Defining "Investor GTM"

Estuary: A Newsletter about Investor GTM

I’ve always been curious to see how networks make change happen.

Themes of decentralization, creativity, resource allocation, and long-term commitment seem to present themselves time after time—especially in software and venture capital.

Most recently, I’ve been involved with partners at growth-stage firms as they advocated for a novel fintech product within their portfolios and broader networks. Given the outcome of that experience—40x’ing a pipeline and generating a disproportionate amount of new leads, I was certain that some kind of playbook existed for this.

But I couldn’t find a reliable resource that focused on the what, why, and how of Investor GTM, so I’m making one.

To the current questions regarding shifting effectiveness of GTM strategies, mindfully navigating investor networks to grow and scale your company feels like an answer hiding in plain sight.

Estuary is my vehicle for exploring the topic. You can subscribe here.

Defining “Investor GTM”

The point of GTM is to make sure that your future customers hear about you, become interested in your product, develop a case for using your product, and ultimately buy from you.

Investor GTM is leveraging investor networks to influence the entire sales cycle.

Most people think about one group of investors—the ones invested in your company.

In fact, there are two:

1. Investors on your cap table

2. Investors on your ICP’s cap table

In some cases, the groups overlap; which can even be a stated or implied value-add for certain investment firms. Y Combinator has famously executed this.

Visualize This Network

Whether this is true for your company or not, the first step is understanding that this dense network of investors exists—thousands of professionals managing deal flow and supporting company growth.

They are lifetime investors at seed funds, consultants who now managing due diligence at a PE firm, and operators who have moved in house before the inevitable escape to their next company, to name a few.

These roles each have their incentives, but their firms have a common goal: return the fund to LPs and achieve substantial returns beyond.

The best Investor GTM strategies hew as closely as possible to both the personal incentives of key players in the firm and the overall goals of the firm and its funds.

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