Startup Venture Builder

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founding partner at a pre-seed investment group in the technology industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Startup Venture Builder?

We were looking for a vendor that could facilitate our work with our portfolio companies as we help them get to market, reach business milestones, and succeed in subsequent fundraising rounds. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Startup Venture Builder has worked with several projects throughout our partnership — our partnership and business strategy have aligned over time. For one project, Startup Venture Builder has developed a web-based application to review investment applications from startups. They've also helped us market our previous application cohort. Additionally, because we respect their view of the market, we've followed their advice and listened to their opinions about potential investment opportunities. 

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Rafael (Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer), but have worked with Marco (Co-Founder & Head of Research and Development) and Gustavo (Chief Creative Officer & Head of Digital) as well. 

How did you come to work with Startup Venture Builder?

We connected with Startup Venture Builder through LinkedIn and had several Zoom calls to discuss a potential partnership. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Startup Venture Builder began in June 2021, and it's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Startup Venture Builder's work compliments ours well since we both support startups. We really enjoy working with them and frequently recommend them to our network. Thankfully, we haven't had any issues with the web app Startup Venture Builder developed. 

How did Startup Venture Builder perform from a project management standpoint?

Startup Venture Builder has excellent project management — they stick to timelines and budget. We have our own project management system in Notion and HubSpot. Most of the time, we communicate with Startup Venture Builder's team through several platforms, including Slack, email, phone calls, Zoom, WhatsApp, and even have in-person meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate that Startup Venture Builder has invested time into investigating our business — they go beyond the scope of work to deliver what will help our business succeed. Startup Venture Builder is agile — they'll deliver whatever a client needs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Startup Venture Builder has a more unstructured team, which makes them very agile, but also means it takes more time for them to organize. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to communicate clearly with Startup Venture Builder and ensure that their team fully understands the project. Also, it's important to stay on top of project progress.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Managing partner of an investment company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Startup Venture Builder?

We hired Startup Venture Builder to run a pilot season for selecting Startups in the MENA region

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

We selected SVB because of their vast experience in the field and their knowledge of the startup ecosystem.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

The team’s responsibility was to bring Shurooq Capital with opportunities to invest, we agreed on a KPI to meet our investment criteria of 3 qualified startups, they were successful in scouting 155 startups.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact was the Strategy Manager, in total there was a team of 7 working on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

SVB had a very structured approach to the vetting process that helped us reduce the 155 applications to a manageable 15 startups. They had excellent support in coordinating meetings, reviews and the overall process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had two weekly meeting over zoom that helped keep us aligned with their team in addition to that they created a Slack group that kept communication coordinated and to the point. Most impressive was the Hubspot work flow that was perfectly designed for the process.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive aspect about SVB was their ability to complete work efficiently and quickly. They demonstrated great passion in what they were doing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They could improve the Risk Assessment process to ensure it’s not a check box excercise.