Reporting

Venture Capital investors expect their portfolio company founders to be on top of their key financial metrics at all times. Why? Because it fosters confidence in investors when CEOs demonstrate they’re making data-informed decisions about the way their company is operating. On the flip side, Venture Capital investors should be just as familiar with their own key performance indicators, aka fund metrics. A great way to impress Limited Partners is to demonstrate you have a deep understanding of both how fund metrics are calculated and why they matter to LPs. In this article, we define the key fund metrics every fund manager should always have at the ready, why they are important, how they are calculated, and why they matter to LPs. Related resource: Venture Capital Why Limited Partners (LPs) Need to Understand VC Fund Performance Understanding VC fund performance metrics is crucial for LPs because it goes beyond mere numbers—these metrics serve as vital indicators of a fund’s health, growth potential, and long-term value. By grasping these concepts, LPs can make more informed decisions, manage their portfolios effectively, ensure transparency, meet regulatory requirements, and plan for the future. Here's why these metrics are essential: Investment Decision-Making For LPs, investment decisions are about more than just selecting promising funds; they’re about strategically allocating capital to maximize returns and manage risk. By understanding key performance metrics, LPs can evaluate how well a fund is performing compared to others, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions on where to invest. Metrics like Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Total Value to Paid-in-Capital (TVPI) help LPs assess the potential return and growth of their investments, ensuring that they are putting their money in the right places. Portfolio Management Effective portfolio management requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. LPs use performance metrics to track the progress of their investments and decide when to rebalance their portfolio. For instance, the Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC) can help LPs determine the overall value generated by a fund, while the Residual Value to Paid-in-Capital (RVPI) provides insights into the unrealized potential of current investments. These metrics enable LPs to identify underperforming funds early and make necessary adjustments to optimize their portfolio’s performance. Related resource: Portfolio Management Reporting and Transparency Transparency is key in maintaining trust between fund managers and LPs. Regular and accurate reporting of performance metrics ensures that LPs are fully informed about the status of their investments. Metrics like Distributions to Paid-in-Capital (DPI) offer a clear view of the returns that have been realized, fostering confidence and trust. Transparent reporting also allows LPs to hold fund managers accountable, ensuring that their investment strategies align with the agreed-upon goals and timelines. Regulatory and Compliance Requirements VC funds operate under stringent regulatory frameworks that require meticulous reporting and compliance. Understanding and accurately calculating performance metrics help LPs ensure that their investments adhere to these regulations. For example, IRR calculations provide a comprehensive view of an investment’s performance over time, including the time value of money, which is often required in regulatory filings. Compliance with these standards not only mitigates legal risks but also enhances the credibility and reliability of the fund. Long-Term Planning Long-term financial planning is essential for LPs to meet their future capital needs and investment goals. By analyzing metrics like TVPI and IRR, LPs can project future returns and plan accordingly. These projections help in setting realistic expectations and strategies for reinvestment, cash flow management, and eventual exits. Understanding the long-term implications of their current investments enables LPs to build a robust and sustainable investment portfolio that can withstand market fluctuations and deliver consistent returns. Related resource: LP Reporting VC Performance Fund Metrics to Track Tracking the right performance metrics is essential for understanding the health and potential of a VC fund. These metrics offer insights into various aspects of fund performance, from immediate returns to long-term value. By knowing which metrics to track and when to use them, LPs and fund managers can make more informed decisions and better manage their investments. In this section, we’ll introduce the fundamental metrics used to evaluate VC fund performance: Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC), Gross Total Value to Paid-in-Capital (TVPI), Residual Value to Paid-in-Capital (RVPI), Distributions to Paid-in-Capital (DPI), and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Each of these metrics serves a specific purpose and is relevant in different stages of the investment lifecycle. Related resource: Portfolio Support for VCs Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC) Definition: MOIC is considered the most common fund metric and is used to determine the value of a fund relative to the cost of its investments. In other words, it measures the amount gained on investments. Anything above a 1.0x is considered profitable. MOIC can be an effective way for LPs to compare the performance of the Venture Capital funds they’ve invested in; however, because it includes both unrealized and realized value, it’s not a true indicator of fund performance. How It’s calculated: (Unrealized Value + Realized Value) / Total Invested into the Fund Why it matters to LPs: MOIC is a straightforward metric that measures how much value the fund as a whole is generating over time. Related resource: Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC): What It Is and How to Calculate It Gross Total Value to Paid-in-Capital (TVPI) Definition: TVPI demonstrates the overall performance of the fund relative to the total amount of capital paid into the fund to date. A TVPI of 1.5x means for every $1 an LP invested, they’re projected to get $1.5 in value back as a return. How It’s calculated: (Total Distributions + Residual Value) / Paid-in-capital = TVPI OR DPI + RVPI = TVPI Why it matters to LPs: This is an important metric for LPs because it demonstrates how much money they’ve (individually) received back to date from the fund as well as how much they are predicted to receive (residual value) after all the all assets (companies) have been sold as it relates to their (individual) investment. LPs like to use TVPI because it’s straightforward to calculate and hard to manipulate. LPs will be ok with TVPI’s lower than 1 for the first few years but then will start expecting to see an TVPI of 1 or higher as your company’s hopefully get marked up in value and you start distributing fund back to LPs. Related Resource: TVPI for VC — definition and why it matters Residual Value per Paid-in-Capital (RVPI) Definition: RVPI is the ratio of the current value of all remaining investments (after the GPs have done their mark up and mark downs) within a fund compared to the total contributions of LP’s to date. It essentially tells LPs the value of companies that hasn’t been returned (yet!) compared to how much has been invested. How It’s calculated: Residual Value / Paid in Capital = RVPI Why it matters to LPs: LPs want to know the likely upside of investments that haven’t been realized yet. For this reason, LPs are likely comparing your RVPI against funds with the same vintage. Distributions per Paid-in-Capital (DPI) Definition: DPI is the ratio of money distributed (returned) to LP’s by the fund, relative to the amount of capital LP’s have given to the fund. How It’s Calculated: Distributions / Paid-in-capital = DPI Why it matters to LPs: LPs will be comparing your RVPI and DPI numbers to understand where your portfolio is at in terms of maturity. A high DPI means you’re portfolio is more mature because you’ve already been able to start making distributions back to your LPs as opposed to just have a high residual (potential payout) value. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Definition: IRR is the second runner-up for the most common fund metric. IRR shows the annualized percent return that’s realized (or has the potential to be realized) over the life of an investment or fund. A high IRR means the investment is performing well (or is expected to perform well). If you’re a seed stage investor you should be targeting at least a 30% IRR according to Industry Ventures. How It’s Calculated: Because of the advanced nature of this formula it’s best to use an excel based calculator to calculate IRR or a platform like Visible.vc which automatically calculates IRR for you. Related Resource –> What is Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for VCs Why it matters to LPs: IRR gives LPs a way to measure the performance (or predicted performance) of their investments before other profitability metrics are available. This metric, unlike the others listed above, takes into account the time value of money, which gives LPs another perspective to evaluate your fund performance and compare it to other asset classes. Check out the week from Revere VC below to get a better understanding of when each fund metric is relevant. Venture fund metrics can get confusing. MOIC, TVPI, DPI, IRR … ???? Beyond formulas, we teach our analysts about when to use them ⬇️ Fund still deploying? MOIC. Investment window closed? TVPI. Fund starts harvesting? DPI. Historical performance when fund is complete? IRR. — Revere VC (@Revere_VC) February 17, 2023 Tracking and Visualizing Fund Metrics in Visible It’s important to make sure you understand not only how to calculate your key fund metrics but also why they matter to LPs; this way you can add an insightful narrative about your fund performance in your LP Updates. Visible equips investors with automatically calculated fund metrics and gives GPs the tools they need to visualize their fund data in flexible dashboards. Dashboards can be shared via email, link, and through your LP Updates. Visible supports the tracking and visualizing of all the key fund metrics including: MOIC TVPI RVPI DPI IRR and more. Visible lets investors track and visualize over 30+ investment metrics in custom dashboards. Over 400+ Venture Capital investors are using Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting. Learn more.

