Investor Communication Channels

🎯How to Nail Your Monthly Shareholder Updates I receive a lot of shareholder updates. The poor ones have several pages of text, with no discernible KPIs or shifting priorities from month to month ❌  🚀 You want to keep your investors engaged without drowning them in data. Here’s a possible structure: 1.     Big Picture: Start with a quick snapshot. Are you ahead, behind, or on track? What’s driving momentum? 📌 Example: “We are X% towards our year-end goal, tracking for our biggest quarter yet (£XXk in net new ARR). Growth is accelerating due to X” 2.     Revenue: Be clear about targets vs. actuals. Keep this high level but also make it easy to see trends 📌 Example: • Revenue: £2.15M vs. £2.6M target (YE target: £3.6M) • Growth: 95% YTD, +10% MoM • ARR: £1.7M signed, £2.05M incl. booked 3.     Go-To-Market (GTM): Break this down by key channels: Inbound, Outbound, Partnerships. What’s working? What needs fixing? 📌 Example: • Inbound: 40% of this quarter’s revenue. Lead-to-close rate improved from 30% → 40% in 3 months. • Outbound: 30% of revenue but slower deal cycles. Focus is shifting to larger ACV deals. • Partnerships: 30% of revenue. Expanded number of partners by X. 4.     Product: Show how your product is evolving. Any major releases? What’s driving customer impact? 5.     Customer Success: Retention is as important as acquisition. Show how you’re supporting and expanding accounts. 📌 Example: ✅ Onboarding → streamlined into a production line. ✅ CSMs → focused on account growth & renewals, not support. ✅ Support → Work ongoing to improve internal tooling for better automation. 6.   Wins:  🎉 Call out major deals, hires, or strategic moves that unlock future growth. 📌 Example: ✅ Closed pilot with X (£70k ARR potential). ✅ Hired new VP of Engineering and Head of CS 7.     Challenges: Be transparent. Investors don’t expect perfection, but they do expect clarity. 📌 Example: ❌ Cancelled X contract (£50k ARR write-off) due to delinquency issues. Lesson: stronger ICP qualification needed. ❌ Outbound still lags vs. inbound: shifting focus to bigger deals but need faster cycles. 8.     Financials:  🏦 Give investors a pulse check. Burn, cash balance, and runway matter. 📌 Example: • Bank Balance: £1.6M • Net Burn: £120K/month • Runway: 13 months 9. What’s Next? End with 3-5 priorities (and ask for help here if needed). 📌 Example: 🔜 Beat Year-End targets. 🔜 Build pipeline for a strong Q1. 🔜 Intros to X, Y, Z corporates very much welcomed 🙏 🔥 Why This Works: I like this format as it is clear and structured, allowing readers to digest quickly and also giving them the ability to compare to previous updates. It celebrates the wins and highlights potential risks as well as setting expectations as to where the business is heading. Thoughts? 🤔 #shareholderupdates  

One of my clients gets 1-2 investor inbounds every month. Not from cold emails. Not from pitch decks. From LinkedIn posts. Most Series A founders pitch investors 1:1 and wait for 199 'nos' before they get a 'yes'. But there's a faster way. Educate investors at scale through content so when you do reach out, they already know who you are, what you're building, and why it matters. I've written 550+ LinkedIn posts for climate founders raising capital. The ones that generate investor attention aren't the "vulnerable" Crying CEO posts. They're story-driven posts weaved with actionable insights, proof of progress, and direct answers to questions investors are already asking. Here's how to do it: 1/ Don't just celebrate milestone. Show traction. Don't post: "So excited to announce we hit 10,000 users! 🎉" Post: • The specific problem those 10,000 users were trying to solve • How fast you got there (6 months vs. 2 years matters) • What you learned that changed your product roadmap Investors care about your ability to learn fast and iterate. Show them you're paying attention to the right signals. 2/ Take a public stance on where your industry is heading. Most founders play it safe. They share news and add a generic "exciting times ahead" take. That's not thought leadership. That's commentary. Instead, show how you think about your market. What's everyone getting wrong? Where will regulation force the next wave of innovation? Pick one POV per post, explain your reasoning, and back it with data or first-hand experience. Investors follow founders who see around corners. 3/ Spotlight your team in a way that shows why they're invaluable. Don't post: "Thrilled to welcome Sarah to the team! She's amazing." Do post: • Why you hired Sarah now (what gap did she fill?) • The specific problem she'll solve in the next 90 days • What her track record signals (ex-Tesla, scaled X from 0 to $10M) When you spotlight a hire, you're saying: "Look at the caliber of people betting on us." 4/ Share takeaways from the rooms you're in without name-dropping. Meeting takeaways show you're having the right conversations with customers, partners, advisors, and other founders. Format: "Had a conversation this week with a [CFO at a Fortune 500] about [their biggest procurement challenge]. Here's what I learned..." Then share 2-3 takeaways that show you're absorbing information investors care about. — One of my clients? Their posts reach ~1,200 VCs per month. Another gets 1-2 investor DMs and connection requests monthly without cold outreach. They're not posting about struggles or origin stories. They're posting proof they understand their market, execute fast, and think like Series B-worthy founders. That's what gets you in the room. — What story angles tend to work best for you with investors?

