's mission is to provide green energy solutions that are accessible to everyone, everywhere, particularly focusing on outdoor and emergency use scenarios. Their products, known for their efficiency and accessibility, cater to the needs of those requiring mobile power sources, whether off-grid or during power outages​​​​. Year Founded: 2012 Location: Fremont, California, USA​​ Funding information isn’t given for Jackery Jackery's innovation in portable solar power solutions is particularly exciting for the field of climate tech due to its contribution to sustainable energy accessibility. By providing efficient, portable solar generators and panels, Jackery plays a crucial role in enhancing the adoption of renewable energy sources. This is especially important in remote or disaster-prone areas where traditional power sources are unavailable or unreliable. Jackery's commitment to developing green energy solutions aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Their growth and the success of their products in the market underscore the increasing demand for portable and sustainable energy solutions. 5. CarbonCure CarbonCure, a pioneer in carbon sequestration within the concrete industry, has garnered significant attention for its innovative approach to reducing carbon footprints. Founded in 2011 by Robert Niven and headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, CarbonCure's technology revolves around the injection of captured carbon dioxide into concrete, where it is permanently stored. This process not only utilizes CO2 but also enhances the strength of the concrete, presenting a dual benefit​​. The implications of CarbonCure's technology for the construction industry are profound. As concrete is one of the most widely used materials in construction, its production is also one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions globally. By integrating CarbonCure's technology, the construction industry can significantly reduce its carbon footprint, contributing to the global efforts against climate change. This technology offers a practical and scalable solution for carbon sequestration, aligning with the industry's growing focus on sustainability. Year Founded: 2011 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Funding Amount/Type: CarbonCure Technologies has raised a total of $97.36 million over 12 funding rounds, with the latest being a Series F round for $80 million on July 11, 2023​​​​​​. Major Investors: The company's investors include Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Innovacorp, GreenSoil Investments, Pangaea Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, BDC Capital, 2150, Mitsubishi Corporation, Carbon Direct, Taronga Ventures, and Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund​​. CarbonCure's technology is particularly exciting in the climate tech field due to its practical application in a widespread and traditionally high-emission industry. The ability to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete production and use while improving the material's quality represents a significant advancement in green construction practices. The company's successful funding rounds and the backing of major investors underscore the industry's recognition of the importance of sustainable solutions like CarbonCure's, indicating a promising future for this technology in global efforts to combat climate change. 6. Form Energy Form Energy, a Massachusetts-based technology company founded in 2017, is revolutionizing the field of climate tech with its advancements in long-duration energy storage systems. These systems are designed to enable a reliable and fully renewable electric grid year-round, addressing one of the major challenges in the transition to renewable energy. Form Energy's technology is crucial for maintaining grid stability and integrating renewable energy sources, as it allows for the storage and release of energy over extended periods, thus balancing supply and demand even when renewable sources are intermittent​​​​. Year Founded: 2017 Location: Boston, Massachusetts, US Funding Amount/Type: Form Energy has raised a significant amount of funding, with a $450 million Series E financing round announced in October 2022​​. This adds to their total funding, which had previously exceeded $350 million, reaching a valuation of $1.2 billion in mid-2021​​. Funding Series: The latest funding round was a Series E round​​. Major Investors: The Series E round was led by TPG’s global impact investing platform, TPG Rise, and included major investors such as GIC, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), ArcelorMittal, Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and others​​​​. Form Energy's long-duration energy storage technology is particularly exciting in the climate tech sector for its potential to transform how energy grids operate. By allowing for the storage of energy for days, rather than hours, this technology enables a more seamless integration of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, which are often variable in nature. This capability is crucial for reducing reliance on fossil fuels and achieving a more sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure. The company's focus on developing cost-effective and scalable energy storage solutions aligns with the growing global need for innovations that can support a fully renewable energy grid. The significant investment and support from major investors underscore the industry's recognition of the importance of long-duration energy storage and Form Energy's role in driving forward the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. 7. Klima Klima, a mobile application developed by Climate Labs GmbH, is revolutionizing the field of climate tech with its unique approach to personal carbon offsetting. Founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneurs Markus Gilles, Andreas Pursian-Ehrlich, and Jonas Brandau, Klima is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. The app's mission is to turn carbon neutrality into a mass movement, unleashing the power of individual action at scale. Klima allows users to measure, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint directly through the app, empowering individuals to contribute actively to climate change mitigation efforts​​. Year Founded: 2019 Location: Berlin, Germany Funding Amount/Type: Klima has raised a total of €15.8 million over three funding rounds, with the latest funding being raised on April 21, 2022, from a Series A round​​. The total funding amount is also reported as $18 million in another source, with a Series A round of $11 million raised on April 1, 2022​​. Funding Series: The latest funding round was a Series A round​​. Major Investors: Klima's investors include Christian Reber (co-founder and CEO of Pitch), Jens Begemann, Niklas Jansen (co-founder and managing director of Blinkist), e.ventures, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, 468 Capital, HV Capital, Keen Venture Partners, Headline, and Blue Impact Ventures​​​​. Klima’s approach to climate change mitigation is particularly exciting in the field of climate tech because it emphasizes the impact of individual actions. By enabling users to track and offset their carbon footprint through everyday activities, Klima is making climate action accessible and actionable for the broader public. This approach not only raises awareness about personal environmental impacts but also provides a tangible way for individuals to contribute to global carbon reduction efforts. The startup's success in raising significant funding and attracting major investors reflects the growing interest in solutions that empower individuals to participate in climate action. Klima's innovative use of technology to facilitate personal carbon offsetting marks a significant step forward in engaging the public in climate change mitigation and underscores the potential for technology to play a transformative role in addressing environmental challenges. 8. Polarium Polarium, founded in 2014, is a Swedish company that has established itself as a key player in the lithium battery technology sector. The company focuses on providing smart lithium batteries designed to address power backup challenges in various sectors, including telecom, commercial, and industrial. Polarium's mission is to empower a sustainable world with innovative solutions for energy storage and energy optimization built on lithium-ion technology​​​​. Year Founded: 2014 Location: Sweden Funding Amount/Type: Polarium has raised a total of $273.9 million over 7 funding rounds​​. Another source reports the total funding as $250.19 million over 8 rounds​​. Funding Series: The latest funding was a Venture - Series Unknown round raised on September 4, 2023​​. Major Investors: The Swedish pension company Alecta, Formica Capital, Absolute Unlisted (part of the investment manager Coeli), AMF, Vargas, Roosgruppen, and Beijer Invest are among the key investors in Polarium​​. Polarium's innovations in lithium battery technology are significant for various reasons. First, these batteries offer a sustainable and efficient solution for energy storage and management, vital in sectors ranging from telecommunications to industrial applications. Second, Polarium's technology plays a critical role in the integration and optimization of renewable energy sources, contributing to the transition towards more sustainable energy systems. The startup is particularly exciting in the field of climate tech due to its focus on lithium-ion technology, which is crucial for the development of more efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions. This technology is essential for the scalability and effectiveness of renewable energy systems, as it allows for more efficient storage and distribution of energy generated from renewable sources. Polarium's success in raising significant funding and attracting major investors highlights the growing interest and demand for advanced energy storage solutions. Their contribution to the development of smart lithium battery technology positions them as a key innovator in the climate tech sector, driving forward the transition to a more sustainable and renewable energy future. 9. Infarm Infarm, a Berlin-based startup founded in 2013, is at the forefront of urban and vertical farming technologies. Their approach focuses on distributing "modular farms" to urban locations, promoting sustainable and local food production. Infarm's technology enables the growth of crops in a controlled, indoor environment, utilizing less space and resources compared to traditional farming methods. This innovative approach contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of food production and transportation by enabling local cultivation in urban settings​​​​. Year Founded: 2013 Location: Berlin, Germany Funding Amount/Type: Infarm has raised over $600 million in total funding. A significant part of this, $200 million, was raised in a Series D round led by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA)​​​​. Funding Series: The latest funding round was a Series D round​​. Major Investors: The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is a notable investor, among others​​. Infarm’s urban farming and vertical farming technologies are particularly exciting in the climate tech field for several reasons. Firstly, their systems require significantly less water and land than conventional agriculture, making them a sustainable alternative for food production. Secondly, by localizing food production, they reduce the need for long-distance transportation, further decreasing the environmental impact. Lastly, the ability to control growing conditions leads to less waste and higher quality produce. The startup's innovative approach to farming addresses crucial environmental challenges, such as land use, water scarcity, and the carbon footprint of the agricultural sector. Infarm's success in attracting significant funding and major investors underscores the growing importance of sustainable food production solutions in the fight against climate change. Their technology represents a significant step forward in creating more sustainable, efficient, and localized food systems, making them a key player in the climate tech sector. 10. Northvolt Northvolt, a startup based in Stockholm, Sweden, was founded in 2015 and is spearheading innovations in sustainable battery production for electric vehicles. Their focus is on creating batteries with low-carbon manufacturing processes, contributing significantly to the field of climate tech. Year Founded: 2015 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Funding Amount/Type: Northvolt has secured investments totaling over $1 billion, including significant contributions from BMW Group, Volkswagen Group, Goldman Sachs, and Folksam. Funding Series: Major funding rounds include a $1.6 billion loan from a consortium and a $1.2 billion fundraising effort in 2023. Major Investors: Investors include BMW Group, Volkswagen Group, Goldman Sachs, and Folksam. Northvolt's role in sustainable battery production and commitment to low-carbon processes make it an exciting startup in the climate tech sector. Their innovative approach addresses critical challenges in the automotive industry, reducing the environmental impact of electric vehicle batteries. The significant funding and support from major investors underline the importance of Northvolt's mission in the global transition towards sustainable energy solutions. Their expansion into North America with a new battery plant in Canada further solidifies their position as a leader in the field. 11. Propagate Propagate, established in 2017, is revolutionizing the agricultural sector with its unique ecosystem that blends software, development, and financing. This innovative platform simplifies the process for farms to shift to agroforestry. By offering a comprehensive suite of services including agronomic insights, technical assistance, and financing options, Propagate ensures that farms can seamlessly integrate fruit, nut, and timber trees into their existing animal or crop farming systems. This approach effectively minimizes risks and supports a smoother transition. Year Founded: 2017 Location: Denver, CO Funding Amount/Type: Funding Series: Series A with a total of $11.5 million raised. Major Investors: The Nest, Agfunder, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, The Grantham Foundation, Techstars and Elemental Propagate's role in the climate tech field is significant, considering the growing need for sustainable agricultural practices. By focusing on agroforestry, they provide a viable solution to the challenges of food security, land degradation, and climate change, positioning themselves as a key player in the industry. The core of Propagate's mission is to facilitate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, particularly agroforestry. This method involves incorporating permanent crops into farming, leading to enhanced profitability for farms. More importantly, it plays a crucial role in climate stewardship. By adopting these practices, farms not only boost their economic viability but also contribute significantly to climate solutions, showcasing Propagate's pivotal role in promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly farming methods. 