By Jahn Karsybaev, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Big Sky Capital.
At Big Sky Capital, we produce content on daily basis aimed at various audience types. Newsletters are the most effective content type that we find to be the most valuable for our audience: founders, existing LPs and potential investors. Furthermore, as Big Sky Capital seeks to maintain relationships with our portfolio companies, limited partners, and other stakeholders, newsletters have emerged as a valuable communication tool. They offer an opportunity for us to share updates, insights, and perspectives with their audience, as well as to highlight portfolio companies and investment trends.
Big Sky Capital creates various newsletters for various reasons:
Deal flow: Newsletters can also be an effective way to source new deal flow. By sharing their investment thesis, VCs can attract founders who align with their vision and are seeking investment.
Networking: Newsletters can also help VCs expand their network by providing a platform to share news, updates, and thoughts on industry-related events. This can lead to new opportunities for collaboration or partnership.
Marketing: Newsletters can serve as a marketing tool for the VC’s firm, helping to build their brand and increase their visibility in the industry.
Thought leadership: By regularly sharing insights and perspectives on industry trends and emerging technologies, VCs can establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. This can help attract new deals and build relationships with potential LPs.
In this overview, we will explore the different types of newsletters that Venture Capital funds should be writing to effectively engage their audience.
Limited Partner Updates Newsletter
A VC newsletter for their limited partners (LPs) should include the following:
1. Performance update: The newsletter should provide an update on the performance of the fund. This can include details on new investments, follow-on investments, exits, and any other important performance metrics.
2. Portfolio company updates: The newsletter should provide updates on the portfolio companies, including any milestones achieved, new partnerships formed, or product launches. This can help LPs understand the progress of the companies in the fund’s portfolio.
3. Market trends: The newsletter should include insights and perspectives on the broader industry landscape. This can include market trends, emerging technologies, and insights into the competitive landscape.
4. Investment thesis: The newsletter should reiterate the investment thesis of the fund, explaining why the fund invests in certain types of companies and industries. This can help LPs understand the rationale behind the fund’s investment decisions.
5. Team updates: The newsletter should provide updates on the VC team, including any new hires, promotions, or changes in roles. This can help LPs understand the expertise and experience of the team managing their investment.
6. Events and news: The newsletter can include updates on industry events, news, and other relevant information that may be of interest to LPs.
Overall, the VC newsletter for their LPs should provide a comprehensive update on the performance of the fund, portfolio companies, market trends, investment thesis, team updates, and other relevant information. This helps build transparency, trust, and a strong relationship between the VC and their LPs.
There are several reasons why we write a quarterly update for our limited partners (LPs):
Accountability: By providing regular updates, VCs can hold themselves accountable to their LPs. The updates allow VCs to track progress against the fund’s goals and make adjustments as necessary.
Transparency: Quarterly updates provide LPs with transparency on the performance of the fund, including details on new investments, follow-on investments, and any exits. This level of transparency helps build trust between the VC and the LPs.
Communication: Quarterly updates also help facilitate communication between the VC and the LPs. It allows the VC to provide context around the investment decisions made during the quarter and explain the strategy behind those decisions.
Portfolio Updates Newsletter
One of the primary objectives of a VC fund’s newsletter is to keep investors up-to-date on the progress of their portfolio companies. A portfolio updates newsletter should contain information on the latest developments, product launches, financial results, and other key metrics for each company in the fund’s portfolio. This type of newsletter provides investors with a deeper understanding of how their investments are performing, and it can also help the fund to demonstrate its expertise and value-add to entrepreneurs.
Industry Insights Newsletter
VC funds are constantly monitoring industry trends and market dynamics to inform their investment decisions. An industry insights newsletter allows them to share this knowledge with their audience. This type of newsletter can include analysis of emerging technologies, new business models, and other relevant topics. By providing thought leadership on these issues, a VC fund can position itself as an authority in the industry and build trust with its audience.
Thought Leadership Newsletter
In addition to sharing insights on industry trends, a VC fund can also use its newsletter to offer more general thought leadership on topics related to entrepreneurship, innovation, and business strategy. This might include interviews with successful entrepreneurs, opinion pieces on current events, or research reports on market trends. By providing valuable content that goes beyond just portfolio updates, a VC fund can demonstrate its commitment to supporting the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Overall, newsletters can be an effective way for VCs to stay top of mind with their network, establish thought leadership, source new deals, and build their brand in the industry.