How Do VC's Source Deals
by Paul Jozefak
I thought it was time for a blog post on this topic as I've been asked this so many times over the years. Most recently I was doing an interview for a professor doing some research on the effectiveness of business plan competitions. We ended up having a fairly long discussion about how we generate dealflow. (Note: I haven't yet received his paper on the effectiveness of business plan competitions based on all his interviews!)
In short, the answer is our network. That doesn't really answer the question clearly but it's basically as simple as that. Having now been in the space for 10 years, I honestly can't remember doing one deal which came in unsolicited. I don't want to sound like an arrogant putz about this but it's just fact. The largest percentage of deals I've worked on came in via my network of other VC's, entrepreneurs and various business people, sometimes even lawyers or tax advisers. As a VC, you are regularly at events or on the road talking with people whom you know or may have worked with. This is where the most deals tend to trade hands. It's pretty simple. I talk to people whom I know, respect and trust. Their "good word" in regards to a deal gets me interested enough usually to follow up or to take the meeting when it's offered. As has also been written many times before, VC's like to syndicate. Hence, there's a few funds whom we tend to work with more than others and over time, you end up sharing a greater number of deals.
Further dealflow is generated on my own. I read everything VC and tech on the web. If I find companies which are of interest, I'll go ahead and approach them to discuss what they are doing. A good number of deals I've done originated in this way. I also believe that this is starting to become an ever greater source of dealflow. Proactively pursuing deals gets you in the door usually before the company is even out looking for money. This allows you to be therewhen the company is looking to raise cash. On the best deals, this is often the "little somethin' extra" that gets you a deal.
More...