12. BeZero BeZero, founded in 2020 by Matthias Herbert and Tobias Frech in London, UK, is revolutionizing the carbon market with its carbon credit rating system. They've raised over $70 million, with a notable $50 million in a Series B round led by Quantum Energy Partners, and have attracted investments from EDF Group, Hitachi Ventures, and Intercontinental Exchange, among others​ Year Founded: 2020 Location: London, England, United Kingdom Funding Amount/Type: BeZero Carbon has raised more than $70 million to date. In a significant funding round, the company secured $50 million in a Series B round, marking it as one of the biggest raises in the UK climate tech sector for the year. Funding Series: The latest funding was a Series B round. Major Investors: The Series B funding round was led by US-based Quantum Energy Partners, with strategic investments from EDF Group through EDF Pulse Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Other investors include Molten Ventures, Norrsken VC, Illuminate Financial, Qima, and Contrarian Ventures. BeZero aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the Voluntary Carbon Market, crucial for achieving Net Zero targets. Their approach, supported by a team of experts, is significant in the climate tech sector, addressing the need for reliable information in the growing market, valued at approximately €50 billion by 2030​. 13. ChargerHelp! ChargerHelp!, founded in January 2020 by Kameale C. Terry and Evette Ellis in Los Angeles, California, is a dynamic startup in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The company specializes in operations, maintenance, and workforce development for EV charging infrastructure. Year Founded: January 2020 Location: Los Angeles, California, United States Funding Amount/Type: ChargerHelp! has raised $17.5 million in Series A financing. This funding round was led by Blue Bear Capital, with significant investments from Aligned Climate Capital, Exelon Corporation, and other investors like Energy Impact Partners and non sibi ventures. Funding Series: The most recent funding was a Series A round. Major Investors: Major investors include Blue Bear Capital, Aligned Climate Capital, Exelon Corporation, Energy Impact Partners, and non sibi ventures. ChargerHelp! is not directly related to BeZero’s carbon credit rating system. However, in the broader context of climate tech, ChargerHelp! is contributing significantly by ensuring the reliability and efficiency of EV charging stations. Their focus is on improving the operational functionality of these stations, which is essential for the growing number of EV users and is pivotal in the transition to sustainable transportation. By addressing the technical and operational challenges of EV infrastructure, ChargerHelp! is helping to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, thereby reducing carbon emissions and advancing climate goals​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. 14. Sylvera Sylvera, established in 2020 by Samuel Gill and Dr. Allister Furey in London, UK, is a trailblazer in the climate tech industry. It specializes in providing a carbon offset intelligence platform, enhancing transparency and insights in the carbon market. Year Founded: 2020 Location: London, UK Funding Amount/Type: Sylvera has raised a total of $39.5 million. This includes a $32 million Series A round, led by Index Ventures and Insight Partners, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, LocalGlobe, and other angel investors. Funding Series: The latest funding was a Series A round. Major Investors: Key investors include Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Salesforce Ventures, LocalGlobe, and several angel investors. Sylvera's platform stands out in the climate tech field for its robust approach to analyzing carbon offset projects using machine learning and diverse data sources like satellite imagery. This enhances accountability and credibility in carbon offsetting, addressing the challenges of asymmetric information and transparency. Their contribution is vital in a market projected to be worth $100 billion by 2030, making Sylvera an essential player in achieving net-zero targets through improved carbon market practices​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. 15. ZeroAvia ZeroAvia, founded in 2017 by Valery Miftakhov, is a U.S.-based company focused on developing hydrogen-fueled aviation technology. They are at the forefront of reducing aviation's carbon footprint, which is pivotal for the climate tech field. Year Founded: 2017 Location: United States Funding Amount/Type: ZeroAvia has raised significant funding over the years, including $21.4 million in Series A financing in 2020, $24.3 million in a second round of Series A in 2021, $35 million in Series B financing also in 2021, and a substantial round in 2023 with Airbus as a lead investor. Funding Series: The company has completed Series A and B funding rounds. Major Investors: Notable investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Horizons Ventures, Royal Dutch Shell, Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, British Airways, United Airlines Ventures, Alaska Air Group, Airbus, and Neom Investment Fund. ZeroAvia's work in hydrogen-fueled aviation technology is transforming the industry. By developing powertrains for aircrafts that are zero-emission, they address a significant source of global carbon emissions. This breakthrough technology is not only crucial for the aviation industry's transition to sustainable practices but also represents a major advancement in the broader effort to combat climate change. The potential impact of ZeroAvia's technology in reducing aviation's carbon footprint makes them a particularly exciting and important player in the climate tech field​​​​​​​​​​. 10 Venture Capital Firms Investing in Climate Tech Startups Securing funding is a crucial step for any climate tech startup aiming to scale its operations and bring innovative solutions to market. With growing investor interest in sustainable technologies, more venture capital firms are focusing on climate tech companies that address critical environmental challenges. For startups, finding the right investors can make all the difference in gaining not just financial support but also strategic guidance and industry connections. Below is a list of 10 of the most active venture capital firms currently investing in climate tech, helping startups secure the resources they need to accelerate growth. Related resource: Guide to CleanTech and Climate Tech in 2024 + Top VCs Investing 1. Breakthrough Energy Ventures Backed by Bill Gates, Breakthrough Energy Ventures is one of the most influential players in climate tech, investing in early-stage companies focused on decarbonization. Their focus areas include energy storage, food and agriculture, and transportation. Location: Kirkland, Washington Investment Range: Seed to Series B 2. Lowercarbon Capital Lowercarbon Capital is a venture capital firm focused exclusively on startups that are reducing carbon emissions. They invest in a wide range of sectors including carbon capture, energy storage, and clean energy technologies. Location: San Francisco, California Investment Range: Seed to Growth 3. Energy Impact Partners (EIP) EIP partners with utilities and large energy consumers to invest in companies leading the transition to a clean energy future. Their portfolio includes startups working on grid modernization, electrification, and energy efficiency. Location: New York, New York Investment Range: Series A and beyond 4. Congruent Ventures Congruent Ventures is a leading VC firm supporting early-stage companies at the intersection of sustainability and technology. They focus on areas like clean energy, transportation, and resource efficiency. Location: San Francisco, California Investment Range: Seed to Series B 5. Fifth Wall Fifth Wall is a prominent investor in climate tech startups focused on sustainable real estate and infrastructure. They invest in companies addressing the decarbonization of the built environment, including energy efficiency, electrification, and carbon sequestration. Location: Los Angeles, California Investment Range: Seed to Series C 6. Prelude Ventures Prelude Ventures invests in early-stage climate tech startups working across various sectors, including energy, agriculture, and transportation. They have a long-term investment horizon and prioritize companies with breakthrough technologies. Location: San Francisco, California Investment Range: Seed to Series B 7. Chrysalix Venture Capital Chrysalix focuses on climate tech startups developing technologies for resource efficiency and industrial innovation. They work with companies that are bringing advanced materials, clean energy, and digitalization technologies to market. Location: Vancouver, Canada Investment Range: Series A to Growth 8. Obvious Ventures Obvious Ventures invests in startups that are building solutions for a healthier planet. They focus on climate tech sectors like clean energy, circular economy, and sustainable food systems.Location: San Francisco, CaliforniaInvestment Range: Seed to Series C, and Growth 9. Elemental Excelerator Elemental Excelerator is a global climate tech accelerator that invests in startups addressing energy, water, agriculture, and circular economy challenges. Their unique model combines investment with hands-on support to help companies scale. Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Investment Range: Seed to Series A 10. Schematic Ventures Schematic Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in supply chain, logistics, and sustainability. Their climate tech investments focus on decarbonizing industrial processes and logistics through technology innovation. Location: San Francisco, California Investment Range: Seed Stage Find an Investor for Climate Tech with Visible Visible helps founders connect with investors using our connect investor database, find VCs specifically investing in Climate Tech here. Related resource: 10+ Founder Friendly Venture Capital Firms Investing in Startups Related resource: 11 Venture Capital Podcasts You Need to Check Out For Climate Tech startups, securing the right investors is critical as it goes beyond mere funding. These investors bring specialized expertise and strategic insights specific to the Climate sector and their guidance is invaluable in navigating the unique challenges and opportunities within the space. Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days.

What is a Portfolio Review Meeting in Venture Capital A portfolio review meeting in the context of Venture Capital is a dedicated time for the investment and operational team members at an investment firm to align on recent updates across the portfolio. Other purposes of this meeting are to exchange cross-functional insights and coordinate the best ways to support portfolio companies. Who typically leads Portfolio Review Meetings? Portfolio review meetings can be led by anyone at the firm but since the meetings are largely focused on updates about portfolio companies, it is often led by the person responsible for collecting and synthesizing updates from portfolio companies on a regular basis. At a smaller firm, this person may be a Partner, and at a larger VC firm, this person often has the title of Platform Manager, Director of Portfolio Operations, or someone in finance. Ultimately, it should be led by someone with a wide-lens view of what is going on across the portfolio. Related Resource –> Portfolio Data Collection Tips for VCs Portfolio Review Meeting Frequency According to a poll led by Visible, 50% of VC’s are hosting Portfolio Review Meetings on a quarterly basis, followed by 29% weekly, and 14% monthly. The frequency of this meeting largely depends on the size of your portfolio company and how hands-on you are with your companies. A quarterly frequency makes sense for most VC firms because 70% of investors are collecting structured data from their companies on a quarterly basis. (Source data is aggregated usage data on Visible’s portfolio monitoring platform used by 350+ VC funds). Three Necessary Elements to Lead an Effective Portfolio Review Meeting 1) Up-to-date, accurate information from portfolio companies Most investors are collecting 5-15 metrics from companies on a quarterly basis. These include core financial KPI’s and sector-specific metrics. Additionally, it’s common to ask for qualitative updates from companies as well to ensure you have a holistic view of how a company is performing. Related Resource –> Which Metrics Should I be Collecting from My Portfolio Companies 2) Customizable visualizations to engage your team Looking at just raw data points from companies can be, well…boring. To get more engagement during Portfolio Review Meetings it’s a great idea to create engaging visualizations that clearly demonstrate the growth journeys your companies are on. By displaying your data in a Flexible Portfolio Company Dashboard your team will be able to more clearly identify trends and insights. To help your team digest the information about portfolio companies, it’s important to keep your data visualizations consistent for each company. Visible makes this easy by allowing you to save custom dashboards as templates and apply them to all companies in just a few clicks. Learn more about creating flexible dashboards for portfolio review meetings in the video below. 3) A Place to Take Notes & Document Action Items It’s a great idea to document meeting discussion notes and action items as soon as they arise during a meeting. Documenting action items on a company’s dashboard is a great way to keep team members accountable for execution because you can refer back to the notes during future meetings. How Investors Are Leveraging Visible to Enhance Portfolio Review Meetings VKAV’s Portfolio Company Dashboards Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), a long-term Visible user, hosts a formal Portfolio Review Meeting on a quarterly basis. During this meeting, Portfolio Review Committee members join to review the performance of the portfolio companies during the quarter. Additionally, VKAV’s investment team holds an internal Portfolio Review Meeting every other week. Right now, the purpose of this meeting is mostly to check the status of action items (either for VKAV or the portfolio company). VKAV keeps track of open action items directly on a company’s dashboard in Visible so that it is linked to the broader context of how the company is performing. View VKAV’s Portfolio Review Dashboard Example –> View Dashboard 01 Advisors Approach to Portfolio Review Meetings 01 Advisors a San Francisco-based venture firm utilizes Visible’s Request feature to streamline the way they collect data from companies on a quarterly basis. The team meets 1-2 times per quarter for an internal Portfolio Review meeting. Check out their meeting agenda outline below. 01 Advisors Portfolio Review Meeting Agenda Investment Strategy Portfolio Company Categorization Reserve Allocation Strategy Portfolio Company Support Learn more about how 01 Advisors uses Visible for the internal portfolio review meetings in this video.

