Key Takeaways
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Welcome email contents: A fund opens onboarding with a welcome email carrying an intro to the platform contact, an overview of founder resources, a systems checklist, an intake form and a scheduling link.
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Meeting window: A fund holds the introductory meeting within the first few weeks of closing the deal, and an in-person meeting serves better than a call.
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Swag selection test: A fund picks swag on frequency of use and keeps the logo subtle, because an unused branded object tells a founder the fund was thinking about the fund.
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Community window: A fund integrates a new company into the platform community within the first few months of joining, because engagement gets harder the longer the gap after a deal closes.
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Follow-up booking: A fund books the follow-up call while the introductory meeting is still running, which removes a round of email scheduling and gives the assigned action items a date.
We can all agree that first impressions are important. Whether we like it or not, our first interactions with someone, often set the tone for the duration of the relationship. This holds true when it comes to welcoming a new company into your fund’s portfolio as well.
This is why it’s important for Venture Capital Platforms to provide new portfolio companies with an organized, well-thought-out, first impression to their post-investment support resources. This will help with company <> Platform engagement and is an opportunity to live up to your fund’s brand promise.
If you’re looking to improve your onboarding experience for new companies, check out the resources and templates in this guide to get started.
This guide covers the following:
1) Sending your initial welcome email
2) Setting up your first introductory meeting
3) Sending out thoughtful swag
4) Integrating founders into your community
5) Scheduling a follow-up meeting
Related Resources:
How to Hire Your First VC Platform Role
Portfolio Data Collection Tips
Visible for Investors is a founder-friendly portfolio monitoring and reporting platform. Schedule time with our team to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a VC fund need an onboarding process for new portfolio companies?
A fund's first interactions with a new portfolio company set the tone for the rest of the relationship, the same way first impressions work anywhere else. An organized introduction to the fund's post-investment support resources shapes how much that company engages with the platform afterwards, and it is where a fund either lives up to its brand promise or fails to.
What does onboarding a new portfolio company into a VC platform involve?
Onboarding runs across five steps: an initial welcome email, a first introductory meeting, thoughtful swag, integration into the fund's founder community, and a scheduled follow-up meeting. Each step is a separate touchpoint, and together they make up the new company's first impression of the fund's post-investment support.
How quickly should a fund onboard a new portfolio company after the deal closes?
A fund holds its introductory meeting inside the first few weeks of the close and brings the company into its founder community inside the first few months. Onboarding is the company's first impression of the fund's post-investment support, so a long gap after the close spends that impression before the fund has used it.