Cold email is dead (not hyperbole). But 99% of GPs haven’t figured this out yet. Here’s what the 1% who have are doing instead (and why they’re raising more capital): Just got back from the iREOC Annual Members’ Meeting in Austin (huge kudos Chase McWhorter, CRE®, it was awesome). I heard a mid-market asset manager say something that captured the mood of the entire room: “Our biggest challenge isn’t performance. It’s getting our story in front of the right investors in a world where nobody answers cold emails anymore.” Every operating company nodded. Every investment manager agreed. And the question kept coming up again and again: “If email is broken, how do we actually connect with you?” AI has flooded inboxes. Investors can smell automation. Personalization at scale has become noise at scale. Here’s the reality: The GPs who will raise capital in the next cycle are the ones who build a brand, not send more emails. Not a Fortune-500 brand. But instead: • A platform brand • A point-of-view brand • A thought-leadership brand Because in a crowded market, capital now flows to the managers who communicate clearly, teach generously, and show investors how they think before asking for a meeting. Here’s the playbook to create a brand based on what LPs actually want to see: 1/ Share your thinking, not your pitch: • How you underwrite • How you operate • How you see the market If you’re not creating investor-facing education today, you’re invisible. 2/ Build a clear, unique narrative: Before posting, ask yourself: • What do you believe about the market that others don’t? • Why will your strategy win in this cycle? • What makes your platform distinct? Your “why now + why us” should be obvious before anyone even takes a call. 3/ Show proof of work: Document and share everything in real time: • Track record • 1-2 page project snapshots • Short videos explaining real decisions you made Investors trust operators who show how they think. 4/ Use channels investors actually consume: • LinkedIn • Webinars • Micro-whitepapers • Podcasts • Short educational videos LPs are learning in public. You need to meet them there. 5/ Don’t outsource your voice: AI can help, but it can’t be your POV. LPs want to hear your judgment, your frameworks, your philosophy. So if you’re a GP in 2025, investor marketing isn’t about sending more outreach. It’s about becoming discoverable. Cold email used to be a shortcut. Now your brand is the filter that tells investors you’re worth engaging. And the GPs who educate, differentiate, and communicate with clarity? They’re going to raise capital faster than the ones who keep waiting for replies that aren’t coming.

Brunswick Group dropped their 2026 U.S. Investor Survey, perspectives from 100 institutional buy-side investors, half long-only, half hedge funds, 80%+ from firms with $1B+ AUM. Required reading for all public company execs, corp comms, and IR teams. 📈 🔬 -Podcasts and in-depth CEO interviews are now rated 34% more important to investment research than mainstream financial media (CNBC, Bloomberg, WSJ). 39% vs. 29%. Long-form conversations with management are beating TV hits as a research input for the largest funds in the country. -93% of investors won't invest without trust in management, even with strong financials and an attractive market. 85% have actually sold a position because they lost that trust. People invest in people. -(Unsurprisingly) AI is changing how investors consume everything. 54% say it's important to their research process. 68% say it's changed how they approach earnings calls, they're using LLMs to summarize transcripts, compare management tone across quarters, and spot inconsistencies. BUT 75% still prefer to go direct to company content rather than through AI results. They want the primary source. They want to hear from management. The format investors trust most for building conviction is no longer a press release or a TV appearance, it's direct, long-form content where they can hear how a CEO actually thinks. And that same content is increasingly what AI tools are parsing downstream to summarize and represent your company to the broader market. Your owned media is simultaneously the trust-builder for human investors and the LLM content for how machines understand your story. https://lnkd.in/gtg4E63y