Navigating the early stages of a startup can be challenging, and finding the right support can make all the difference. In this article, we’ll explore when your startup should consider joining an incubator, how to choose the one that best suits your needs, and highlight the top 10 incubators for 2024. From industry-specific guidance to critical funding opportunities, these incubators offer the resources, mentorship, and connections to help your startup thrive. Whether you're just starting or looking to scale, this guide will help you decide on the right incubator for your journey. Related resource: The Top 16 Accelerators Powering Startup Growth When Should a Startup Consider an Incubator? A startup should consider joining an incubator when it has a solid idea or prototype but lacks the resources, guidance, and network to move forward. Incubators are particularly beneficial during the early stages of a startup, where founders might need help refining their business model, validating their product-market fit, or securing initial funding. Startups struggling to gain traction or needing industry-specific expertise and mentorship can significantly benefit from an incubator. Additionally, an incubator can provide the necessary resources and connections to accelerate progress if a startup prepares to scale but requires additional support to navigate growth challenges​​. Related resource: 10+ VCs & Accelerators Investing in Underrepresented Founders How to Choose the Right Startup Incubator Choosing the right startup incubator is a crucial decision that can significantly influence the success of your venture. With numerous options available, it’s essential to carefully evaluate each incubator to find the one that aligns with your specific needs and goals. In the following sections, we’ll break down the key criteria to consider when selecting an incubator, including industry focus, location, mentorship quality, funding opportunities, and the resources they offer. By understanding these factors, you can make an informed choice that supports your startup’s growth and long-term success​​. Related resource: 10 Essential Startup Conferences for Fall 2024 Industry Focus Choosing an incubator specializing in your industry or sector can be a game-changer for your startup. Industry-focused incubators bring a wealth of relevant expertise, tailored resources, and established networks that directly apply to your business. These incubators understand your sector's unique challenges and opportunities, allowing them to provide more targeted mentorship and support. For example, a tech-focused incubator will have mentors experienced in technology startups, access to tech-specific resources, and connections to investors interested in tech ventures. This specialized support can significantly accelerate your startup's growth by helping you navigate industry-specific regulations, access niche markets, and connect with potential partners and customers​​. Related resource: Accelerator vs. Incubator: Key Differences and Choosing the Best Fit for Your Startup Location The location of an incubator plays a critical role in the success of a startup, as it can directly influence access to customers, investors, and partners. Being in close proximity to your target market allows you to understand customer needs better, conduct market research, and iterate on your product based on real feedback. Additionally, an incubator located in a thriving startup ecosystem, such as Silicon Valley or Austin, provides unparalleled access to a network of investors and industry leaders who can offer funding, mentorship, and strategic partnerships. Moreover, being near key partners and suppliers can streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve collaboration. Choosing an incubator with a strategic location can give your startup a significant advantage in scaling effectively​​. Related resource: The Top Emerging Tech Hubs Across the United States Mentorship and Expertise Evaluating the quality and experience of the mentors and advisors associated with an incubator is crucial for your startup's success. High-quality mentors bring a wealth of industry knowledge, practical experience, and a network of contacts that can be invaluable as you navigate the challenges of building and scaling your business. Experienced mentors can provide actionable insights, help you avoid common pitfalls, and guide you in making strategic decisions that can accelerate growth. They also offer personalized advice tailored to your needs, often more impactful than generic guidance. Furthermore, well-connected mentors can introduce you to potential investors, partners, and customers, opening doors that might otherwise be difficult to access. Therefore, when choosing an incubator, ensure its mentorship network aligns with your industry and business goals​​​. Related resource: 12 Online Startup Communities for Founders Funding Opportunities Access to capital is often a critical factor in the growth and sustainability of a startup, making it essential to consider whether an incubator offers funding opportunities or has strong connections with venture capitalists (VCs) and angel investors. Some incubators provide direct funding to startups through seed investments or grants, which can be a significant boost in the early stages. Additionally, incubators with robust networks of VCs and angel investors can facilitate introductions and help you secure the capital needed to scale your business. These connections are invaluable, as they not only provide financial support but also come with strategic advice and industry insights from experienced investors. Therefore, when selecting an incubator, evaluating their funding mechanisms and the strength of their investor networks is essential to ensure they align with your startup's financial needs​​​. Related resource: Seed Funding for Startups: Our Complete Guide Resources and Facilities When evaluating a startup incubator, it's crucial to assess the resources, facilities, and infrastructure it offers. These elements can significantly impact your startup’s operations and growth. Incubators typically provide shared office spaces, high-speed internet, conference rooms, and sometimes even specialized equipment, which can be costly if sourced independently. Access to such facilities reduces overhead costs and fosters a collaborative environment where startups can share ideas and resources. Moreover, an incubator's infrastructure often includes access to essential business services, such as legal advice, accounting, and marketing support, which can be critical for early-stage startups that may lack these in-house capabilities. Additionally, some incubators offer advanced technology labs or prototype development spaces, which are particularly beneficial for startups in the biotech, hardware, or manufacturing sectors. The quality of these resources and facilities can significantly impact your startup’s ability to innovate and scale efficiently. Therefore, when choosing an incubator, it’s important to ensure that its infrastructure aligns with your startup's specific needs and that it provides an environment conducive to productivity and growth​​​. Top 10 Incubators for Startups in 2024 With a clear understanding of what to look for in an incubator, it’s time to explore some of the top options available to startups in 2024. These incubators have been selected based on their strong industry focus, excellent mentorship programs, robust funding opportunities, and state-of-the-art resources and facilities. Whether you're in tech, clean energy, or any other innovative field, these incubators offer the support you need to turn your vision into reality. Let’s dive into the top 10 incubators setting the standard for startup success in 2024​​. 1. IdeaLab Overview: IdeaLab, founded in 1996 by entrepreneur Bill Gross, is one of the most renowned startup incubators in the world. Located in Pasadena, California, IdeaLab has a long history of fostering innovation and has played a pivotal role in launching over 150 companies, including well-known successes like eSolar and Picasa. The incubator provides startups access to a wealth of resources, including funding, expert mentorship, and a robust network of industry contacts. Why Consider It: Startups should consider IdeaLab for its proven track record of turning innovative ideas into successful companies. With decades of experience, IdeaLab offers a supportive environment where entrepreneurs can develop and refine their business ideas. The incubator is particularly strong in the technology sector, but it also supports ventures in clean energy and other innovative industries. Best For: IdeaLab is best suited for tech startups and those in innovative sectors such as clean energy. It’s ideal for founders with a strong, innovative concept who need access to experienced mentors, a supportive community, and the financial backing to bring their ideas to market​​. 2. CodeBase Overview: CodeBase is the UK's largest technology incubator, with a strong presence in several cities across the country. Since its founding in 2014, CodeBase has focused on supporting startups in the tech industry by providing affordable coworking spaces, access to high-speed internet, and a vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs. It also offers various mentorship programs and educational events to help startups grow and succeed. Why Consider It: Startups should consider CodeBase for its comprehensive support system that goes beyond just providing office space. The incubator’s extensive network of mentors and industry experts, combined with its presence in multiple tech hubs across the UK, makes it an ideal environment for tech startups looking to scale. CodeBase’s commitment to fostering a collaborative community also means that startups can benefit from peer support and potential partnerships within the incubator. Best For: CodeBase is best suited for tech startups in the UK that are seeking an affordable and supportive environment to grow their business. It is particularly ideal for early-stage companies that would benefit from being part of a large, dynamic community of tech entrepreneurs​​. 3. LaunchAcademy Overview: LaunchAcademy, located in Vancouver, Canada, is a leading startup incubator that has supported over 6,000 entrepreneurs since its inception in 2012. Specializing in technology sectors such as AI, big data, and software development, LaunchAcademy offers a robust support system that includes mentorship, access to an international network of investors, and regular networking events. Why Consider It: Startups should consider LaunchAcademy for its strong track record of helping early-stage companies grow and succeed. The incubator’s focus on technology-driven startups makes it an ideal environment for companies looking to leverage AI and big data. Additionally, LaunchAcademy provides startups with the tools and resources needed to scale, including connections to key investors and global markets. Best For: LaunchAcademy is best suited for tech startups, particularly those in AI, big data, and software, that are seeking comprehensive support to accelerate their growth. It’s especially valuable for entrepreneurs who want to connect with a global network and gain access to international markets​​. 4. DMZ Overview: DMZ, based at Toronto Metropolitan University, is one of the world’s leading tech incubators. Since its launch in 2010, DMZ has been dedicated to helping high-potential startups scale their businesses through access to top-tier mentors, investors, and a global network. The incubator offers various programs tailored to different stages of a startup’s journey, from validation to growth, making it a versatile choice for tech entrepreneurs. Why Consider It: Startups should consider DMZ for its strong emphasis on scaling and international expansion. The incubator provides access to a robust network of investors and industry experts, which is invaluable for startups looking to grow quickly. DMZ’s hands-on approach and focus on real-world results have helped numerous companies secure funding, enter new markets, and achieve significant milestones. Best For: DMZ is best suited for tech startups that are beyond the initial idea stage and are ready to scale. It’s particularly ideal for entrepreneurs looking to expand internationally and those seeking strong mentorship and investor connections in the tech sector​​. 5. Tech Ranch Overview: Tech Ranch, located in Austin, Texas, is a renowned startup incubator known for its supportive community and comprehensive programs that cater to entrepreneurs at various stages of their journey. Tech Ranch focuses on fostering connections between startups and mentors, providing essential business development resources, and offering workshops and events that help startups refine their strategies and scale effectively. Why Consider It: Startups should consider Tech Ranch for its deep commitment to building entrepreneurial ecosystems. The incubator provides valuable networking opportunities and tailored support to help startups overcome challenges and accelerate their growth. Its programs are designed to guide entrepreneurs through the complexities of launching and scaling a business, making it an excellent choice for startups looking for a holistic support system. Best For: Tech Ranch is best suited for early to mid-stage startups in sectors such as technology, business services, and automotive technology. It is particularly beneficial for entrepreneurs who are seeking a nurturing environment that emphasizes community-building and collaboration​. 6. 500 Startups Overview: 500 Startups is one of the most prominent and globally recognized startup incubators and accelerators, headquartered in Silicon Valley. Since its founding in 2010, 500 Startups has supported thousands of startups worldwide through its intensive programs, which focus on product development, customer acquisition, and fundraising. The incubator has a vast network of mentors, investors, and alumni, making it a powerhouse for startups looking to grow and scale. Why Consider It: Startups should consider 500 Startups for its extensive global reach and comprehensive support system. The incubator provides a wealth of resources, including access to a diverse network of mentors who are experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts. Additionally, 500 Startups is known for its strong emphasis on helping startups secure funding, with many graduates successfully raising capital through the program's Demo Days and investor connections. Best For: 500 Startups is best suited for tech startups and entrepreneurs looking for a rigorous, fast-paced program that offers access to a global network of investors and mentors. It’s particularly ideal for startups that are ready to scale and require significant funding to reach the next level​​​. 