Natalie Sportelli

Over the past six years, I’ve watched a number of venture capital firms experiment with content to varying degrees of success. And for me, success in brand publishing can primarily be determined by answering one simple question: “Did the content keep coming?” One viral hit can feel good, but genuine success comes from building meaningful, lasting content franchises that build and engage audiences over time. Producing content is only worthwhile if it can be done repeatedly and sustainably. I believe VC firms looking to launch or refocus their publishing strategies should focus their attention on three key areas: Data-driven content, live events, and emerging mediums. Data-driven content Some of the highest value content VC firms can offer to the broader tech community is in-depth research into industry trends. VCs sit on a treasure trove of insights, whether market research or portfolio trends, and failing to capitalize on this data via content initiatives is a mistake. Many data reports become canon reading for investors, founders, and the industry because of the consistent value they deliver on a specific subject or theme. In the 30 years since Mary Meeker's annual Internet Trends Report was first published, it’s become a cornerstone of VC brand publishing – cited by journalists and competing firms, and celebrated by the industry. The report boosted Meeker’s personal reputation and those of her firms, Kleiner Perkins and Bond Capital – emblematic of the status that can be achieved by delivering high-quality data and research the community craves, but doesn’t have in one shareable place. Over the years, other firms have launched their own reports aiming to contribute to the conversation and position their firms as thought leaders. Two that come to mind for me include Coefficient Capital’s Consumer Trends report – published in collaboration with The New Consumer – and Primary Venture Partners’ NYC Seed Report. Both reports offer valuable data and insights into spaces in which their firms operate while reaching practitioners and investors with a vested interest in their areas of focus. These reports take a lot of work. But data reports published consistently over time can become valuable intellectual property for the VC funds themselves and their networks in a way that builds long-term credibility. Publishing them is a worthy avenue to explore for any firm, especially when you factor in that they force the firm to be disciplined about how it puts its own proprietary information to work. Live and virtual events Events might seem like a staple in the extended universe of VC content, but I would argue that live events remain underutilized. When I think about some of the most valuable brand value that venture capital firms can produce, I immediately think of several summits and conferences. But a number of firms give up on such efforts easily, or too willingly yield the opportunity to others, whose events they then attend year after year. Drafting off someone else’s event can, of course, be a chance to share content and deepen industry connections. But VCs shouldn’t undervalue the benefit of producing events themselves. Upfront Summit, as one example, centers Upfront Ventures as a connector and leader of the Los Angeles tech community, bringing some of the most notable startup and venture capital leaders together for content, meetups and gatherings each spring. Upfront created a flywheel through which its content and high-quality speakers attracted top venture capitalists and LPs; other VCs then make the annual trip to see each other and their own backers all in one room. The invite-only nature of the event makes its live social media feeds, videos and written recaps in the following weeks more enticing to those who didn’t attend. A high concentration of industry press in attendance makes it more likely Upfront will be mentioned in subsequent news stories. The summit commands significant resources and time for the firm, and wouldn’t be easily replicated at its scale. But the benefit to its host firm’s reputation in the industry has delivered a return on that investment. Firms will have different comfort levels in terms of their ability and willingness to organize event-based content and programming moving forward. But for those looking to own more of the conversation around specific sectors or cities, such efforts will only become more important over time. If firms don’t move to center that discourse around themselves, competitors will. Emerging mediums Any brand publishing operation should be constantly evaluating new and emerging mediums, and looking for opportunities to meet audiences where they’re spending their time – and where they’ll be spending their time next. While blog posts should remain a staple of a VC content plan, not everyone sits down to read long-form written articles. Bite-sized content – such as short-form videos, podcast audio clips, or even concise Substack notes – can prove far more effective. One fund that comes to mind in terms of innovation around content mediums is Redpoint Ventures. The firm’s multimedia strategy across video, audio, reports, and writing translates well to how people across the tech world consume content today. Exploring new mediums and formats requires experimentation and time. Consistently producing different types of content that suit evolving media diets across formats and platforms also requires meaningful commitment and resources. There’s no silver bullet. Natalie Sportelli is a content and community expert with first-hand experience in the VC-as-publisher trend. She left Forbes in 2017 to join New York-based venture capital firm Lerer Hippeau and used her journalism background to build a content initiative for the fund that surfaced compelling stories for founders, LPs and the general tech audience. Most recently she served as Head of Content at Thingtesting, a Forerunner Ventures-backed startup building the go-to place to discover and review online brands.