Session #3 Attracting Capital: Building a Winning Go-to-Market Strategy

(2 hours 5 min.) Thursday, February 20^th, 2025

4:00pm – 4:05pm          Opening Remarks & Speaker Introduction

                                                Speaker: Carmen Ortiz-McGhee

4:05pm – 4:40pm          Positioning Your Firm to Win in a Competitive Environment

In the crowded and competitive field of fundraising, it is critical to hone your messaging, define your brand and clearly articulate your competitive advantage. In this session, you will hear from leading experts on how to effectively differentiate your strategy and learn how to attract potential LPs' attention. You will also discover how to pitch to different investor types and how to most effectively tell your story to investors who hear pitches all day, every day.

What is your “edge”?

• • Key Differentiators
  • Building Your Story: Team, Market Opportunity, Investment Strategy, and Track Record
  • The Role of Friends & Family
  • Engaging your Initial Limited Partners

Speaker:

• Nia Gandy White, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Arc Advisors

4:40pm – 5:15pm          Crafting Your Brand: How You Stand Out in a Crowded Marketplace

When launching a new firm, it is crucial that your marketing materials pass institutional muster. With one chance to make a first impression, your messaging must be concise, consistent and appropriate for your target LPs. Your design and materials should also look professional. Participants will hear from an industry expert on how to ensure consistency in messaging and design across your marketing materials.

Speakers:

• Julia Cassano, Director of Client Management, The Loom Collective
• Emily Lewis, Investment Marketing Lead, The Loom Collective

Firm and Fund Marketing Materials: Pitch Book, Fact Sheet and Website

5:15pm – 5:20pm           Virtual Break (3 min) & Next Panel Introduction (2 min)

5:20pm – 6:00pm         Been There, Done That: Perspectives from Successful Founders

Lessons learned the hard way, including the real cost of launching and operating an institutional-grade firm, how long it will actually take to raise the capital, the realities of no longer being a part of a much larger entity (with all of the resources and infrastructure it afforded you) are all covered in this session. NAIC member firms will share some of the harsh realities of being an entrepreneur and raising a fund in the ever-increasingly competitive universe of alternative investments.

Moderator: Carmen Ortiz-McGhee

Panelists:

• Heather Faust, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Argand Partners
• Colin Meadows, Managing Partner, o15 Capital Partners
• James Tieng, Managing Partner, Lumos Capital Group

6:00pm – 6:05pm         Session #3 Closing Remarks

                                                      Speaker: Carmen Ortiz-McGhee

6:05pm                                           Session #3 Ends

6:05pm– 6:35pm           “Ask the Expert” with Jules Cassano and Emily Lewis, The Loom Collective