Internal rate of return (IRR) for VCs is the expected annualized return a fund will generate based on a series of cash flows over the duration of the fund, which is typically ten years. Unlike fund metrics such as RVPI, TVPI, and DPI, which are based on multiples, IRR takes into account the time value of money. IRR can be used to measure both fund performance and the performance of an individual investment. Related Resource → VC Fund Metrics 101 What makes IRR hard to predict in a fund context is cash flows happen at irregular periods because capital calls are made by funds on an as-needed How Is IRR Used by LPs IRR is a critical metric for Limited Partners (LPs) in venture capital, helping them make informed investment decisions by benchmarking a fund’s performance against its peers. By considering the time since the initial cash outflow and comparing it against similar funds in the same asset class, LPs can assess the efficiency and profitability of their investments. IRR's significance lies in its ability to account for the time value of money, providing a more nuanced view of an investment's potential returns over time. This makes it an invaluable tool for evaluating both short-term and long-term fund performance. For example, an LP might use IRR data to compare the performance of different funds launched in the same year, helping to identify which fund managers consistently deliver higher returns. Cambridge Associates is a well-known resource that publishes quarterly benchmarks and statistics, compiling data from thousands of fund managers and their funds. These benchmarks allow LPs to compare their fund’s IRR against a broad spectrum of data, ensuring they have a comprehensive understanding of their fund's performance relative to the market. You can check out their reports here on the Cambridge Associates website. In practical terms, an LP might look at the IRR of a prospective fund to decide whether to commit capital, comparing it against the IRRs of existing funds in their portfolio and the broader market. For instance, if a new fund has an IRR significantly above the median benchmark provided by Cambridge Associates, it might be seen as a more attractive investment opportunity. How Is IRR Calculated for Venture Capital Funds? Wrapping your head around the IRR formula can quickly put your brain in a pretzel so it’s recommended to use Excel, Google Sheets, or a platform like Visible to calculate IRR. In the IRR equation below, we’re solving for the discount rate (or the expected compound annual rate of return) that makes the net present value of an investment zero. IRR is calculated by solving for the rate of return (“r”) of a series of cashflows (“C”) over a period of time (“n” to the total number of periods “N”): Accurate cash flow data is crucial in calculating IRR because even small errors can significantly affect the result. For venture capital funds, it’s essential to meticulously track all cash inflows and outflows. This includes capital calls, management fees, expenses, and distributions to LPs. Using platforms like Visible can streamline this process by providing tools to automate and track these cash flows accurately. Check out this article for an example calculation of IRR within the fund context. IRR vs. CAGR While IRR and CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) are both metrics used to evaluate the performance of investments, they serve different purposes and are calculated differently. Understanding these differences is crucial for investors when analyzing investment returns. What is CAGR? CAGR stands for Compound Annual Growth Rate and measures the mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period longer than one year. It provides a smoothed annual rate of return, assuming that the investment grows at a consistent rate each year. CAGR is particularly useful for comparing the historical performance of investments over time, as it neutralizes the effects of volatility and provides a straightforward percentage growth rate. Key Differences Between IRR and CAGR: 1. Consideration of Cash Flows: CAGR assumes a single investment and does not account for intermediate cash flows. It provides a geometric mean return over the period. IRR, on the other hand, takes into account the timing and magnitude of all cash flows, including intermediate inflows and outflows, providing a more detailed picture of the investment's performance. 2. Calculation Complexity: CAGR is simpler to calculate as it only requires the beginning value, ending value, and the number of periods. IRR is more complex, involving iterative calculations to find the rate that sets the NPV of all cash flows to zero. 3. Reinvestment Assumption: CAGR does not make any assumptions about reinvestment rates. It purely reflects the compounded annual growth rate. IRR assumes that interim cash flows are reinvested at the same rate as the IRR, which can sometimes be unrealistic. 4. Application Context: CAGR is often used to compare the performance of investments, funds, or portfolios over time, providing a clear picture of historical growth. IRR is widely used in capital budgeting and private equity/venture capital to evaluate the profitability of individual projects or investments, considering the specific timing of cash flows. IRR vs. ROI While IRR and ROI (Return on Investment) are both crucial metrics for evaluating the performance of investments, they serve distinct purposes and are calculated differently. Understanding these differences is key for investors when analyzing their investments. What is ROI? ROI stands for Return on Investment and measures the gain or loss generated on an investment relative to its initial cost. It is a straightforward metric that indicates the efficiency and profitability of an investment. Key Differences Between IRR and ROI: 1. Consideration of Time: ROI does not account for the time value of money. It provides a snapshot of profitability without considering how long the investment was held. IRR incorporates the time value of money, giving a more accurate reflection of an investment's performance over time by considering the timing of cash flows. 2. Calculation Complexity: ROI is easy to calculate and understand, making it a popular choice for quick assessments of investment performance. IRR is more complex, requiring iterative calculations to find the rate that sets the net present value of all cash flows to zero. 3. Reinvestment Assumptions: ROI does not make any assumptions about reinvestment of returns. IRR assumes that interim cash flows are reinvested at the same rate as the IRR, which can sometimes be unrealistic. 4. Application Context: ROI is often used for short-term investments and simple comparisons. It is particularly useful for evaluating the overall profitability of different investments without delving into the timing of returns. IRR is widely used in capital budgeting and private equity/venture capital to evaluate the profitability of projects or investments with multiple cash flows over time. Defining VC Fund Cash Flows Understanding the cash flows of a VC fund is crucial for accurately calculating metrics like IRR. The timing and magnitude of these cash flows significantly impact the fund's overall performance. Let’s delve into the types of cash flows in VC funds, their timing, and their implications for IRR. Cash Outflow Examples Capital Calls: These are requests by the VC fund to its LPs to provide a portion of the committed capital for specific investments. For example, if a fund decides to invest $1 million in a startup, it might issue a capital call for $1 million from its LPs. The timing of these calls is crucial; delaying capital calls can enhance IRR by reducing the time period over which the capital is invested. Management Fees: Typically, VC funds charge annual management fees, often around 2% of the committed capital. For instance, a $100 million fund might charge $2 million annually to cover salaries, operational costs, and other expenses. These fees reduce the net returns to LPs, impacting the net IRR​​​​. Fund Expenses: These include legal fees, administrative costs, and technology expenses. For example, a fund might incur $100,000 annually in legal and administrative fees, which also affect net returns. These expenses are necessary for the day-to-day operations of the fund but reduce the overall returns available to LPs. Cash Inflows Examples Distributions: These are returns to LPs from the fund's investments, usually following a liquidity event such as an acquisition, merger, or IPO. For example, if a portfolio company is acquired for $10 million, the proceeds distributed to LPs constitute a cash inflow. Early and large distributions can significantly boost IRR. Dividends and Interest: Occasionally, portfolio companies might pay dividends or interest on convertible notes. For example, a company might distribute $50,000 in dividends annually to the VC fund, contributing to cash inflows. These payments can provide a steady stream of returns, enhancing the IRR by providing earlier cash flows. Impact of Timing on Cash Flows: The timing of cash flows is critical in calculating IRR. Here’s why: Early Distributions: Receiving returns early in the fund's life can significantly enhance IRR because it reduces the period over which the capital is at risk and increases the annualized return. For instance, an early exit that returns capital within the first three years can result in a much higher IRR compared to a similar exit occurring in year seven. Delayed Capital Calls: By calling capital only when necessary, funds can avoid having large sums of uninvested capital, which would otherwise result in a lower IRR due to what is known as "cash drag." For example, if a fund delays a $1 million capital call by two years, it improves IRR by reducing the period the capital is deployed. Lumpy Cash Flows: Venture capital investments often result in irregular, or lumpy, cash flows. Large inflows from a significant exit can cause IRR to spike, while periods with no inflows might show a temporary decline in IRR. Managing these irregularities is a key challenge for fund managers. Examples and Implications for IRR: Example 1: A VC fund invests $2 million in a startup and exits three years later with a $10 million return. The IRR calculation will consider the initial $2 million outflow and the $10 million inflow three years later, likely resulting in a high IRR due to the substantial gain over a relatively short period. Example 2: Another fund might make smaller, incremental investments over time, leading to multiple capital calls and varied exit timings. If these exits are delayed, the IRR might be lower compared to a fund with early, significant exits. Want to learn more about tracking key fund metrics in Visible? Gross vs Net IRR When evaluating a venture capital fund's performance, it's essential to understand the difference between Gross IRR and Net IRR. Both metrics provide insights into the fund's returns, but they account for different factors and expenses, offering distinct perspectives on performance. Gross IRR: Gross IRR represents the annualized rate of return on an investment before deducting any fees or expenses. This metric focuses solely on the performance of the fund's investments, providing a measure of the raw investment skill of the fund managers. For example, if a fund invests $1 million and it grows to $2 million over three years, the Gross IRR calculation would not consider management fees, carried interest, or any other expenses incurred by the fund. This gives an unfiltered view of the investment returns generated by the fund's portfolio. Net IRR: Net IRR, on the other hand, accounts for the deductions of all management fees, fund expenses, and carried interest. This metric reflects the actual return the LPs receive after all fund management costs are considered. For instance, if the same $1 million investment grows to $2 million but incurs $200,000 in management fees and $100,000 in carried interest, the Net IRR would be lower than the Gross IRR. This adjusted figure provides a more accurate reflection of the returns that LPs can expect to receive. Key Differences and Implications: 1. Fee Consideration: Gross IRR does not include management fees, fund expenses, or carried interest. Net IRR includes these fees, providing a realistic view of the returns to LPs. 2. Performance Benchmarking: Gross IRR can be useful for comparing the investment performance across different funds without the influence of varying fee structures. Net IRR is crucial for LPs as it reflects the actual profitability of their investment after all costs are accounted for. 3. Decision Making: Gross IRR helps in assessing the raw investment skills of fund managers. Net IRR aids LPs in making informed decisions about where to allocate their capital based on the net returns they can expect to receive. By understanding Gross and Net IRR, investors can gain a comprehensive view of a fund's performance, ensuring they make well-informed investment decisions. Unrealized vs. Realized IRR When analyzing a venture capital fund's performance, it is crucial to distinguish between Unrealized IRR and Realized IRR. These metrics reflect different stages of the investment process and provide insights into both current valuations and actual returns. Unrealized IRR: Unrealized IRR includes both actual profits and theoretical gains based on the current valuations of the portfolio companies that have not yet been liquidated. This metric is forward-looking and speculative, as it assumes that the current valuations of the investments will be realized upon exit. For example, if a fund holds equity in a startup currently valued at $10 million but has not yet sold its stake, the unrealized gains contribute to the Unrealized IRR. This provides an optimistic view of the fund's potential returns but is subject to market fluctuations and the eventual success of the exits. Realized IRR: Realized IRR, on the other hand, only includes the actual cash flows that have been received from liquidated investments. This metric is based on historical data and provides a concrete measure of the returns that have been distributed to the LPs. For instance, if a fund invested $1 million in a company and later sold its stake for $5 million, the $4 million profit would be included in the Realized IRR. This figure gives a reliable measure of the fund's performance based on actual returns. Key Differences and Implications: 1. Valuation Basis: Unrealized IRR is based on current valuations and future projections. Realized IRR is based on actual, historical cash flows. 