How can founders get a family office to review their investment pitch?
Short answer: A family office investor said to research the office's themes, explain plainly what the company does, and attach a PDF deck (10:14 to 11:11). A former family office allocator recommended a warm LinkedIn connection and a short email covering the strategy, edge, performance, and experience, with a one pager and presentation (13:01 to 14:22).
Family office investors and allocators discuss what gets an investment pitch noticed.
A family office investor's public investment themes
A family office investor said that even an hour of research can help you understand the themes they discuss publicly. They said a pitch outside that focus suggests the sender has not done the research (10:14 to 10:42). (at 10:14)
The investor's request for a clear first email
The same investor asked for a plain explanation of what the company does and a PDF deck, so the investor can make an initial decision about fit without asking for more materials (10:42 to 11:11). (at 10:42)
A former allocator's approach to first contact
A former family office allocator said to check LinkedIn for someone in common and ask what the family office focuses on. For the email, the allocator recommended a short account of what you do, your edge, your performance, and your experience, with a one pager and presentation (13:01 to 14:22). (at 13:01)
A healthcare investor's one pager suggestion
A healthcare focused investor said a one pager can help when technical terms make a long deck hard to digest. They recommended stating the problem, solution, what differentiates the company, and the market size (14:49 to 15:16). (at 14:49)
"I cannot tell you how many times I'm on a pitch meeting and 45 minutes into the meeting, I still don't know what this company does."
The allocator framed quarterly liquidity as a screening limit, which can rule out a fund before its strategy gets a full review.
From Richard's exclusive Billionaires.com interviews
Lessons from Richard C. Wilson's one-on-one interviews, as published on each interview page.
- Anu Aga: Focus on one main cause. Her family found its giving more satisfying and impactful once it chose primary education for the underprivileged in India.
- Binod K. Chaudhary: Never chase a deal out of desperation. Stay cool and look at every part of the deal. Have your advisers and your finance team review it critically. Your counsel should review it too.
- Larry Connor: Learn from every mistake. Larry's team owns its failures and makes no excuses. They learn, change quickly, and keep getting better.
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Frequently asked questions
How can founders get a family office to review their investment pitch?
A family office investor said to research the office's themes, explain plainly what the company does, and attach a PDF deck (10:14 to 11:11). A former family office allocator recommended a warm LinkedIn connection and a short email covering the strategy, edge, performance, and experience, with a one pager and presentation (13:01 to 14:22).
What fund size did one allocator say they would consider?
A former family office allocator said the average ticket was $10 million and they did not want to be more than 10% of a fund, implying a fund of at least $100 million. The allocator also mentioned a track record and liquidity no worse than quarterly (13:01 to 13:27).
How long did Richard C. Wilson recommend for a company pitch deck?
Richard C. Wilson said, "we always say 12 to 19 slides" (15:47).
Sources
Quotes are copied from the video captions and checked against the transcript. Timestamps link to the moment in the video. General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice.