Looking for Investors – First Point of Contact

Inbound and outbound marketing, i.e. cold calls, is a mainstay of the venture capital business. While my role in operational support precludes my making outbound calls I am, generally, the initial person receiving the inbound cold call. These calls can come from a wide variety of individuals but typically I find myself speaking with entrepreneurs looking for investors for their up-and-coming products.

In order to respond appropriately to these cold calls it is necessary that I have at least a basic understanding of our investment model. On these calls I am the initial voice of OpenView Venture Partners and it is my responsibility to give the caller a brief education on what OpenView does in order to help them ascertain whether or not their product will ultimately fit our company’s investment goals.

Though raising venture capital or researching venture capital investments may not be clearly written in the job description of those of us in operational support it should be understood, and embraced, that we can sometimes help these tasks along by simply knowing our business and doing our job. Always have a clear understanding of what your company does, what it stands for, and what its short- and long-term goals are because when you are on the front lines, your knowledge and actions can help plant the seeds of new investments.