In Q2 of 2020 alone, there were over 4,500 venture capital deals across the globe. Of these deals, over 2,100 were in the US. If that sounds like a lot of deals, a lot of cash, and a lot of venture capital firms vying for the chance to to be noticed - it is. The world of venture capital is booming, and firms are understanding what many have known for years: in a market inundated by choices and decisions, it is critical that your firm stands out.
Take Unshackled VC, for example. The relatively small VC created a unique value proposition to differentiate themselves in the VC landscape: In exchange for equity, Unshackled not only provides cash but also acts as an employer and visa sponsor for founders.
Unshackled has unique value and strategy, and they also use their distinctive attributes to comment on generic topics with a spin unique to their company. The firm has successfully used their value proposition to discuss persistent industry topics that every VC can discuss (like investor relationships, or marketing strategies) with a fresh, unique perspective, that highlights the benefits and originality of the firm.
Take Unshackled’s post on evaluating investor fit. Unshackled asserts as many VCs do that aAn investor should be vetted for a strong relationship fit” but they are able to back that claim up with their unique value proposition, “It’s no secret that being an immigrant founder can be a lonely journey, especially when navigating the early days and those unavoidable rocky periods.” While every VC can agree that getting along with their investor is crucial, Unshackled takes advantage of this opportunity to provide commentary on what they can provide (guidance through the immigration process) that entrepreneurs would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
Put simply, generic information doesn't sell a VC brand, insight does. And when a firm has abundant insight to provide to founders, LPs and the market in general, you are able to create unique and engaging content on topics that would otherwise seem “generic.”
Tenor thinks about your news and content from the perspective of what it means for the reader (founders) and we work hard to make it about them by making it uniquely about you.
Our first action on day one will be to ingest all of the content you've created thus far and work through a problem, proof, solution framework. If your content does not meet this requirement, we make recommendations to improve, edit or remove it.
Take a look at our framework below:
It’s natural to be skeptical of vetting all of your brand content with this framework at first, but when you go in-depth it's plain to see how a bit of nuance can make this approach work for you. Where many VCs building their brand through content marketing and PR get hung up is the "problem" part of our formula above. The trick here is to highlight a unique element of your brand's positioning as part of the twist on a common problem. Therefore, in the case of Unshackled, "raising capital" becomes, "raising capital from immigrant investors vs. a traditional tech-bro VC shop."
By creating a form and flow of content that is unique to your firm, we can drastically reduce the time required by executives to direct the creation of content and rapidly improve the uptake by audiences. Thought leadership content or PR pitches with this angle resonate and get results.
Our approach can help your firm become dominant in founders' minds by first creating absolute clarity about your unique attributes and aspirations. Then we get to help support your work with founders and your mission to grow a truly impactful investment platform and team. Let’s get the conversation started.