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Fundraising

Fundraising with placement agents

As an emerging fund manager, is utilizing placement agents a prudent choice for fundraising? One of the significant challenges I face is having a limited network, which has hindered my ability to initiate a VC fund. I would greatly appreciate guidance on where to begin with fundraising for a first fund if placement agents are not a wise choice.
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Answered by

Mike Suprovici

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No. This is a bad idea. Avoid placement agents at all costs. First - the reputable placement agents rarely work with new and emerging managers.  Second - the vast majority of placement agents don't have your best interest in mind. Third - there are major broker dealer issues with this type of arrangement in many jurisdictions. 

There are no shortcuts to fundraising. It's very rare that random LPs that are not 1st or 2nd degree connection will invest in first closes or even Fund 1s. If you don't have the network, you're not ready to start a fund. VC is a network business. You need an extensive network to be succesful in VC both for fundraising and for deal-flow.  

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