Many searchers have a lot of introductory calls with investors early in their search. While meeting investors can be a great initiative, the searchers that stand out often do something else: They run their search like a business, and they report on it accordingly. That means: • Proactively sharing deal flow KPIs (deals sourced, NDAs signed, LOIs submitted) • Offering reflections on search process improvements, thesis development and sourcing strategy • Providing a thoughtful view on sector dynamics and market shifts All in a simple investor update that comes as consistent, unsolicited communication, without an ask or a pitch. This kind of transparency and discipline makes a big difference and shows you’re serious. It demonstrates that you are a KPI-driven operator and keeps you top of mind over a longer time horizon. Once you’ve built that rhythm, that’s when dialogue starts. At the end of each update, you can include a brief ask to spark discussion. “Here’s a deal I’m looking at, would love your feedback. Would this be a fit with your approach?” “Deal flow feels soft, is that your sense as well?” “Is there anyone you think could be a good fit as an advisor if we were to proceed with this deal?” That consistent back-and-forth reveals far more about investor interest than any one-pager or call ever will. So, if you're running a search, consider asking investors if they’d like to join your quarterly updates. You can still have meetings with investors, but leading with a quarterly update, instead of asking for an intro call, is likely a more effective approach to building trust and credibility. You'll strengthen relationships, receive better feedback, and increase your odds of finding the right equity partners.

WHY LINKEDIN MIGHT NOT BE YOUR BEST BET FOR REACHING INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS OR PRIVATE WEALTH ADVISERS You want to connect with institutional investors and private wealth advisers. LinkedIn feels like the obvious choice—everyone’s here, right? But here’s the reality: these professionals often operate under strict compliance rules. That means they can’t freely post, comment, or share the way most of us do. If your strategy depends on engagement—likes, comments, shares—you’re setting yourself up for frustration. These restrictions aren’t about being unfriendly; they’re about protecting clients and staying compliant. LinkedIn is great for visibility and networking. But when it comes to influencing institutional investors or private wealth advisers, the game is different. They’re not ignoring you—they’re simply limited by regulations that prioritize confidentiality and fiduciary responsibility. Instead of leaning solely on LinkedIn, try: Direct, compliant channels like email newsletters, professional journals, podcasts or webinars Industry publications where they actively seek insights Private, gated platforms designed for professional dialogue When you meet these professionals where they can engage, you build trust and relationships that LinkedIn alone can’t deliver. If your goal is to influence institutional investors or private wealth advisers, rethink your approach. LinkedIn is a great starting point—but it’s not the finish line. Which channels do YOU believe are the most productive for reaching and influencing institutional investors and private wealth advisers?

Communicating tough news to investors is something I've seen from both sides of the table as a founder and now as a VC. The golden rule? Start early. The moment you're thinking about a major pivot or see storm clouds gathering, pull in your board and lead investors. Not for permission, but for input. The earlier they're involved, the more they can actually help. Here's the step-by-step playbook I recommend: 1. Initial Strategy Phase: - Brief your board members individually - Present early thoughts and research - Get input before decisions are final - Document pros and cons clearly 2. Decision Communication: - One-on-ones with board members first - Then major investors (significant check sizes) - Finally, broader investor update 3. Group Communication: - Send detailed email update to all investors - Offer optional group call for questions - Make yourself available for individual follow-ups from major stakeholders But the real secret is that the groundwork for handling tough news is laid months before in your regular updates. If you've been consistently transparent in your monthly communications - sharing both wins AND challenges - even difficult news won't shake investor confidence. Keep in mind, good news can wait, bad news can't. When things go sideways, communicate early and often. Your investors backed YOU - let them help you navigate the tough times. The best founder-investor relationships are built on radical transparency, not just when things are going well, but especially when they're not.

