Key Takeaways from Private Equity International’s Investor Relations, Marketing, and Communications Forum New York 2024.
It’s one of our favorite times of the year – PEI’s Investor Relations, Marketing & Communications Forum in NYC. This premier event of IR and marketing leaders in private equity explores the biggest pain points impacting their roles, new strategies, and best practices of fundraising, LP relations, branding, and communications.
As a proud consecutive sponsor, Altvia had the opportunity to be onsite, as well as participate on the “Investor Engagement: Leverage technology to prospect and engage new investors” panel.
And while the overarching sentiment was that it’s more competitive than ever right now for GPs, the energy and ideas were flowing and one recommendation was clear and recurrent: the power of staying connected with LPs — not only when it’s convenient, but consistently and genuinely — is paramount in staying top of mind.
Here are our biggest takeaways from this event:
Staying connected with your investors isn’t just a checkbox in your CRM.
While securing a first meeting with a prospective LP is the first hurdle, the real test lies in maintaining momentum and fostering deeper connections in-person and digitally in subsequent interactions.
Our Chief Strategy Officer, Jeff Williams, was quoted saying “It’s Not Your Dad’s CRM” during his panel session on how to leverage technology to prospect and engage new investors. And, well, yeah it’s true. Modern CRM and relationship management has evolved. It goes beyond mere data entry and simply cannot be a rolodex of contacts. Staying connected and developing long-term relationships with investors requires effort. The right technology can help you with that. It can help you answer LP questions with proactive transparency, concise answers, and readily available fund information. If you have this infrastructure properly built and adopted at your firm, we believe you will be a differentiated GP in today’s landscape.
What LPs truly want from GPs.
Transparency. The value of straightforward communication that is backed by clear data is key. Being able to provide quick and comprehensive responses to inquiries demonstrates a level of preparedness and professionalism that fosters trust and confidence in the partnership.
Communication. Understand the specific interests and preferences of potential investors before reaching out. A personalized approach not only increases the likelihood of securing a meeting, but also lays the foundation for a fruitful partnership down the road.
Show, Don’t Tell. Don’t get caught up with flashy sales pitches. LPs appreciate when GPs let the numbers do the talking, providing concise and data-driven insights into their performance and strategy. If you’re an emerging fund manager, you can differentiate by providing white papers or documentation that clearly outlines your unique investment strategy.
Is your storytelling compelling enough?
Having the ability to connect the dots and know where to prioritize your time with the right relationships is essential, but that’s only half the battle. Having a great relationship is one thing, but what happens next? This is where thesis storytelling is a powerful differentiator for GPs seeking to capture investor attention. Whether it’s conveying the excitement surrounding a new investment opportunity or articulating the vision for future growth, storytelling can transcend numbers and leave a lasting impression.
But here’s the thing, the art of strong storytelling comes from the ability to align interests and understand what truly matters to your audience. And that’s precisely where the right technology can play a pivotal role. It empowers you to tailor your narrative, anticipate investor needs, and deliver personalized experiences that resonate deeply—ultimately enhancing your fundraising and dealmaking performance.
Do more with less, or work smarter not harder?
It wouldn’t be a current event without talking about the hot topic of AI. Embracing AI isn’t just about doing more with less; it’s about doing more intelligently and strategically, positioning firms to find operational advantages over other fund managers.
It’s evident that adopting AI in your daily workflows can increase productivity. And early AI adopters are seeing the results. AI holds the promise of redefining workflows and streamlining manual tasks into concise summaries and recommended prioritizations. And as we get smarter in how we utilize this emerging technology, it will get smarter in how to best serve our workflows. That said, it must be recognized that AI needs human guidance for guardrails and fact-checking. Particularly being thoughtful around regulations, compliance, and data security.
We’re in this together.
All in all, it was great to be surrounded by such high-caliber professionals in the alternative asset space. And it’s evident that no matter which boat you’re rowing for, everyone is rowing in the same upstream direction, searching for ways we can continue to further improve the private capital market that we all love.
Want to hear more about the conference or how technology can support your firm’s evolving needs? Let’s chat! https://altvia.com/book-a-meeting/
