How we raised US$25M for Deputy
Actions Speak Louder than Words
As Chairman of Equity Venture Partners (EVP) I am comfortable with the fact that our MD, Howard Leibman, prefers to say good things about our clients and business partners whilst letting our own actions speak for themselves. However for those I connect with personally via LinkedIn I can be blunter in saying that Howard has done an extraordinary job as lead advisor to Deputy in raising US$25M from Openview.
I know we added a lot of value for our clients. Along the way we gleaned new insights into how the best US VC funds operate. Howard has shared some some of these learnings, some of them surprising, on our blog — How OpenView Won the Deputy Deal
A Growing Team
The EVP team has grown to 5 advisors specialized in and dedicated to helping startups succeed. We are close to unique in providing startup advisory services to businesses and Founders we like irrespective of whether we have an equity stake in them. We help with a range of services such as financial modeling, developing Board Packs, identifying KPIs, helping define staff roles and structures and serving as non-executive directors on a range of startup boards.
Where to Next?
Our pipeline is pretty full. We are still on the process of investing the A$25M recently raised by the Microequities VC fund which we co-manage. In addition to this we have 3 equity raising mandates in the $3M — $5M range all happening this quarter. This is in addition to the ongoing advisory work we do for several clients.
As a Non-Executive Chairman I wait for Howard to suggest “where to next”. BUT, my guess is more hiring!