Most people think investor communication is just about answering emails. It’s not. I started as a passive investor. The worst experiences are when you are left in the dark. No text messages. No phone calls. No emails. Silence. That’s when I realized how fragile trust really is. These days, we operate very differently. When an investor commits capital, we treat that relationship like a responsibility, not a transaction. Here’s how we approach communication on every deal: • Monthly updates are non-negotiable • Every investor gets a response within 24 hours • We have team members fully dedicated to investor relations And most importantly: → We share it all: Good, bad, ugly. The real key to trust isn’t performance. It’s consistency. • Set clear expectations up front. • Communicate when it’s easy. • Communicate when it’s hard. That’s how partnerships last longer than just a deal. Check out this quick clip where I discuss investor communication:

Talking to investors for your film? De-risk perception before capital enters. My rules of 3 to make it easier for you: 1. Capital Narrative Your communication must translate creative ambition into risk-adjusted opportunity. Every document, deck, and email should align with: Problem: What inefficiency or market gap your film solves (genre, audience, IP). Mechanism: Why your model is financially structured to capture that gap. Proof: Traction, comparables, partners, and controllable risk variables. 2. Capital-Stage Positioning Investors categorize projects by stage: Development, Pre-Production, Post, or Distribution. Each stage demands a different communication focus: Development: credibility and IP control. Pre-Prod: execution readiness, vendor structure, and attachments. Post/Distrib: pipeline visibility and recoupment plan. Misalign the narrative to the stage, and you’ll sound like a beginner. 3. Information Design for Investor Materials Every document has a data hierarchy: Deck → Financial snapshot + market logic Summary Memo → narrative synthesis Data Room → evidence layer (budgets, contracts, forecasts) Don’t mix these. Each serves a trust function in the investor’s due diligence process. 4. Risk Translation System Investors perceive risk in three forms: Operational Risk: can you execute? (Team, timeline, logistics) Market Risk: will it sell? (Comparables, distribution, target demand) Financial Risk: can capital be recovered? (Structure, waterfall, insurance) Your communication strategy must address all three before they have to ask. 5. Capital Stack Transparency If you mention “budget,” explain composition: equity, gap, grants, pre-sales, soft money. Investors want to see proportion, not total. Communication failure here equals credibility loss. 6. Governance Appear professional: include basic governance language, instead of using generalization words. Example: “Funds will be managed through an SPV with quarterly reporting and CPA oversight.” 7. Financial Logic Layer Every story deck should contain three invisible threads: Asset conversion path: how creative work becomes monetizable IP. Exit logic: how returns are distributed (waterfall model). Residual value: what remains post-exploitation (library, sequel, remake rights). 8. Investor Comms Cadence Communication post-investment follows three rhythms: Pre-Close: alignment and legal. Production: transparency checkpoints. Post-Close: asset performance and strategic updates. Cadence equals competence, never let them chase you for clarity. 9. Language Discipline Avoid words that show emotion over control: “hope,” “believe,” “try.” Replace with: “validated,” “structured,” “underwritten,” “projected.” Precision communicates discipline. 10. The Meta Rule: You Are the Asset In investor communications, the filmmaker is being assessed as much as the project. Your clarity, tone, and data literacy determine perceived investability more than your concept.

My post about the Founder who ghosted me + 70 other investors went viral. Many of you asked how you should communicate with investors. I built this guide with actual investor updates I sent at Vungle - ranging from pre-launch to $50M+ EBITDA. I sent this every month, and then later on quarterly. It didn't matter if things were good or bad. 📊 What we shared: - Cash, burn, runway - Growth metrics - Press, hires, board changes, strategy shifts - Clear asks & shoutouts We started with monthly updates and switched to quarterly as we scaled. Eventually we stopped sharing revenue —but always included cash, burn, and runway. That’s the bare minimum. 🧠 Here’s what I learned: - If things are going well, keep it short. 1 page is all you need. - If things are going badly, write 2 pages total. Don’t bury your numbers. And never go silent. 📎 Attached is a PDF with real updates from Vungle + a template you can steal. Use it. Share it. Rip it apart. Just don’t say you don’t know where to start. Transparency compounds. Send the update.