7. LACI - Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Overview: The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is a leading incubator focused on supporting startups in the clean technology and sustainability sectors. Founded in 2011 and based in Los Angeles, LACI is dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of clean technologies that positively impact the environment. The incubator provides startups with access to state-of-the-art facilities, including prototyping labs, office spaces, and a microgrid testing center. LACI also offers comprehensive programs that include mentorship, networking opportunities, and funding support. Why Consider It: Startups should consider LACI for its specialized focus on cleantech and sustainability, offering tailored resources that are difficult to find in general incubators. LACI’s strong connections with government agencies, utilities, and industry leaders provide startups with unique opportunities for partnerships and pilot projects. Additionally, LACI’s commitment to addressing climate change and creating green jobs makes it an ideal incubator for startups that prioritize environmental impact. Best For: LACI is best suited for startups in the clean technology, renewable energy, and sustainability sectors. It is particularly valuable for entrepreneurs who are developing technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency, or addressing other environmental challenges​​. 8. WorcLab Overview: WorcLab, based in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a dynamic incubator focused on fostering innovation and supporting startups across various industries. Known for its collaborative environment, WorcLab offers a range of resources including office spaces, mentoring, and networking opportunities. The incubator is designed to help startups at different stages of development, providing them with the tools they need to grow and succeed. Why Consider It: Startups should consider WorcLab for its strong emphasis on collaboration and community. The incubator provides access to a network of entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors, which can be invaluable for startups looking to build connections and scale their operations. Additionally, WorcLab offers tailored support programs that can help startups refine their business models, develop their products, and enter new markets. Best For: WorcLab is best suited for early-stage startups across various industries that are looking for a supportive and resource-rich environment to accelerate their growth. It is particularly ideal for entrepreneurs who value collaboration and are seeking a community-oriented incubator that provides both physical resources and strategic guidance​​. 9. Halo Incubator Overview: Halo Incubator, located in Silicon Valley, is a unique incubator that focuses on empowering female founders in the tech industry. Founded to address the gender gap in entrepreneurship, Halo Incubator provides a supportive environment where women-led startups can thrive. The incubator offers a range of resources, including mentorship from experienced female entrepreneurs, access to funding, and opportunities to network with investors and industry experts who are passionate about supporting women in tech. Why Consider It: Startups should consider Halo Incubator for its specialized support tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs. The incubator’s strong focus on gender equity ensures that women founders receive the mentorship, resources, and visibility they need to overcome the challenges often faced in the tech industry. Halo Incubator’s network of investors and partners is particularly geared toward supporting women-led startups, making it an excellent choice for female founders looking to scale their businesses in a supportive and empowering environment. Best For: Halo Incubator is best suited for female tech founders who are looking for a community that understands the unique challenges of being a woman in the tech industry. It is ideal for startups in the early to mid-stages of development that are seeking mentorship, funding, and networking opportunities tailored to women entrepreneurs​​. 10. Tech Nexus Overview: Tech Nexus, based in Chicago, Illinois, is a hybrid incubator and venture collaborative that bridges the gap between startups and established corporations. Founded in 2007, Tech Nexus offers a unique model that not only supports early-stage startups but also facilitates innovation within larger companies by connecting them with emerging technologies. The incubator provides access to corporate partners, mentorship, and capital, making it a powerful platform for startups looking to scale and integrate with industry giants. Why Consider It: Startups should consider Tech Nexus for its strong focus on corporate collaboration and innovation. The incubator's model allows startups to tap into resources and networks that are typically accessible only to larger corporations. This includes opportunities to work directly with corporate partners on pilot projects, which can lead to strategic investments, partnerships, or even acquisition. Tech Nexus also provides access to venture capital and a network of seasoned mentors who can help guide startups through the complexities of scaling and entering new markets. Best For: Tech Nexus is best suited for tech startups that are developing solutions relevant to large enterprises and are looking for opportunities to collaborate with corporate partners. It’s ideal for startups that are ready to scale and need the support and resources that come with integrating into established industry ecosystems​​. Connect with Potential Investors with Visible Choosing the right incubator is a pivotal decision that can shape the future of your startup. From industry focus and location to mentorship quality and funding opportunities, these factors are critical in determining which incubator will best support your growth. As you prepare for your startup’s next steps, ensure you stay connected with potential investors using Visible. Find investors at the top of your funnel with our free investor database, Visible Connect Track your conversations and move them through your funnel with our Fundraising CRM Share your pitch deck and monthly updates with potential investors Organize and share your most vital fundraising documents with data rooms Manage your fundraise from start to finish with Visible. Give it a free try for 14 days here. At Visible, we oftentimes compare a fundraise to a B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of your funnel, you are finding new investors. In the middle, you are nurturing and pitching potential investors. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through diligence and ideally closing new investors. Related resource: Top Creator Economy Startups and the VCs That Fund Them in 2024

Managing equity is one of startup founders' most strategic and challenging responsibilities. Many advisors, investors, and peers contribute valuable insights to a business in the early stages, often without direct financial compensation. For startups with limited cash flow, offering advisory shares becomes a creative and practical way to engage experts while preserving resources for growth. Advisory shares allow founders to attract and retain top-tier talent by providing equity in exchange for critical guidance. This article explores what advisory shares are, how they work, their benefits and drawbacks, and key considerations for offering them in your startup. What Are Advisory Shares? Advisory shares are a form of equity compensation provided to individuals who offer strategic guidance and expertise to a startup. Unlike traditional employee equity, advisory shares are typically granted to external advisors, such as industry experts, seasoned entrepreneurs, or key network connectors, who help the business grow and succeed. These shares often follow a shorter vesting schedule, reflecting the limited but impactful nature of the advisor's contributions. By offering advisory shares, startups can incentivize advisors to commit their time and knowledge, aligning their success with the company’s growth. Advisor Shares vs. Regular Shares (or Equity) Advisory shares and regular shares both represent equity in a company, but their purposes, recipients, and structures are distinct. Regular shares are issued to founders, employees, and investors to reflect direct contributions, whether through work or funding. Advisory shares, however, are explicitly granted to external advisors as compensation for their expertise and guidance, aligning their interests with the company's success without requiring financial or operational involvement. Related resource: CEO vs. Advisory Board: Key Differences in Leadership and Guidance How Are Advisory Shares and Regular Shares Similar? Despite their differences, advisory shares and regular shares share common traits. Both represent ownership in the company, incentivize recipients by tying their potential financial gains to its growth, and typically involve vesting schedules to ensure commitment. Issuing either type of share also contributes to equity dilution, affecting all existing stakeholders. Related Read: The Main Difference Between ISOs and NSOs How Do Advisory Shares Work? While advisory shares can take on different forms, they typically can be boiled down to a few similarities. Of course, these can change depending on your business. Exchanged for advice or expertise Typically offered as NSO stock options Follow a shorter vesting schedule Related resource: Everything You Should Know About Diluting Shares Learn more about how advisory shares typically work below: 1. Advisor Agreement Before granting advisory shares, the startup and advisor enter into a formal agreement that outlines the terms of their relationship. This agreement specifies the advisor’s role, including the scope of their contributions, such as strategic guidance, mentorship, or leveraging their network. It also details the advisor's responsibilities, expected time commitment, and deliverables. Importantly, the agreement defines the number of advisory shares the advisor will receive and the terms under which they are granted, such as the vesting schedule and any conditions tied to performance. By setting clear expectations, this agreement protects both parties and ensures alignment in achieving the company’s goals. 2. Grant of Shares After finalizing the advisor agreement, the startup grants the advisor the right to purchase a specified number of shares at a predetermined exercise price. This exercise price is typically set at the fair market value of the company’s stock at the time of the grant. This approach ensures compliance with tax regulations while offering the advisor an opportunity to benefit from the company’s growth. The grant also outlines the conditions under which the advisor can exercise these options, such as meeting vesting milestones or fulfilling specific responsibilities. By linking the grant to the advisor’s contributions, startups create a mutually beneficial arrangement that aligns incentives with the company’s success. 3. Vesting Period The advisor’s right to exercise their options is generally tied to a vesting period, which ensures their continued commitment to the startup over time. Vesting periods for advisory shares often span shorter durations than employee stock options but typically last one to four years. A common structure includes a one-year cliff, where no options are vested during the first year, followed by monthly vesting thereafter. This means the advisor gains the ability to exercise a portion of their options incrementally, as they fulfill their responsibilities and contribute to the company’s growth. Vesting schedules protect the startup by ensuring advisors earn their shares through sustained involvement and expertise. 4. Exercise of Options Once the vesting period is complete, the advisor gains the right to exercise their options. This involves paying the predetermined exercise price to purchase the shares granted under the advisory agreement. The exercise process typically requires the advisor to notify the company of their intent and complete the necessary paperwork. After the payment is made, the advisor becomes a shareholder in the company and holds equity outright. This step allows the advisor to benefit from any future increase in the company’s valuation, aligning their financial incentives with the startup’s long-term success. 