2. Reliability: Unrealized IRR can be speculative and subject to change based on market conditions and the success of future exits. Realized IRR provides a dependable measure of past performance. 3. Use Case: Unrealized IRR is useful for assessing the fund's potential future returns and the current value of its portfolio. Realized IRR is crucial for understanding the fund's actual profitability and historical performance. The IRR J-CURVE The IRR J-Curve describes the typical pattern of IRR over the lifespan of a venture capital fund. It illustrates how IRR typically decreases in the early years of a fund and then rises sharply in the later years as investments mature and exits occur. Understanding the J-Curve is essential for both fund managers and LPs as it has significant implications for investment strategy and expectations. Understanding the J-Curve: In the early stages of a venture capital fund, significant capital outflows occur as the fund invests in startups and incurs management fees and operational expenses. These outflows typically result in a negative IRR during the initial years, which is often called the "valley of death" in the J-Curve. As time progresses, some portfolio companies start to mature and achieve liquidity events such as acquisitions, mergers, or IPOs. These events generate cash inflows, which are distributed back to the LPs, causing the IRR to rise. Eventually, the IRR may surpass the initial negative values and reach a positive and often substantial rate of return as more successful exits occur. Implications for Fund Managers and LPs: 1. Expectation Management: Fund Managers: Need to communicate the J-Curve effect to LPs, explaining that early negative returns are typical and part of the investment process. This helps manage expectations and reduce concerns during the initial years. LPs: Should understand that initial negative returns do not necessarily indicate poor fund performance. Instead, they reflect the natural investment cycle in venture capital. 2. Investment Strategy: Fund Managers: Should strategically plan capital calls and investments to optimize the timing and magnitude of cash inflows. Delaying capital calls until necessary can minimize early outflows and improve the overall IRR. LPs: Need to be patient and maintain a long-term perspective, recognizing that the most significant returns typically occur later in the fund's lifecycle. 3. Performance Evaluation: Fund Managers and LPs: Both parties should use the J-CCurve as a benchmark for evaluating fund performance. Comparing the fund's IRR progression to the expected J-Curve can provide insights into whether the fund is on track or if adjustments are needed. Example: Consider a venture capital fund with a 10-year lifecycle. In the first three years, the fund experiences negative IRR due to capital outflows for investments and fees. By year five, one of the portfolio companies is acquired, generating a significant cash inflow. This event causes the IRR to rise sharply, marking the beginning of the upward curve. By the end of the fund's lifecycle, several successful exits have occurred, resulting in a high positive IRR that exceeds the initial negative values. Related resource: J-Curve and IRR Putting IRR into Vintage Context When evaluating the performance of VC funds, it's essential to consider the vintage year—the year in which the fund began deploying capital. Comparing funds within the same vintage year allows for a fair assessment, as these funds are subject to similar market conditions and economic cycles. Understanding the vintage year context can significantly impact the interpretation of a fund's RR. Relevance of Comparing Funds within the Same Vintage Year: 1. Consistent Market Conditions: Funds of the same vintage year are exposed to the same macroeconomic environment, including interest rates, inflation, and market sentiment. These factors heavily influence investment opportunities and outcomes. 2. Economic Cycles and Performance: Economic cycles, including periods of expansion and recession, affect the availability of capital, the number of viable startups, and exit opportunities. Funds started in an economic downturn may acquire investments at lower valuations but might struggle with exits if the downturn persists. Conversely, funds launched during economic booms might invest at higher valuations but benefit from more lucrative exit opportunities as the economy continues to grow. Impact of Market Conditions and Economic Cycles Market conditions and economic cycles play a critical role in determining the performance of VC funds. Funds launched during bullish markets typically experience different growth trajectories compared to those started in bearish markets. Bullish Market Example: A fund started in 2010, a period of economic recovery and growth, may benefit from a favorable market environment, leading to higher valuations and more exit opportunities. This can result in higher IRRs compared to funds from other vintage years. According to Cambridge Associates, funds from the 2010 vintage year have shown robust performance due to strong market conditions and increased IPO activities​​. Bearish Market Example: In contrast, a fund launched in 2001 during the dot-com bust faced a challenging environment with limited exit opportunities and lower valuations. Such funds might initially show lower IRRs, reflecting the tough economic conditions during their early years. A study by Preqin indicates that vintage 2001 funds had lower early IRRs but showed significant improvement as the market recovered and exit opportunities increased​​. Examples Illustrating Vintage Year Impact on IRR: 1. Vintage Year 2008: Funds started in 2008 faced the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis. Initial IRRs were likely low due to the challenging investment climate. However, those funds that managed to survive and deploy capital strategically during the downturn might have seen substantial IRR increases as the economy recovered in the following years. As per a report from PitchBook, vintage 2008 funds showed a notable uptick in IRR after 2012, correlating with the broader economic recovery and increased M&A activities. 2. Vintage Year 2015: Funds launched in 2015 benefited from a prolonged period of economic growth and technological innovation. High valuations and active IPO markets provided numerous exit opportunities, resulting in strong IRRs. Cambridge Associates' benchmark data shows that vintage 2015 funds had higher median IRRs compared to previous years, driven by successful exits in sectors like technology and healthcare. By placing IRR in the context of vintage years, investors can better understand the performance of their VC investments relative to market conditions and economic cycles. This contextual understanding helps in making more informed decisions and setting realistic expectations for future fund performance. Considerations of IRR The IRR is a valuable metric for assessing the performance of VC investments. However, it has several limitations and should be used cautiously. Understanding these flaws and the contexts in which IRR may be inappropriate can help investors make more informed decisions. 1. Sensitivity to Cash Flow Timing: Explanation: IRR is highly sensitive to the timing of cash flows. Even small changes in the timing of cash inflows or outflows can lead to significant variations in the IRR calculation. Implication: This sensitivity can sometimes provide a misleading picture of an investment's performance, especially if the cash flows are irregular or unpredictable, which is common in venture capital investments. Example: If a fund delays a significant cash inflow by just a few months, the IRR can change dramatically, potentially misrepresenting the true performance of the investment​​ . 2. Reinvestment Assumptions: Explanation: IRR assumes that interim cash flows are reinvested at the same rate as the IRR itself. This assumption can be unrealistic, particularly in volatile markets where finding equally profitable reinvestment opportunities is challenging. Implication: This can lead to an overestimation of the investment’s performance if the actual reinvestment rate is lower than the calculated IRR. Example: If a fund generates an IRR of 20% but can only reinvest interim returns at a rate of 5%, the actual performance will be lower than the IRR suggests . 3. Multiple IRRs: Explanation: In cases where an investment has alternating positive and negative cash flows, there can be multiple IRRs that satisfy the NPV equation. This can create confusion and ambiguity. Implication: Multiple IRRs make it difficult to determine the actual rate of return, complicating the decision-making process. Example: A project with cash flows that include significant inflows followed by large outflows might yield more than one IRR, making it unclear which rate accurately represents the investment's performance . 4. Lack of Scale Sensitivity: Explanation: IRR does not account for the scale of the investment. A small project with a high IRR might be less attractive than a larger project with a slightly lower IRR if the latter generates significantly higher absolute returns. Implication: Investors might prioritize projects with high IRRs without considering the overall size and absolute returns of the investment, potentially missing out on more lucrative opportunities. Example: A $1 million investment yielding a 30% IRR might seem attractive, but a $10 million investment with a 20% IRR could provide substantially greater total returns​​ . 5. Inappropriate for Short-Term Investments: Explanation: IRR is less meaningful for short-term investments because it annualizes the return, which can exaggerate the performance of short-duration projects. Implication: Using IRR for short-term investments can give a skewed perception of performance, making short-term gains appear disproportionately attractive. Example: An investment with a 50% return over six months might show an extremely high annualized IRR, but this does not reflect sustainable long-term performance . Situations Where IRR is Not Appropriate: Projects with Non-Standard Cash Flows: When investments have non-standard or erratic cash flows, IRR may not provide a reliable measure of performance. Comparing Different Sized Investments: When comparing investments of significantly different sizes, IRR can be misleading as it does not reflect the absolute value of returns. Short-Term Investments: IRR can exaggerate the perceived performance for short-term projects, making it less useful for accurate comparison. Tracking IRR in Visible Visible lets you track and visualize over 35+ key fund metrics including IRR in one place. Get started with calculating your IRR by leveraging Visible's investment data features. Track the round details for your direct investments and follow on rounds. By utilizing Visible, investors can better understand their fund’s performance, streamline data management, and improve decision-making processes, ultimately driving better investment outcomes. Related resource: Investor Update Dashboard Market Penetration Strategy Important Venture Capital Metrics Important Startup Financials