5. Potential Profit If the company’s stock price appreciates over time, the advisor can sell their shares for a profit. Since advisory shares are typically granted at the fair market value at the time of issuance, any subsequent increase in the stock price represents a gain for the advisor. For example, if the exercise price was set at $1 per share and the stock price rises to $10 per share, the advisor can sell the shares at the higher market price, realizing a profit of $9 per share. This potential for financial gain serves as a strong incentive for advisors to contribute meaningfully to the company’s success and growth. Benefits of Advisory Shares Advisory shares come with their own set of pros and cons. Properly maintaining and distributing equity is a critical role of a startup founder so understand the benefits, and drawbacks, of offering advisory shares is a must. Related Resource: 7 Essential Business Startup Resources Learn more about the benefits of offering startup advisory shares below: Access to Expertise and Guidance Advisory shares are a powerful tool for attracting experienced professionals with specialized knowledge that can drive a startup’s growth. These individuals bring valuable insights in areas such as strategy, product development, marketing, or fundraising—critical components for scaling a business. By offering equity in lieu of cash compensation, startups can engage top-tier experts who might otherwise be out of reach financially. These advisors act as strategic partners, helping founders navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build a strong foundation for long-term success. Related Resource: Seed Funding for Startups 101: A Complete Guide Strengthen Credibility and Network Associating with credible advisors can significantly enhance a startup’s reputation, signaling expertise and trustworthiness to the broader market. Advisors with established industry recognition lend their credibility to the company, boosting its appeal to potential investors, partners, and customers. Beyond reputation, advisors often bring extensive networks of valuable connections, opening doors to strategic partnerships, funding opportunities, and key client relationships. By aligning with respected professionals, startups can accelerate their growth while building trust within their industry. Cost-Effective Compensation As we previously mentioned, most businesses that benefit most from advisors are unable to offer them a salary or cash compensation. With advisor shares, startup founders are able to offer shares as compensation and conserve thei cash to help with scaling their business and headcount. Attract Long-Term Commitment Vesting schedules play a crucial role in fostering long-term commitment from advisors. By distributing equity over a set period, such as one to four years, advisors are incentivized to remain actively engaged with the startup for the duration of the vesting timeline. This structure ensures that advisors continue to contribute their expertise and resources while aligning their success with the company's growth. The gradual allocation of shares motivates advisors to stay invested in the startup’s achievements, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that drives sustained collaboration and progress. Drawbacks of Advisory Shares Of course, offering advisor shares is not for everyone. While there are benefits to offering advisor shares, there are certainly drawbacks as well. Weighing the pros and cons and determining what is right for your business is ultimately up to you. We always recommend consulting with a lawyer or counsel when determining how to compensate advisors. Diluted Ownership The biggest drawback for most founders will be the diluted ownership. By offering shares to advisors, you will be diluting the ownership of yourself and existing shareholders. As advisors are fully vested in 1-2 years, they will potentially not be invested in future success as other stakeholders and could be costly when taking into account the diluted ownership. Potential Conflicts of Interest Advisors might not have the same motivators and incentives as your employees and other shareholders. As their ownership is generally a smaller % and their shares vest early, they are potentially not as incentivized for the growth of your company as employees and larger % owners will be. Getting in front of these conversations and making sure you have a good read on any potential advisors before bringing them onboard is a good first step to mitigate potential conflicts. Extra Stakeholder to Manage Chances are most advisors are helping other companies as well. This means that their attention is divided and you will need to ensure you are getting enough value to warrant dilution. This also means that you are responsible for managing a relationship and communication with another stakeholder in your business — what can be burdensome on some founders. The 2 Variations of Advisory Shares Advisory shares are generally offered in 2 variations — restricted stock awards and stock options. Learn more about each option and what they mean below: Restricted Stock Awards Restricted stock awards (RSAs) are a form of equity compensation where shares are granted to an individual with certain restrictions, typically tied to a vesting schedule or performance milestones. Unlike stock options, RSAs represent ownership of the shares from the moment they are granted, though the recipient may not fully control or sell them until the restrictions are lifted. These shares often include voting rights and entitle the recipient to dividends, aligning their interests with the company’s long-term success. Restricted stock awards are commonly used to reward early contributors or advisors, ensuring their commitment while providing immediate equity ownership subject to conditions. Stock Options Stock options are a type of equity compensation that grants the recipient the right to purchase company shares at a fixed price, known as the exercise price, within a specified timeframe. Unlike restricted stock awards, stock options do not represent immediate ownership but provide the potential to acquire shares if certain conditions, such as vesting schedules or performance milestones, are met. The exercise price is typically set at the fair market value of the shares at the time of the grant. If the company’s valuation increases, the recipient can profit by purchasing the shares at the lower exercise price and selling them at the higher market value. Stock options are often used to align the recipient’s incentives with the company’s growth, encouraging active involvement and long-term commitment. Who Gets to Issue Advisory Shares? Issuing advisory shares is typically reserved for the founder or CEO of a company. Having a decision-making process and gameplan when issuing advisory shares is important. This might mean offering no shares at all, having an allocated amount of advisor shares from the get go, or something inbetween. Making sure your board of directors and other key stakeholders are on board is crucial to make sure that interest and strategy stays aligned for all stakeholders. Related resource: Is An Advisory Board Paid? What Startups Should Know How Many Shares Should You Give a Startup Advisor? Determining the number of shares to offer a startup advisor requires balancing sufficient incentives with managing equity dilution. The exact amount will vary based on factors such as the advisor’s experience, expected contribution, and time commitment. Advisors who bring extensive industry expertise or access to valuable networks may justify a higher equity allocation than those with a more limited role. According to guidelines referenced by Silicon Valley Bank, advisors are often granted between 0.25% and 1% of the company's equity, depending on the startup's stage and the nature of the advisory role. Structuring this compensation strategically- including a vesting schedule or performance milestones- helps ensure that the advisor’s contributions provide meaningful value while maintaining flexibility for the company. Let Visible Help You Streamline the Investment Management Process Managing equity and fostering investor relationships are critical for your startup’s success. Visible simplifies this process with tools for tracking advisory shares, managing fundraising pipelines, and keeping stakeholders informed through data rooms and investor updates. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days.

Why the Chief of Staff is Important for a Startup Startup founders and practitioners are often debating the best actions to take and decisions to make in their early-stage companies. Determining the right hires has been a major part of this conversation. The hot topic on the table lately has been around hiring the role of Chief of Staff. There is a growing conversation about whether startup leaders and founders should hire a Chief of Staff (COS), and here at Visible, we believe it is one of the most important hires you can make. A Chief of Staff is essential for your startup because their role is designed to be an extension of the c-suite’s leadership and strategy. Their role allows companies to scale faster and more strategically. Between the Board of Directors, Executive Board, stakeholders, and employees, startups have a lot of moving parts, and a Chief of Staff can be the cog in the machine that makes all those pieces work smoothly together. A Chief of Staff is the right-hand person to an executive team member, typically the CEO or COO. The COS is tasked with managing the executive’s goals, priorities, internal and external operational tasks, and special strategic projects as needed. The typical responsibilities included in a Chief of Staff role may include: Managing Executive Goals and Priorities A Chief of Staff helps determine what optimized time really looks like. For CEOs and COOs, there is plenty of work that could easily fill the day. But what work is most important for business development and moving the business forward? A Chief of Staff helps direct the decision-making and serves as a sounding board for the CEO, owning the task of keeping the executive aligned to the goals he or she set forth to push the business forward. A COS considers these executive goals and even formalizes them in a framework such as the OKR (Objective Key Results) framework. With these executive OKRs formalized, a COS helps guide the CEO/COO’s priorities day over day. Related resource: Should I Consider a Part-time Executive for My Startup? Operational Tasks With specific areas of work, including board meetings and other critical decision-making sessions or meetings on the agenda, the Chief of Staff helps manage these priorities by handling operations tasks like agenda setting and distribution, communications with teams across the startup to gather insight and updates on various company-wide priorities and progression. Not only will a Chief of Staff work on internal operational tasks like meeting prep, gathering updates, and tracking company progress towards goals, but they also tend to handle external operational tasks as well. These external operational tasks might include sending investor updates to stakeholders, serving as the point of contact to the Board of Directors representing the CEO’s office, or even working on communications and PR. Special Strategic Projects Startups move fast, and different priorities and special obligations come up for leadership out of the blue. Additionally, as your startup goes through strategic growth periods like fundraising or even acquiring smaller startups down the line, the priorities of a CEO’s time will greatly change. These strategic times are the perfect way to utilize a COS. If fundraising is going to take up a significant chunk of a CEO’s time, a Chief of Staff can step in and manage aspects of that strategic task such as deck assembly, overview materials for the potential investors, and communication with parts of the business that need to deliver information for said fundraising presentation. Chief of Staffs are typically very versatile in their skill set, with communication, strategic thinking, and analytical skill sets. This background makes them the perfect person to take on roles that require strategic thought and concise summaries but are potentially too time-constraining for a CEO to dedicate all of their energy to. With their unique mix of hard and soft skills, executive insight, and strategic position in the company, a COS is a major value-add to any startup. Our team at Visible has identified seven primary ways that a Chief of Staff can strengthen your startup. When is it Time to Hire a Chief of Staff? Determining the right moment to bring a COS into your startup is crucial for maximizing their impact. By recognizing the following indicators and acting promptly, startups can leverage the unique skills and perspectives that a Chief of Staff brings to the table, ensuring sustained growth and success. Related resource: How to Hire Your First 10 Startup Employees Here are some key indicators that it might be the right time to hire a COS: Leadership Bandwidth is Strained As your startup grows, the demands on the leadership team increase exponentially. This strain manifests as longer work hours, difficulty in prioritizing tasks, and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. Executives may find themselves bogged down with operational details rather than focusing on strategic initiatives. A Chief of Staff can help alleviate this burden by managing critical tasks, streamlining decision-making processes, and allowing leaders to focus on high-level strategic goals. They act as a force multiplier, extending the reach and effectiveness of the leadership team. A Need for Cross-Departmental Collaboration Effective cross-departmental collaboration is essential for startups to innovate and scale. However, as the organization grows, silos can form, and communication breakdowns can occur. This can lead to inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and missed opportunities. A Chief of Staff ensures seamless collaboration by facilitating communication between departments, aligning goals, and overseeing cross-functional projects. They help to break down silos and ensure that all parts of the organization are working towards the same objectives. Related resource: How to Build Organizational Alignment Easily Mergers, Acquisitions, or Product Launches Significant events like mergers, acquisitions, or major product launches require focused attention and meticulous coordination. These initiatives bring unique challenges such as integrating new teams, managing extensive paperwork, and aligning strategies. A Chief of Staff can manage these complex processes, ensuring that all aspects are covered and that the executive team can concentrate on high-level strategic decisions. They provide the necessary oversight and coordination to make these critical events successful. Leadership Succession Planning Succession planning is vital for maintaining continuity and stability within the leadership team. It involves identifying and developing future leaders within the organization. However, amidst the daily hustle of running a startup, this can often be neglected. A Chief of Staff plays a crucial role in leadership succession planning by mentoring potential leaders, overseeing development programs, and ensuring there is a clear plan for leadership transitions. This not only secures the future of the company but also helps in retaining top talent by providing clear career progression paths. Typical Responsibilities for a Chief of Staff A Chief of Staff in a startup wears many hats, acting as a strategic partner to the CEO or COO. Their role involves a wide range of responsibilities that help streamline operations, drive strategic initiatives, and ensure that the leadership team can focus on high-priority tasks. Below are some of the key responsibilities that a Chief of Staff typically handles, each of which will be covered in more detail in their respective sections. Managing Executive Goals and Priorities A Chief of Staff helps determine what optimized time looks like for the executive team. For CEOs and COOs, there is plenty of work that could easily fill the day. But what work is most important for business development and moving the business forward? A Chief of Staff directs the decision-making process, ensuring that the executive's time is spent on tasks that are crucial for growth. They serve as a sounding board for the CEO, aligning the executive with the company’s strategic goals and formalizing them using frameworks such as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). This helps guide the CEO/COO’s priorities day by day. Operational Leadership The Chief of Staff manages both internal and external operational tasks, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. This includes setting agendas for board meetings, gathering updates from various teams, and tracking progress towards company goals. They handle communications across the startup to ensure everyone is aligned with the company’s priorities. Externally, they might send investor updates, serve as a point of contact for the Board of Directors, and manage public relations tasks. By overseeing these operational details, the Chief of Staff allows the executive team to focus on more strategic issues. Strategic Projects Startups often encounter special strategic projects that require focused attention. Whether it’s fundraising, a product launch, or an acquisition, a Chief of Staff manages these projects, ensuring they align with the company’s strategic goals. They take on roles that require strategic thinking and concise summaries, handling aspects such as preparing decks for investors, assembling materials for presentations, and coordinating communication across the company. This enables the CEO to concentrate on core business functions without getting bogged down by the intricacies of these special projects. Important Skills for a Chief of Staff to Have When making the strategic hire of a Chief of Staff, startup founders need to look for specific skills that will ensure the candidate can effectively support the leadership team and drive the company forward. These skills serve as crucial filters and green flags in the interview process, guiding founders on how to frame their questions and identify the best candidate for their organization. Strategic Thinking Strategic thinking is vital for navigating the complexities of a growing startup. A Chief of Staff must be able to anticipate future challenges, identify opportunities, and develop long-term plans that align with the company's vision. By outsourcing strategic thinking to a Chief of Staff, the executive team can ensure that someone is always focused on the bigger picture, allowing them to concentrate on immediate operational needs. This skill is essential for maintaining a clear direction and ensuring the startup's long-term success. Project Management Effective project management is crucial for keeping various initiatives on track and within budget. A Chief of Staff must be adept at coordinating multiple projects, setting deadlines, and ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently. In a growing startup, where rapid execution is key, outsourcing project management to a Chief of Staff ensures that projects are completed on time and meet the company's strategic objectives. This allows the executive team to focus on higher-level strategic decisions without getting bogged down in the details of project execution. Analytical Skills Analytical skills enable a Chief of Staff to interpret data, identify trends, and make informed decisions. In a data-driven startup environment, these skills are critical for providing valuable insights that inform strategic direction and operational improvements. By outsourcing analytical tasks to a Chief of Staff, the executive team can ensure that decisions are based on solid data and analysis, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall efficiency. Communication Skills Strong communication skills are necessary for a Chief of Staff to act as a liaison between the executive team and other departments. They must be able to convey complex ideas clearly, facilitate effective meetings, and ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page. Good communication helps maintain transparency, fosters a collaborative work environment, and ensures that everyone in the organization is aligned with the company's goals. By outsourcing communication management to a Chief of Staff, the executive team can ensure that information flows smoothly and efficiently throughout the organization. Ways a Chief of Staff Can Strengthen Your Startup A Chief of Staff can significantly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of a startup. By taking on critical tasks and responsibilities, they enable the executive team to focus on strategic goals and high-priority items. Here are some of the ways a Chief of Staff can strengthen your startup: Focus on Priority Items The day-to-day life of a CEO or COO can be extremely hectic, with numerous decisions and tasks competing for their attention. A Chief of Staff helps manage these priorities by filtering out less critical tasks and directing the executive’s time towards the most strategic decisions that align with the company's OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). This ensures that the leadership focuses on what truly drives the business forward while the Chief of Staff handles smaller issues and routine decision-making. Facilitate Smooth Information Sharing Effective communication is crucial for the smooth operation of a startup. A Chief of Staff acts as a central point for gathering and disseminating information across the organization. They collect updates from various departments, distill the most important points, and present a contextualized executive summary to the CEO. This process ensures that the CEO receives all the necessary information without being overwhelmed by details, and that communication flows smoothly from the CEO to the rest of the company. Inform Strategy and Decision-Making A Chief of Staff serves as a valuable resource for keeping the executive team connected to the various happenings across departments. By providing an executive summary of company-wide updates, a Chief of Staff helps the leadership team make informed strategic decisions more quickly. They ensure that all relevant information is considered, facilitating better and faster decision-making processes. Maximize Time While You Scale As a startup scales, the demands on the executive team’s time increase. A Chief of Staff helps maximize this time by prioritizing tasks and focusing on critical projects. They handle routine and operational tasks, allowing the CEO to dedicate more time to deep-think projects and strategic initiatives. This ensures that the leadership’s time is used efficiently, even as the company grows and evolves. Tackle Special Projects Special projects, such as fundraising rounds, product launches, or industry presentations, require focused attention and dedicated resources. A Chief of Staff is perfectly positioned to spearhead these projects, managing aspects such as preparing investor decks, assembling materials for presentations, and coordinating communication across the company. This allows the CEO to stay focused on daily priorities while still ensuring that special projects are executed effectively. Provide Oversight and Perspective Startups can often become echo chambers where new perspectives are hard to come by. A Chief of Staff, especially one with experience from other startups, brings a fresh viewpoint to the c-suite. They provide oversight and serve as a sounding board for new ideas and strategies, helping to ensure that the company stays innovative and adaptable. Push the Business Forward Ultimately, a Chief of Staff is a strategic player in moving the business forward. They streamline operations, manage strategic projects, and ensure effective communication, all of which contribute to the company’s growth. By freeing up the executive team to focus on high-level strategic goals, a Chief of Staff helps take a startup from good to great and potentially to unicorn status. Chief of Staff vs Executive Assistant Understanding the difference between a COS and an Executive Assistant (EA) is crucial for startup founders to ensure they make the right hire at the right time. While both roles support the executive team, they do so in different ways and with distinct focuses. Chief of Staff A Chief of Staff is a strategic partner to the executive team, particularly the CEO or COO. Their responsibilities are broad and focus on aligning the company’s strategic goals with daily operations. Here are some key aspects of the COS role: Strategic Focus: The COS works on high-level strategic initiatives, ensuring that the executive team’s vision and goals are implemented across the organization. Project Management: They handle complex projects that span multiple departments, such as mergers, acquisitions, product launches, and fundraising efforts. Decision-Making Support: The COS provides critical insights and data analysis to support executive decision-making, helping to inform strategy and operational improvements. Cross-Departmental Collaboration: They facilitate communication and collaboration between different departments to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards common goals. Leadership Development: The COS often plays a role in leadership succession planning and mentoring potential future leaders within the organization. Executive Assistant An Executive Assistant, on the other hand, focuses on optimizing the executive’s daily schedule and administrative tasks. Here are some key aspects of the EA role: Administrative Focus: The EA manages the executive’s calendar, schedules meetings, handles correspondence, and organizes travel arrangements. Time Management: They ensure that the executive’s time is used efficiently by prioritizing meetings and tasks, allowing the executive to focus on their most important responsibilities. Task Coordination: The EA handles a variety of administrative tasks that help keep the executive’s day running smoothly, from booking appointments to preparing documents. Support Role: They provide general support to the executive, ensuring that they have everything they need to perform their duties effectively. Routine Operations: The EA is instrumental in managing routine operational tasks, allowing the executive to concentrate on more strategic issues. Key Differences Scope of Responsibilities: The COS has a broader, more strategic scope, focusing on aligning and implementing the company’s long-term goals. The EA’s scope is narrower, concentrating on the day-to-day administrative support of the executive. Strategic vs. Administrative: The COS is involved in strategic decision-making and high-level project management, while the EA handles administrative and logistical tasks. Cross-Departmental Impact: The COS often works across departments to facilitate collaboration and ensure alignment with company goals. The EA typically works closely with the executive and less so with other departments. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Focus: The COS is focused on long-term strategic initiatives and projects that drive the company forward. The EA is focused on the immediate, short-term needs of the executive. Making the Right Choice For startup founders, deciding between hiring a Chief of Staff and an Executive Assistant depends on the company’s current needs and stage of growth: If the company needs high-level strategic support, project management for complex initiatives, and cross-departmental coordination, hiring a Chief of Staff is the right choice. If the primary need is managing the executive’s schedule, handling administrative tasks, and ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly, then an Executive Assistant is the appropriate hire. Equipping a Chief of Staff for Success at a Startup To ensure a COS is successful at your startup, it's crucial to clearly define their role and responsibilities from the outset. This includes creating a detailed job description that outlines specific tasks and expectations. Additionally, providing a comprehensive onboarding process with clear goals and KPIs will help the COS integrate smoothly and start contributing effectively. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions will also ensure they are aligned with the company’s strategic goals and can adjust to any evolving needs. Equipping your COS with the right tools and resources, fostering open communication, and maintaining a supportive environment will enable them to execute their duties effectively. This preparation ensures that the COS can focus on driving strategic initiatives and managing critical projects, ultimately contributing to the startup’s growth and success. How Visible Can Help Visible offers a range of tools and resources designed to support Chief of Staffs in their roles, making it easier to streamline executive and investor communications. With features that facilitate data tracking, reporting, and stakeholder updates, Visible ensures that your Chief of Staff can efficiently manage information flow and keep everyone aligned with the company’s strategic objectives. By leveraging Visible's platform, startups can enhance their operational efficiency, improve decision-making processes, and ultimately drive growth. For more information about how Visible helps Chiefs of Staff streamline their executive and investor communications, learn more here.