Tear sheets are an important component of the venture capital industry. If you’re new to VC, it's crucial to understand what a tear sheet is and how to create a valuable and effective one for your fund. What is a Tear Sheet? A tear sheet is a single-page summary of an individual company. A tear sheet is a critical term to understand in the venture capital world. Beyond a simple understanding of what a tear sheet is, it’s important to learn how a tear sheet is best used and how to create one. The term “tear sheet” originated from pre-internet business when S&P would produce summary sheets for public companies on one page. All of these single-page summaries could be torn out of a larger book containing all of the summary sheets. This act of tearing out the relevant page stuck around. Even though the physical act of tearing a sheet is gone, the single-page summary, the tear sheet, has withstood the test of time and is an extremely important piece of collateral for anyone working in VC to understand. A tear sheet should contain overview information about a company. This should include the total investment amount, gains/losses, sector, and a summary of company performance. Essentially, anything that will allow the reader to get a quick snapshot of the business and give them an understanding of earning potential that is possible should be included on the tear sheet. The LPs (limited partners) or investors at a VC firm are a key audience that will be viewing the tear sheet. You want to make a good impression when presenting information to LPs. Therefore, when thinking about putting together tear sheets for your portfolio companies, it’s important to make them look professional and use them to effectively communicate concise updates about your companies. Well-put-together tear sheets can go a long way in impressing LPs. View Tear Sheet examples from Visible. Tear Sheet Templates When building out tear sheets for your portfolio companies, make sure to include both metrics and qualitative data about your companies. If you’re looking for a tear sheet template (read on to learn more about tear sheet templates in Visible!) make sure to find a template that includes both of these categories. Start with metrics, or quantitative data about the company. A few metrics to consider including*: Revenue – Revenue and revenue growth over time is an easy way to understand the health status of a company. While not an accurate portrayal of the company as a whole, it gives LPs a sense of the stage of the company. FTE Headcount & New Hires – This is typically considered non-sensitive data from portfolio companies but again gives LPs an idea of the stage of the company and how they’re growing over time. It also is an indicator of how a company is using their cash. True North KPIs – Depending on the type of company, this might differ. The true north KPIs in a tear sheet template should be the key performance indicators that are guiding the business every single day. Beyond revenue goals, examples of other KPIs could be active users, a customer net promoter score, active customers, or average contract value. *Note: It’s important to maintain privacy for portfolio companies and receive permission to share information with LPs. It’s also a best practice to share the same level of detail across all companies. Another important section to include on a tear sheet is an investment overview. Some items to include are: Total Invested – It’s helpful to remind LPs about the total invested in a company and how it compares to others in the portfolio. Date of Initial Investment – This gives a sense of how long it has been since the initial investment and gives context on when to expect a return. Investment Multiple – This provides LPs with an idea of the expected return in the future. Shifting from the metrics on your tear sheet template, consider the following qualitative points to include in your tear sheet: Company Tagline – This is an easy and concise way to orient or remind an LP about what the company does. Sector – This simple static property again helps provide context to LP’s who have invested in several funds. HQ Location – Helps everyone stay on top of where the portfolio is located. Narrative Update – This section is a commentary on recent highlights from the portfolio company. As always, it’s important not to disclose sensitive information about a portfolio company. Asks – Depending on your relationship with your companies and LPs, it may be appropriate to share ‘Asks’ from portfolio companies with LPs. For example: Company A is looking to hire a Head of Engineering based in Berlin and is seeking candidate referrals. Tear Sheet Examples A great place to start when creating your portfolio tear sheets and looking for tear sheet examples is to ask your network. Talk to experienced funds in your network. If they’ve raised several funds and have close relationships with their LPs, they probably have a great idea of what LPs like to see when receiving updates about portfolio companies. You can also check out Visible’s Tear Sheet Examples here. Using Visible for Portfolio Tear Sheets Visible is an incredibly useful tool for funds to report to the LPs on a consistent basis. You can take the quantitative data and qualitative information suggested above and turn it into a template right in Visible. Check out a tear sheet example in Visible below. How Visible Automatically Builds Tear Sheets Visible is the perfect tool to build tear sheets for all your companies in just a few clicks. Visible automatically builds tear sheets by: Equipping investors to automatically collect structured data from portfolio companies on a regular basis. As an investor, you can decide what data is most relevant to request from each company. Creating tear sheet templates that automatically pull in metric data, investment data, and qualitative properties that already exist within Visible. Interested in exploring how to build Tear Sheets in Visible?