Founders are tasked with hundreds of responsibilities when starting a business. On top of hiring, financing, and building their product, early-stage founders are generally responsible for developing initial strategies — this includes the earliest sales and market strategies. In this article, we will look to help you craft a successful SaaS sales strategy. We’ll highlight the elements you will want to think of when you start to build your sales motion. This will help your team to understand how to measure the number of potential customers in your pipeline and the growth potential you might see in your revenue numbers. How are SaaS sales different from other types of sales? Like any sales strategy, it is important to start with the basics when looking at a SaaS sales strategy. At the top of your funnel, you have marketing leads that likely find your brand via content, word of mouth, paid ads, your own product, etc. From here, leads are moved through the funnel. In the middle, SaaS companies can leverage email campaigns, events, product demos, etc. to move leads to the bottom of their funnel. However, as the SaaS buying experience takes place fully online — sales and marketing organizations can be creative with their approach. The online experience allows companies to track more robust data than ever before. Additionally, SaaS products have turned into their own growth levers as well — the ability to manipulate pricing and plans has led to the ability for companies to leverage their own product for growth. Related Resource: How SaaS Companies Can Best Leverage a Product-led Growth Strategy The online presence and emergence of product-led growth have led to new sales strategies unique to SaaS companies. Learn more below: 3 Popular SaaS sales models There are countless ways to structure your Saas sales strategy. For the sake of this post, we’ll focus on 3 of the most popular strategies. Learn more about the self-service model, transactional model, and enterprise sales model below: Related Resource: The SaaS Business Model: How and Why it Works Self-service model The self-service model allows prospects to become customers without communicating with your team. As put by the team at ProductLed, “A SaaS self-serve model is exactly what it sounds like. Rather than rely on a dedicated Sales team to prospect, educate, and close sales, you design a system that allows customers to serve themselves. The quality of the product itself does all the selling.” This strategy is typically best for a strong and simple product that typically has a lower contract size. Transactional sales model The transactional model allows you to create income-generating actions where prospects have to become a customer at that point in time. This requires transactional sales models to have high-volume sales that can be supported by a strong sales and customer support team. Enterprise sales model The enterprise model is a strategy to sell more robust software packages to corporations – you will need baked-in features in a prepackaged manner to sell to a fellow business. Enterprise sales is the model that shares the most similarities with a traditional B2B sales funnel. Inbound vs outbound sales In a Saas sales funnel, you are constantly looking to consistently fill your sales funnel with fresh prospects. Once you have prospects you will look to find which prospects are worthy of being qualified and have a high likelihood of converting so you can spend your time communicating with those high-quality prospects. There are two popular strategies for creating fresh prospects that would be defined as inbound and outbound sales strategies. Inbound sales is when you invest in marketing to create prospects reaching out to you – fresh prospects reaching out to your business to ask about your software product. As put by the team at HubSpot: “Inbound sales organizations use a sales process that is personalized, helpful, and directly focused on prospects’ pain points throughout their buyer’s journey. During inbound sales, buyers move through three key phases: awareness, consideration, and decision (which we’ll discuss further below). While buyers go through these three phases, sales teams go through four different actions that will help them support qualified leads into becoming opportunities and eventually customers: identify, connect, explore, and advise.” An inbound strategy typically works best for SaaS companies that need a greater volume of customers and can nurture them and move them through their funnel at scale (e.g. self-service model) Outbound sales on the other hand are having members of your organization reach out to potential prospects to see if they would be interested in using your service. Outbound sales require highly targeted and proactive pushing of your messaging to customers. Generally, outbound sales require dedicated team members to manually prospect and reach out to potential customers. This means that outbound sales organizations do not naturally scale as well as an inbound sales organizations and will likely require a higher contract value. An enterprise model would rely heavily on Outbound sales, while a self-service business model will rely heavily on Inbound sales. The SaaS Sales Process The best Saas sales strategy will be a hybrid of inbound and outbound sales, but all of them should include a sales funnel. This funnel should have stages that help to qualify your prospects. These stages should be: Step 1: Lead generation This activity is often times a marketing activity that gives you contact or business information to explore the fit further Step 2: Prospecting This is where you develop the bio of who is the contact you are reaching out to within the organization. It is always helpful to prospect for someone who can make a buying decision Step 3: Qualifying In this step, you need to understand whether the prospect has the resources to pay for your product and the problem that your product can solve. This step is often the time for you to ask questions of your prospects Step 4: Demos and presenting This is when you will share the features and capabilities of your product with the qualified prospect. You want to show them the different features and where they can get the most value. Step 5: Closing the deal After your demo or a presenting call, the prospect should be pushed to a point where they need to make a decision on whether to buy your product. Step 6: Nurturing Once someone becomes a customer, you need to make sure to nurture them and grow your product offering with their business. This is the most difficult stage. Make sure to share your new product releases, stay in tune with how they are using your product, and build relationships with your customers. Cultivating a robust sales team To create a sustaining sales team, it is important to hire talented and tenacious people to own your sales funnel. They will need to track conversion numbers, stay organized with their outreach to prospects, and grow your funnel over time. There are three key roles within a Saas sales funnel. Those positions within your organization are: Sales development representatives (also known as business development representatives) These members of your team own lead generation, prospecting, and qualifying potential customers on your sales team. They get paid 40-60k/year depending on geographical location and experience. They should be tasked with outreach and drumming up new business. Account executives Account executives should focus on giving product demos, closing deals, and nurturing existing customers. They should be a bit more buttoned up in their approach and have a commission incentive associated with the # of accounts they manage. Sales managers/VPs Sales managers and Vice presidents of sales should take ownership of the data within your sales pipelines. Numbers like # of new leads, # of new qualified leads, # of new customers, # of churned customers, amount of new revenue, and lead to customer conversion %. Growing these sales numbers each quarter. Measuring these numbers weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Making them visible to the rest of the company regularly. 8 Key Elements of a successful SaaS sales strategy One of the most important elements of building a successful business is having a like-minded team around you to support and work with you. Make sure to align with all your team members and hire people with good work ethics and similar values of your company. A good sales team should be competitive, goal-oriented, and metric-driven. The sales managers and VPs will be really crucial in shaping the team dynamics and culture of your business. Hire great people and the numbers will take care of themselves! We’ve identified 8 elements of a successful sales strategy that every Saas sales strategy should include 1. Solidify your value proposition It is so important to understand thoroughly and communicate your product’s core value proposition. If someone decides to buy your product, they should know how to use the product and how to get the most out of it. 2. Superb communication with prospects Communication is of the utmost importance. Make sure your prospects understand your product and how it will help their business. Inform them of new product updates 3. Strategic trial periods An effective strategy is to give potential customers a free trial of your product to understand your value proposition. You want to make sure not to make this trial period too short or too long. Make it strategic so the prospect will understand the value prop but also be encouraged to make a buying decision. 4. Track the right SaaS metrics Tracking your core metrics is vital to success. See a few of those below: Customer Acquisition Cost – the amount of money it takes to acquire a new customer Customer Lifetime Value – the amount of value a customer provides your company over the course of their relationship with you as a customer. Lead velocity rate – the growth percentage of qualified leads month over month. This will help you understand how quickly you are qualifying your leads Related Resources: Our Ultimate Guide to SaaS Metrics & How To Calculate and Interpret Your SaaS Magic Number 5. Develop a sales playbook Every successful sales management team should develop a playbook on how to deploy their resources and where each team member should spend their time. Playbooks are often thought of in sports terms, but they also work wonders in the business world. They will help you do things efficiently and effectively. 6. Set effective sales goals How many new customers does your business hope to bring in next month? This is an important question and one your whole sales team should understand and work towards! 7. Utilize the right tools to enhance the process Your team should have all the resources at their disposal to communicate effectively and track their metrics. As you build out your strategy and team, be sure to give them all possible resources at their disposal. There are tons of great tools out there for teams to make the most out of their time and have direct methods of communication with customers and one another. 8. Establish an effective customer support program A huge part of an effective sales strategy is welcoming potential customers and making sure your existing customers are not forgotten about. When customers reach out, it is important to talk and listen to their issues. Understand what they are needing so your product can continue to evolve. Make sure anyone getting introduced to your product will also have the information they need to use your product successfully. It might be helpful to include this member of your team in your sales meetings and keep them informed as to messaging and efforts for growth! Generate support for your startup with Visible Developing a successful SaaS sales strategy is not an easy task. It will take a hybrid approach of many of the elements listed in this article and will need attentive members of your team to nurture it and test new things. We created Visible to help founders have a better chance for success. Stay in the loop with the best resources to build and scale your startup with our newsletter, the Visible Weekly — subscribe here. Related resource: Lead Velocity Rate: A Key Metric in the Startup Landscape

About Airtree Ventures Airtree is a Sydney-based venture capital firm backing founders based in Australia and New Zealand building the iconic companies of tomorrow. The firm was founded in 2014 and is now deploying out of its 4th fund with $1.3 billion in assets under management. Their portfolio includes over 105+ portfolio companies and 250+ founders who have helped create over 17,000 jobs. Airtree’s portfolio includes the region’s breakout technology companies, such as Canva, Go1, Employment Hero, Pet Circle, Immutable, and Linktree. For this case study, we spoke to Dan Lombard who is the Data Lead at Airtree Ventures. Related article: Airtree Ventures already returned its first fund thanks to Canva while maintaining the majority of its stake Fragmented Systems and Processes Prior to Visible Prior to the integration of Visible, Airtree relied heavily on a fragmented system of spreadsheets to manage their portfolio of 105+ companies. Each quarter, four employees were tasked with managing the relationships with the points of contact at 15 to 20 portfolio companies through manual outreach and communications. This reliance on spreadsheets resulted in inefficiencies and potential data loss, as spreadsheets are prone to break when modified. Challenges With Data Accuracy and Scaling Manual Outreach to a Growing Portfolio Before Visible, 80% of Airtree’s portfolio monitoring problem was having clean data and scaling outreach to their portfolio companies. They faced two primary challenges with their former system: Operational Efficiency: Four team members spent significant time manually collecting data from over 100 companies every quarter. The Airtree team members were sending one-off email communications to each company and manually keeping track of who needed to be followed up with at each company which diverted resources from other critical projects they could be working on. Data Integrity and Scalability: Frequent changes to the data in spreadsheets resulted in errors in the sheets and data loss, which caused frustration as there was no way of understanding which changes were made to the sheet and when. This process made it difficult to scale portfolio monitoring operations as Airtree grew. Why Airtree Chose Visible as their Portfolio Monitoring Platform Airtree chose Visible for its robust, scalable, and user-friendly platform. Key factors influencing their choice included: Ease of Use and Customization: Visible's platform offered unparalleled customization and ease of use. Support and Development: Visible’s team actively listened to feedback, offered best practices, and continuously invested in their product, ensuring a partnership that catered to Airtree’s evolving needs. Automation and Integration: Visible excelled in automating portfolio monitoring and offered a frictionless experience for founders. Airtree leveraged the Visible API to seamlessly integrate data into their existing data warehouse system. Airtree’s historical data collection process, previously led by four Airtree team members, is now a streamlined process led only by Dan, who leverages Visible Requests to collect data from their portfolio of 105+ companies. Visible Requests empowers Dan to send customized link-based data requests to each company, automate the email reminder process, and easily keep track of where companies are in the reporting process. View an example Visible Request below. Onboarded to Visible within 24 Hours Visible provided Airtree with an efficient and supported onboarding. When asked about Airtree's onboarding with Visible Dan Lombard shared the following: Visible stood out by enabling a swift and seamless transition that was operational in less than 24 hours, a stark contrast to other providers who estimated a quarter for full implementation. This rapid integration was facilitated by a comprehensive onboarding template provided by Visible. Visible API & Airtree’s Data Infrastructure With the implementation of Visible, Airtree wanted to take a more sophisticated approach to the way they handle their portfolio data with the goal of driving more valuable insights for their team. The approach needed to be automated, integrate with other data sources, and have a singular view accessible for the whole team. This was not possible when their data lived in disparate systems, files, and spreadsheets. Dan Lombard has led the improvement of Airtree's data infrastructure. Now, data sources like Visible and Affinity are piped into Snowflake via recurring AWS Lambda jobs. Airtree leverages the Visible API daily. Dan mentioned that while Airtree collects data quarterly, a daily sync of the data is crucial because Airtree is always onboarding new companies, communicating with their founders, and uploading historical data. “The Visible API gives us this level of daily fidelity and only takes the AWS Lambda job 5 minutes to populate an entire data architecture.” - Dan Lombard, Data Lead at Airtree Ventures Once the data is in their database, Snowflake handles the ETL and entity matching. Airtree then has Streamlit sit on top of Snowflake to query data, provision access, and build out new insights. Advice for Other VC Firms Building Out Their Data Infrastructure Don’t overcomplicate things to start. It is easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles. Dan recommends a bias towards simplicity. Start small and use it as a stepping stone as you build things out. Conclusion Airtree’s adoption of Visible transformed their portfolio management by automating key processes and centralizing data, thus enabling more strategic decision-making and efficient operations. The case of Airtree is a testament to how the right technological partnerships can profoundly impact business efficiency and data management.

About Moxxie Moxxie was founded in 2019 by former Twitter executive Katie Stanton. Prior to starting Moxxie Katie worked at Google, in the Obama administration as a Special Advisor to the Office of Innovation, and co-founded the angel group #Angels. In 2021, Katie brought on Alex Roetter, whom she had worked with before at both Twitter and Google, as an equal partner in Moxxie’s second fund of $85M. Alex joined Moxxie with a wealth of operational and engineering experience from previously serving as the Senior VP of engineering at Twitter for 6 years as well as working as a software engineer at Google and various other early-stage startups. Today, Moxxie has invested in over 60+ seed-stage companies in the consumer, enterprise, fintech, health tech, and climate sectors. The team at Moxxie is differentiated by their operational experience and focus on underrepresented founders. According to an article published in Forbes, out of the 27 investments from Moxxie’s first fund, 36% were founded by women, 40% by people of color, 8% by Black founders and 43% by immigrant founders. Learn more about Moxxie. This Case Study was put together in collaboration with Alex Roetter, Managing Director and General Partner at Moxxie. What Moxxie was doing prior to using Visible In the early days at Moxxie, the team used a combination of check-in calls at varying frequencies, ad-hoc meetings, and texts to gather updates from their companies. Later on, they created a Google Group email alias where founders sent their updates so the communications were all stored in one inbox. The Moxxie team kept a summary of each company in a combined Google Document that was updated irregularly. The portfolio monitoring challenges Moxxie was facing The main issue with Moxxie’s ad-hoc method was that “...it was just all very manual. It was a mish-mash of documents and hard to maintain. We were inconsistent in how up-to-date we were on different companies,” shared Alex, Moxxie’s Managing Director. The manual effort required to stay on top of portfolio companies meant portfolio monitoring was “...falling to the wayside and we were not doing as good of a job [monitoring our companies] as we needed to be.” “...it was just all very manual. It was a mish-mash of documents and hard to maintain. We were inconsistent in how up-to-date we were on different companies." It’s common for investors to feel overwhelmed as they attempt to manually keep up to date on a growing number of portfolio companies despite recognizing the benefits of doing so. Alex emphasized that the main reason Moxxie wanted to improve their portfolio monitoring was to ensure they were spending their time most effectively at their firm. It was hard to identify which companies needed their support and where Moxxie's time would be most valuably spent “...without having a regular heartbeat from [their] portfolio companies.” The reasons Moxxie chose Visible Moxxie’s founder Katie Stanton was told to check out Visible’s KPI tracking capabilities at the end of 2022 while she was attending the Equity Summit, an invitation-only gathering that brings together thought-leading LPs and GPs that drive industry change. Alex from Moxxie reached out to Visible soon after the initial referral to schedule a demo. The demo confirmed that the Visible platform had exactly what Alex was looking for in a portfolio KPI tracking tool. Moxxie's portfolio monitoring criteria included: An automated way to send structured data requests to portfolio companies A solution that wasn’t taxing on their founders Allowed founders to share their data within seconds Ability to see all their portfolio data in one clear place Ability to easily build Tear Sheets for each company Moxxie's onboarding experience with Visible Moxxie’s onboarding took approximately 9 days to complete. When asked to share feedback on Visible’s onboarding process Alex shared “Everything was great. Whenever we had bulk data in a CSV that needed to be uploaded we shared it with Visible and it was uploaded within 24 hours.” Check out additional Visible reviews on G2. How Moxxie is leveraging Visible to streamline portfolio monitoring and reporting processes today Today Moxxie doesn’t have to remember to check in with their companies or make guesses about their companies’ recent progress updates. Instead, Visible has enabled Moxxie to send automatic, recurring, structured data requests to their companies that can be completed without their founders ever having to log in or create an account. The Moxxie team is immediately notified when companies complete data Requests. From there, they are able to easily identify which companies need more support. This streamlined, founder-friendly process ensures the Moxxie team can continue to spend time on high-value fund operations, such as deal flow, while also efficiently monitoring and supporting current portfolio companies. Taking a closer look at Moxxie’s use of the Visible platform, the team primarily uses four main features on Visible: Requests, Tear Sheets, Reports, and Updates. Requests: Streamlining Moxxie’s portfolio KPI data collection process Moxxie uses Visible’s Request feature to collect 5 metrics from companies on a regular basis. The firm collects data from early-stage companies on a monthly basis and on a quarterly basis for more mature companies in their portfolio. The five metrics Moxxie collects include: Revenue Runway Cash Spend Cash Balance Headcount Moxxie also includes a qualitative text block in their Request that provides companies with an opportunity to add additional context to their metrics, share any additional updates, or ask Moxxie for support on specific items. Alex shared that likes that the Visible platform sends him a notification each time a company submits a Request. He uses this as an opportunity to quickly identify any changes to the company’s performance. Alex shared “...anytime there’s something unexpected it’s a reminder to check in with the company.” Reports: Building a custom investment data report before an annual meeting Another key feature that Moxxie is utilizing is Visible’s report feature which allows Moxxie to pull together select metrics and investment data into a single table view. Moxxie has a fund summary for both Fund I and Fund II that includes: initial ownership %, total invested, total invested from a specific fund, and the initial valuation for each company. Moxxie initially created this report to prepare for an annual meeting with LPs. They wanted to see the numbers across all their portfolio companies, be able to download the figures, and then compute averages. Tear Sheets: Creating a clear overview of individual company performance Moxxie utilizes Visible’s dashboard templates to create custom Tear Sheets for each of their companies. Moxxie’s Tear Sheets incorporate elements of their original investment memo coupled with dynamic metrics and qualitative updates that change over time. Integrating company properties into Tear Sheets The static information in Moxxie's Tear Sheets is pulled directly from companies' profiles in Visible. The information that Moxxie includes in their Tear Sheets are: Company website url Latest valuation Co-investors Founders Company summary Why we invested Status Deal source Initial ownership Initial valuation Investment date Total invested Sector HQ location Year founded Integrated dynamic charts into Tear Sheets Moxxie also incorporates data visualizations into their Tear Sheets which are automatically updated as companies submit new information to Visible. The dynamic information Moxxie includes in Tear sheets is: Monthly KPI’s in a bar chart Runway vs Headcount in a bar chart Monthly spend vs cash balance in a bar chart Revenue forecast vs actual in a bar chart Update/progress since investment in a text widget Key metrics in a text widget Company-specific metrics in a text widget View Tear Sheet examples from Visible. Updates: Communicating portfolio performance with LPs on a quarterly basis Moxxie also leverages Visible’s Updates feature to send outbound communication to their LPs and the wider Moxxie community on a quarterly basis. The firm uses Visible’s Update feature instead of its previous Google Group as a way to consolidate its tech stack. Alex shares that he finds the open rates and viewing analytics helpful so he can understand how LPs are engaging with their regular communications. Conclusion Moxxie chose to move forward with Visible’s founder-friendly portfolio monitoring solution after hearing about Visible’s KPI tracking capabilities through a credible referral. By adopting Visible, Moxxie’s ad-hoc, manual portfolio monitoring processes have been transformed into a streamlined cadence for collecting structured updates from their companies. The firm previously stored outdated company summaries in Google Documents and now the Moxxie team leverages neatly organized Tear Sheets that auto-update when companies share new information. Over 400+ VC firms are using Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting process.

What is a Portfolio Review Meeting in Venture Capital A portfolio review meeting in the context of Venture Capital is a dedicated time for the investment and operational team members at an investment firm to align on recent updates across the portfolio. Other purposes of this meeting are to exchange cross-functional insights and coordinate the best ways to support portfolio companies. Who typically leads Portfolio Review Meetings? Portfolio review meetings can be led by anyone at the firm but since the meetings are largely focused on updates about portfolio companies, it is often led by the person responsible for collecting and synthesizing updates from portfolio companies on a regular basis. At a smaller firm, this person may be a Partner, and at a larger VC firm, this person often has the title of Platform Manager, Director of Portfolio Operations, or someone in finance. Ultimately, it should be led by someone with a wide-lens view of what is going on across the portfolio. Related Resource –> Portfolio Data Collection Tips for VCs Portfolio Review Meeting Frequency According to a poll led by Visible, 50% of VC’s are hosting Portfolio Review Meetings on a quarterly basis, followed by 29% weekly, and 14% monthly. The frequency of this meeting largely depends on the size of your portfolio company and how hands-on you are with your companies. A quarterly frequency makes sense for most VC firms because 70% of investors are collecting structured data from their companies on a quarterly basis. (Source data is aggregated usage data on Visible’s portfolio monitoring platform used by 350+ VC funds). Three Necessary Elements to Lead an Effective Portfolio Review Meeting 1) Up-to-date, accurate information from portfolio companies Most investors are collecting 5-15 metrics from companies on a quarterly basis. These include core financial KPI’s and sector-specific metrics. Additionally, it’s common to ask for qualitative updates from companies as well to ensure you have a holistic view of how a company is performing. Related Resource –> Which Metrics Should I be Collecting from My Portfolio Companies 2) Customizable visualizations to engage your team Looking at just raw data points from companies can be, well…boring. To get more engagement during Portfolio Review Meetings it’s a great idea to create engaging visualizations that clearly demonstrate the growth journeys your companies are on. By displaying your data in a Flexible Portfolio Company Dashboard your team will be able to more clearly identify trends and insights. To help your team digest the information about portfolio companies, it’s important to keep your data visualizations consistent for each company. Visible makes this easy by allowing you to save custom dashboards as templates and apply them to all companies in just a few clicks. Learn more about creating flexible dashboards for portfolio review meetings in the video below. 3) A Place to Take Notes & Document Action Items It’s a great idea to document meeting discussion notes and action items as soon as they arise during a meeting. Documenting action items on a company’s dashboard is a great way to keep team members accountable for execution because you can refer back to the notes during future meetings. How Investors Are Leveraging Visible to Enhance Portfolio Review Meetings VKAV’s Portfolio Company Dashboards Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), a long-term Visible user, hosts a formal Portfolio Review Meeting on a quarterly basis. During this meeting, Portfolio Review Committee members join to review the performance of the portfolio companies during the quarter. Additionally, VKAV’s investment team holds an internal Portfolio Review Meeting every other week. Right now, the purpose of this meeting is mostly to check the status of action items (either for VKAV or the portfolio company). VKAV keeps track of open action items directly on a company’s dashboard in Visible so that it is linked to the broader context of how the company is performing. View VKAV’s Portfolio Review Dashboard Example –> View Dashboard 01 Advisors Approach to Portfolio Review Meetings 01 Advisors a San Francisco-based venture firm utilizes Visible’s Request feature to streamline the way they collect data from companies on a quarterly basis. The team meets 1-2 times per quarter for an internal Portfolio Review meeting. Check out their meeting agenda outline below. 01 Advisors Portfolio Review Meeting Agenda Investment Strategy Portfolio Company Categorization Reserve Allocation Strategy Portfolio Company Support Learn more about how 01 Advisors uses Visible for the internal portfolio review meetings in this video.