Structured data. The holy grail of business intelligence. Structured data unlocks a realm of possibilities, from setting benchmarks to enhancing decision-making processes. Yet, in the venture capital landscape, accessing reliable, structured data remains a formidable challenge. This is precisely why we created the Visible AI Inbox. With unique features like automated metric detection and file parsing, the Visible AI Inbox stands out as a pioneering solution for portfolio monitoring. Discover how it can transform your data strategy by meeting with our team. Turning email into insights We believe that investors should spend time sourcing new deals and helping founders, not manually copying and pasting data from email 🙂. The AI Inbox helps aggregate insights that exist siloed in data, files, and updates across a venture firm. Updates from founders often stay stuck in one team member's inbox because it's too time-consuming to extract and enter the data and files into a more centralized repository. Visible AI Inbox makes this possible within seconds. Requests + AI Inbox = A Complete Picture The addition of the AI Inbox continues to advance our market-leading portfolio monitoring solution. The pairing of Requests + the AI Inbox will give investors a holistic view of portfolio company performance across a fund. Visible continues to be the most founder-friendly tool on the market. We’ll continue to build tools in existing workflows where both founders and investors live every day. How Does it Work? Visible AI Inbox works in three simple steps. Forward emails to a custom AI inbox email address Visible AI automatically maps data and files to portfolio companies Investors can review and approve content before it is saved From there, dashboards, tear sheets, and reports are all automatically updated on Visible. Learn more about how Visible AI Inbox can streamline workflows at your firm by meeting with our team. FAQ Will this be available on all plans? Visible AI Inbox is only available on certain plans. Get in touch with your dedicated Investor Success Manager if you want to explore adding this to your account. How is Visible addressing privacy and security with Visible AI Inbox? No data submitted through the OpenAI API is used to train OpenAI models or improve OpenAI’s service offering. Visible AI Inbox leverages OpenAI GPT 4 and proprietary prompts to extract data in a structured way and import it into Visible. If you’re uncomfortable with utilizing OpenAI to optimize your account, you can choose not to utilize this feature. Please feel free to reach out to our team with any further questions. These processes adhere to the guidelines outlined in Visible’s privacy policy and SOC 2 certification. Visible AI Inbox Best Practices We'll be sharing best practices for how investors are leveraging Visible AI Inbox in our bi-weekly newsletter, the Visible Edge. Stay in the loop with best practices and product updates by subscribing below:

Visible recently released Segment Metrics, a premium portfolio insights tool for VCs. The solution empowers investors to answer key questions about their portfolio performance in seconds instead of hours. How investors can unlock portfolio insights faster with Segment Metrics With Segment Metrics investors can find insights related to the sum, average, minimum, and maximum for any custom segment of their portfolio metric data and investment values. Example Segment Insights Examples of insights that can be uncovered with Segment Metrics include: The amount invested in female founders vs non-female founders The breakdown of investments based on sector, geography, and stage A comparison of revenue across seed-stage investments Investors can keep track of these insights by embedding the data visualizations on flexible, shareable dashboards in Visible as shown in the example below. Learn more about setting up Segment metrics in our Knowledge Base. Learn More About Visible Visible has a suite of tools to help with portfolio data analysis including Robust, flexible dashboards that can be used for Internal Portfolio Review meetings Portfolio metric dashboards to help with cross-portfolio insights Learn more about how 400+ Venture Capital investors use Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting.

On October 8, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 54. This law mandates that venture capital firms report the diversity of the founding teams in their portfolio to California’s Department of Civil Rights (DCR) annually. Why is Senate Bill 54 important? This law is the first piece of U.S. legislation aimed at increasing diversity within the venture capital industry which historically has allocated only 5% of capital to startups led by women, Black founders, or Latinx founders in any given year (source). When does Senate Bill 54 go into effect? The first report is due March 1, 2025. This means firms will be required to report accurate diversity data on investments they made during the 2024 calendar year by the start of March. Firms who do not comply may face a penalty as decided by the courts. Combine your firm’s diversity and portfolio KPI reporting processes with Visible. Which VC firms does Senate Bill 54 apply to? Senate Bill 54 applies to any VC that: Is headquartered in California. Has a significant presence or operational office in California. Makes venture capital investments in businesses that are located, or have significant operations, in California. Solicits or receives investments from a person who is a resident of California. Related Resource: California Adopts New Law Requiring VC Companies to Collect Diversity Data From Portfolio Company Founders What diversity information will be required? VC firms will be required to ask portfolio company founding teams to report their race, ethnicity, disabilty status, and sexual orientation. (Read the full requirements outlined in Senate Bill 54) Firms are required to make founders aware that this information is voluntary and founding teams will not be penalized for not reporting this formation. The information must also be collected in an anonymous fashion so that responses cannot be traced back to a founding team member. This information will be aggregated and reported to California’s Civil Rights Department (CDR) on an annual basis. Related Resource: 5 Actionable Steps to Improve Diversity at Your VC Fund Getting a head start on portfolio diversity reporting It’s important to make sure your firm has the internal capabilities to collect the required information from your portfolio companies before Senate Bill 54 goes into effect. Visible’s Request feature streamlines the way investors collect custom KPI’s and diversity information from their portfolio companies.

Did you know that 60% of investors don't hear from their portfolio companies on a regular basis? This means that the startups sending regular communications to their investors stand out the most. In fact, startups that provide regular investor updates are 3x more likely to receive follow-on funding. Making the time to write a compelling investor update regularly can be challenging for startup founders. This is where Visible AI Updates comes in. What is Visible AI Updates Visible AI Updates automatically turns Visible Request responses that portfolio companies submit to Visible into a narrative Update that startups can use to share with other investors and stakeholders. This equips founders to send regular, professional communications to all their greatest supporters (and sources of follow-on capital), with ease. Learn more about Visible AI updates and how you can leverage it with your Visible account below. How it Works Visible AI Updates is available to founders who are completing Visible data Requests from their investors. Using the metrics and qualitative answers from a data Request, Visible AI Updates adds context and builds charts to turn the information into a Visible Update that can be shared with other investors and stakeholders. Visible AI Update Example Using the qualitative answers and data included in your Request, we’ll help you turn the response into an Update using the following logic: “{Company Name} Investor Update” — For example, “Acme Co Investor Update” In order to create the content of the update we built a prompt for OpenAI that contains questions and answers from the request. We will create charts and tables for any metrics using the following logic: If a metrics question contains >3 metrics we will create a single table with all these metrics within the update Otherwise, we create bar charts for each metric in the question. Note: if a metric only has a single data point we will create a number chart instead. As always, we recommend reviewing your Update and making sure all of the content is correct and fits your voice. You can check out the full example of the Update here. Visible AI Updates Takeaways Providing investor updates regularly increases your likelihood of success and your ability to fundraise Visible AI transforms your Requests responses into a professional narrative update that you can share with all your stakeholders The Future of Visible AI This is our first introduction of AI into the Visible platform. In the months ahead we plan on exploring AI models to help with fundraising email copy, identifying potential investors for your business, and more. We are always looking for feedback. Feel free to share your AI-related ideas to support at visible dot vc.

The volatility of the markets and decline in deal activity makes private valuation adjustments especially challenging this year. Yet even under these circumstances LP’s expect portfolio valuations to be accurate and justifiable. As a VC, you should be prepared for auditors to be even more involved during this year’s audit process as they ensure valuations are as close to reality as possible. Webinar Overview Belle Raab from Visible and Danielle Darley from Weaver discussed how to best prepare for your end-of-year audit. Discussion topics: What, why, who behind the audit process What to anticipate for this year's audit Preparing for the audit process Establishing an audit timeline Recommended do's & don'ts Related Resources: A Simple Breakdown of the VC Audit Process Venture Capital Valuations: Tips for Preparing Valuations for Your Annual Audit Five Simple Steps Key Venture Capital Staff Can Take to Support a Successful Audit Establishing a Valuation Policy

Check out Visible’s recorded product webinar to learn about the most recent updates to Visible’s portfolio monitoring and reporting platform. The Visible team demonstrates how to leverage recent product changes to improve your portfolio reporting in Q4 and beyond. Product webinar topics: Common use cases for one-time Requests and how to set them up Saving time by syncing company qualitative responses to Dashboards and One-Pagers Exporting data to Google Sheets for external analysis and reporting Embedding a dashboard in Notion to share with your team Q&A

What is fund administration? Fund administration is a third-party service that handles the accounting, cash-flow movement, and LP reporting for Venture Capital funds. Hustle Fund argues that fund admins are the most important part of a VC’s back-office operations. Key fundamentals of funds administration in Venture Capital Fund Admins play an essential role in ensuring critical fund operations run smoothly and also can help VC firms maintain credibility with Limited Partners (LPs). Below we outline the key fundamentals of Fund Administration. Cash flow management and capital allocation Fund administrators are responsible for wiring money directly to founders. The main reason fund administrators handle this process and not the GP is to protect against fraud and ensure accuracy. Fund administrators also handle the capital transactions between LPs and the fund. This includes managing the call-down process, determining how much to request from each LP, and sending letters to each LP with wire instructions. After an exit event, the fund administrators are also responsible for figuring out how much to distribute back to each LP. That’s a lot of separate transactions to manage which is why this can be an extremely time-consuming process. It’s also a high-stakes process with no room for mistakes. An error in the numbers can even result in a lawsuit based on gross incompetence. Limited Partner management Since Fund Administrators are responsible for sending communications related to capital transactions and reporting to Limited Partners, it’s critical that fund administrators keep an up-to-date list of Limited Partner contact information. The fund should share updated contact information with fund administrators as changes occur. Reporting Fund administration also handles the formal LP reporting process as outlined in a fund’s Limited Partnership Agreement. This typically includes putting together quarterly reports of each company’s latest valuation on a quarterly basis but the reporting requirements can vary from fund to fund based on LP requirements. To put together this reporting, fund administrators will source the latest investment information from the VC fund which is why it’s important for firms to keep investment data and fair market value changes up to date and accessible. Preparing these quarterly reports helps streamline the annual audit at the end of the year. Visible provides investors with an easy way to maintain accurate investment records that can easily be shared with fund administrators and auditors. Compliance assistance An important role of a fund administrator is making sure funds are maintaining compliance with the terms outlined in their Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA). This can include terms related to the timing of distributions, what can be considered a fund expense, and the deadlines for reporting. Audit and tax A fund administrator will work closely with other fund service providers such as auditors and tax-related providers to ensure the fund is performing in accordance with regulations. Related resource –> Venture Capital Audit Process: What it is and how Visible can help Modern technology and software solutions There are a variety of fund administrators dedicated to serving the VC industry. As discussed, VC fund administrators play a key role in VC firm operations so it’s worth taking the time to select the provider that is going to be the best fit for your firm. A great way to start is by asking your community for referrals. From there, it’s wise to interview the administrators and actually speak with the representative who will be assigned to work with your fund. Fund administrators differentiate themselves by variables such as the level of sophistication of their tech stack, whether they offer an LP portal, and also by the quality of the service they provide. It’s important to note that the quality of service can be dependent on the representative you work with at the organization. This is why it’s a great idea to meet with the rep in advance of signing a contract. The benefits of working with fund administrators Working with the right fund administrator can mean fewer headaches and more time to spend finding and supporting the best investment opportunities. Below we outline the top benefits of working with fund administrators regardless of your fund structure. Saves your firm time and resources Working with a fund administrator instead of trying to manage accounting in-house can save a firm time and money. This is because fund administrators are laser-focused on all the back-office functions and can be less costly than adding a full-time finance expert to your team. Provides expertise and experience A great fund administrator can provide funds with expertise based on working with dozens or even hundreds of VC firms. This can save less experienced GPs from costly accounting, legal, or capital transaction mistakes. Assists with investor relations management A fund administrator should provide timely and accurate communication to LPs. When fund administrators are executing well it should make the lives of the LPs easier which reflects positively on the fund. Provides compliance and regulatory support Since fund administrators have worked with hundreds and potentially even thousands of VC funds of varying stages, they’ve been exposed to many of the edge cases that could cause an inexperienced fund to make costly mistakes that could hurt their reputation. Fund administrators are well-versed in Venture Capital regulation and compliance which means GPs can leverage their fund administrators’ expertise when questions arise. When is the optimal time to start working with a fund administrator While not always required, it’s a good idea to start working with a fund administrator before even closing your first fund. This ensures your back office operations are set up for success right from the beginning. Many fund administrators have special pricing for emerging fund managers that makes it more affordable to get started. Looking to improve your portfolio monitoring processes at your fund? Visible streamlines the way you keep your companies’ financial KPI’s and investment data up to date and organized so sharing key information with service providers like your fund admin becomes even easier.

VC Audit Definition Before we address best practices it's important to define what the VC audit entails. A VC audit is when a Venture Capital firm enlists a third-party auditor to evaluate its financial compliance. The auditor will review key fund documentation alongside recent portfolio performance to ensure the firm's valuations are accurate. Which VC Firms Require an Audit On August 23, 2023 the SEC approved new rules for private fund advisers. The changes will require all SEC-registered private fund advisers to have an annual audit regardless of size. Prior to this change, some funds were considered exempt but it was still common for VCs to conduct an audit to help better position the firm for future fundraising from potential LPs who want to see audited financials. Purpose of an Audit The purpose of a VC audit can be summarized in three parts: Ensure the fund’s General Partner(s) are operating in accordance with the fund’s LPA and that the financials reflect compliance Confirm the fund’s valuations of portfolio companies and the fund’s ownership position in them Give LPs confidence that a neutral third party validates the fund’s financial statements and assessment of its own success General VC Audit Timeline Audits are typically conducted on an annual basis using end-of-year figures. The audit process typically starts in the final month of the calendar year and wraps up during the first quarter of the calendar year. Although audits only happen once per year, it’s important to maintain clean records of things like company valuations, company financial metrics, fund expenses, capital calls, and other transactions throughout the year. Continual hygiene of fund records translates into a smoother audit process at the end of the year. Here's a general timeline for the VC audit process: Q1 - Q4 - Collect portfolio company KPI's and monitor valuation changes Q4 - Establish audit timeline with fund admin and auditor. Additionally, the pre-audit process should kick off so auditors have a chance to understand a firm's operations. Q1 - In January, firms should be doing year-end valuations and closing their books. During this month fund managers should also be reviewing the books before sending the final figures to an auditor. During January or February, the audit process officially begins. Q2 - April 30 is the official audit deadline but extensions to the deadline can be requested. For more audit best practices check this webinar co-hosted with Visible and Weaver -- How to Prepare for Your Fund Audit. How to Prepare for a VC Audit Choosing an Audit Firm This is an important step in setting yourself up for audit success. When choosing an auditor it's important to choose a service provider who specializes and understands the nuances of Venture Capital. Otherwise, you risk spending time during the audit process having to teach your auditor about your industry. You can do this by checking out their website and if they have published resources on Venture Capital then this is a great indication that they have knowledge of your industry. You should also ask the team you'll be directly working with whether they have experience in the VC industry. If you're an emerging manager and expect to need hand-holding during the audit process, make sure you choose an auditor who is open for ad-hoc questions. During the diligence process, you should ask the auditor about their policy for asking questions and if there is an additional charge. Related Resource: Five Simple Steps Key Venture Capital Staff Can Take to Support a Successful Audit Establishing a Valuation Policy It's a great idea to establish a valuation policy before your first audit. This policy outlines how your firm will justify its portfolio company valuations under different circumstances. Related resource: Establishing a Valuation Policy Preparing the Required Documents and Information While not a comprehensive list, here are some of the items that funds will likely be asked to provide to auditors: Limited Partnership Agreement Financial statements Fully signed deal documentation Invoices to prove the firm is charging LPs for permitted expenses Transaction records (capital calls, distributions, bank balances) Updated ownership positions in each company (cap tables) Proof of valuation calculations/policies Portfolio company contacts (name and email address) Portfolio company financials (year-end) Portfolio company financing documents from most recent rounds Portfolio company balance sheets Portfolio company revenue reports An established valuation policy Pro Tip: Ensure you are sending your auditor the fully executed (signed) version of the documents. Doing this will help cut down time during the audit process and help firms save money. Hustle Fund reminds investors in this article Fund Audit 101 – Everything You Need To Know that it’s the job of the VC to provide this information to auditors and that the required documentation can change from year to year. It can be helpful to ask your auditor to provide quarterly updates about what they will be asking for during the annual audit. Related Resource: 8 Questions to Ask Before Auditing Your First Venture Capital Fund Monitoring Portfolio Companies Using Visible One of the most time-consuming parts of the audit process is the back and forth that can occur when auditors need more evidence on how the VC firm arrived at company valuation figures. To justify valuations, it's important to have key information from your portfolio companies at the ready. Check out the list below to see what you need to have on file. Portfolio monitoring audit checklist: Revenue budget vs actual Cash on hand Burn rate Company performance vs business plan Details about the last round of financing Visible equips investors with a founder-friendly way to ask for key audit information from portfolio companies. Visible's Request feature allows for any custom metric, qualitative question, files, properties, and more. This streamlined approach to data collection helps VC firms keep up-to-date and accurate records about their portfolio companies throughout the year — leading to a smoother audit process. Check out an Example Request in Visible. More than 400+ VCs use Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting.

Many Venture Capital firms struggle to efficiently collect updates from their portfolio companies and turn the data into meaningful insights for their firm and Limited Partners. It’s usually a painful process consisting of messy Google Sheets or Excel file templates being sent to companies. Then, someone at the VC firm is responsible for the painful task of tracking down companies and convincing them to send the metric template back to the investor. The end result is typically an unreliable master sheet that isn’t accessible or easy to digest for the rest of the firm. Visible has helped over 350+ VC firms streamline the way they collect, analyze, and report on their portfolio and fund performance. Keep reading to learn how. Streamlining Portfolio Data Collection To set up a more efficient portfolio data collection process at your firm make sure you: Don't require companies to manage another login Visible’s data Requests are delivered directly to your companies’ email inboxes and the secure-linked base form ensures there is no friction in the data-sharing process. Maintain founder privacy Visible supports over 3.5k founders on our platform and the consistent feedback we hear is founders do not want their investors to have direct access to their data sources. Founders prefer to have control over what and when their data is shared with investors. Customize which information you request from companies Visible allows investors to create any custom metric, qualitative question, yes/no response, multiple choice, and more. This provides investors with the flexibility to use Visible for more than just financial reporting but also impact or diversity reporting and end-of-year audit preparation. Related resource: Portfolio Monitoring Tips for Venture Capital Investors Related resource: Which Metrics Should I Collect from My Portfolio Companies Easy Ways to Analyze VC Portfolio Data While having up-to-date, accurate investment data is important, being able to extract and communicate insights about your portfolio data is when it really becomes valuable. Visible supports three different types of dashboards to help you analyze your portfolio data more easily. Flexible portfolio company dashboards — Visualize KPI’s by choosing from 9 different chart types and combine with rich text and company properties. These dashboards are a great fit to help facilitate more robust internal portfolio review meetings. Portfolio metric dashboards — This dashboard allows you to compare performance across your entire portfolio and easily identify your top performers and the companies who may need additional support. Fund analytics dashboards — This flexible dashboard lets investors control how they want to visualize and analyze their fund performance metrics. Choose from over 30+ fund metrics and auto calculated insights and easily add them to your shareable dashboard. View an example of all three types of dashboards by downloading the resource below. Sharing Portfolio Updates with Limited Partners It’s important to remember that while Limited Partners are primarily focused on financial returns they also care about insights. VC firms who empower their Limited Partners with updates about sector trends and high-level insight into portfolio company performance are setting themselves up to be both trusted and valuable long-term partners to their investors. LP Update Template Library — Visible makes it easy for firms to make engaging communication with Limited Partners a habit by providing free and open-source Update templates. Want to feature your LP Update template in out library? Get in touch! Tear Sheets — Tear Sheets or One Pagers can be a great way to provide high-level updates about portfolio companies to your LPs. Visible’s tear sheet template solution helps VC firms create reporting with ease by merging information and data into beautiful charts that are automatically kept up to date. View Tear Sheet examples to inspire your next reporting. Related resource: Tear Sheets 101 (and how to build one in Visible) Visible supports 400+ funds around the world streamline the portfolio data collection, analysis, and reporting process.

A recent poll of VCs shows that some of the primary reasons investors collect financial data from portfolio companies is to improve their post-investment support (66%) and inform future investment decisions (44%). To do this well, investors need to be able to analyze their portfolio company data through an advanced financial lens so they can extract actionable insights that lead to improved fund performance. We recently sat down for a conversation on Leveraging Portfolio Analysis to Improve your Fund’s IRR with Kristian Marquez, CFA. Kristian is the CEO of FinStrat Management and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder since 2004. The webinar was designed for people working in Venture Capital who want to level up the way they understand and analyze their portfolio companies’ financial performance data. Topics Discussed: The WHY behind surfacing portfolio insights Where to find benchmark data and how to use it Top 4 performance indicators, what they mean, and how to calculate them Using dashboards in Visible to evaluate portfolio company performance Tips for moving from analysis to action

Collecting updates from portfolio companies on a regular basis is an important part of running smooth operations at a VC firm. Well-organized, accurate, up-to-date portfolio data helps investors provide better support to companies, make data-informed investment decisions, streamline the audit process, demonstrate credibility during the fundraising process, and more. However, collecting data from portfolio companies on a regular basis can also be a time-consuming, arduous process, especially if you’re not implementing best practices. On Tuesday, June 20th Visible held a product webinar covering tips for streamlining the reporting process for you and your portfolio companies. This webinar is designed for any VC looking to upskill their portfolio monitoring processes. Current Visible customers will benefit from a deep dive into recent product updates related to Visible’s Request feature. Topics Discussed: The top 6 most common metrics to collect from companies How to collect budgets and actuals in Visible Using formulas so you can ask for less data [Product Walk-through] Highlighting recent product updates Reviewing examples of different types of Portfolio requests

Render Capital is a $30M early-stage VC fund with offices in Kentucky and Indiana. Led by Patrick Henshaw, Render has invested in 50+ companies as a part of its mission to create a robust and thriving regional economy where entrepreneurs see the Midwest and South as a place they can find appropriate risk capital necessary for them to start and grow. For this case study, Visible interviewed Render Capital’s Operating Partner Mike Shepard. Customer Story: How Render Capital Uses Visible to Streamline Fund Reporting Watch the video below to learn why Render chose Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting processes. Prefer to read? Keep scrolling to read a paraphrased summary of Mike’s responses. Q: How were you collecting data prior to using Visible? Prior to Visible, Render was doing very little to collect data from companies because it was too time-consuming to do it via email and the process wasn’t very organized. Q: What factors led you to choosing Visible? We looked at other software to help with our fund management and the options seemed cumbersome, the relationships were tricky, and it seemed like it was actually going to be more work. I wanted to find a solution that let me pair our fund management alongside our own metrics so we could do our own reporting by creating dashboards and sharing those with LPs. We also liked that Visible helped collect reporting from our companies on a regular basis. Q: What was the onboarding with Visible like? I filled out a spreadsheet with our company and investment data. I prefer to be hands-on so the next step was just figuring out how to set up my own LP Update templates and reports. Visible was available to answer all my questions and the team was open to our feedback. “It feels like we’re your only customer which is what you’re supposed to do.” – Mike Shephard, Operating Partner at Render Capital Q: What has been the result of using Visible The results have been great. I created an LP Update template which we consider a marketing extension of our brand. To get this to look nice outside of Visible, in Excel, would have taken me a lot of time. I can use the template I created in Visible over and over again and it automatically updates. Our LPs are also really happy with the direction of our reporting and what we’re producing. We are getting our LPs the information that they want and need in a format that they can easily digest. Over 350+ VC funds are using Visible to streamline their portfolio monitoring and reporting.