Deployed
Draft
Draft
Go-to-Market Strategy
How you acquire first 100 customers, what channels work, and why the playbook changes every 6 months.
How Do We Get Customers?
The hardest part isn't building the product. It's convincing the first 100 people to trust it.
The Cold Start Problem
Here's your chicken-and-egg:
- Buyers won't join without deal flow
- Sellers won't list without qualified buyers
- Nobody trusts an empty platform
Solution: Start with sellers (fundless sponsors), then recruit buyers (PE firms), then scale both.
Phase 1: First 50 Users (Months 0-6)
Goal: Prove the platform works. Get feedback. Iterate fast.
Target: 30 sellers (fundless sponsors) + 20 buyers (PE firms/family offices)
Why Fundless Sponsors First?
They're motivated sellers with immediate pain:
Pain Point
Assembling capital takes 8-12 weeks. Deals die waiting.
Credibility Gap
Can't get institutional investors to return emails.
Time Constraint
Need access to capital partners NOW, not eventually.
Recruitment strategy:
- LinkedIn outreach — Search: "independent sponsor" + "deal-by-deal" + European cities. 500 prospects identified.
- Personal intros — Leverage founder network, past colleagues, advisors. Target: 30 warm intros.
- Industry events — ACG conferences, PE networking events, fundless sponsor meetups. 5 events in Q1.
- Offer: Free forever for first 30. Beta tester status. Direct line to founders. Shape the product.
💡 The "Free Forever" Bet
First 30 fundless sponsors get lifetime free access. Why? They're solving your cold start problem. They're providing the deal flow that attracts buyers. €150K in forgone annual revenue is cheap for solving chicken-and-egg.
Then Recruit Buyers
Once you have 15-20 active sellers with live listings, approach buyers:
Target: 20 mid-market PE firms + 10 family offices
Pitch: "We have 20 verified deal sources with active opportunities in [their sectors]. Want early access?"
Recruitment channels:
- Warm intros from fundless sponsors (they want qualified buyers too)
- LinkedIn targeting — Partners at €200M-€2B AUM funds
- Email campaigns — Personalized, thesis-specific, with real examples
- Industry events — SuperReturn, Private Equity Wire conferences
Success metric: 70%+ weekly active rate among first 50 users. If they're not coming back, nothing else matters.
Phase 2: Scale to 250 Users (Months 6-12)
Goal: Prove business model. Convert free users to paid. Hit €250K ARR.
What changes: You're no longer manually recruiting everyone. Time to build repeatable channels.
Channel Mix (Budget: €135K Year 1)
| Channel | Budget | Expected CAC | New Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Ads | €40K | €2,000 | 20 |
| Content Marketing | €25K | €1,250 | 20 |
| Events/Sponsorships | €35K | €2,333 | 15 |
| Partnerships | €20K | €1,000 | 20 |
| Referral Program | €15K | €500 | 30 |
| TOTAL | €135K | €1,286 avg | 105 |
Plus: 50 existing users + 95 organic/word-of-mouth = 250 total by end of Year 1
LinkedIn Ads Strategy
Budget: €40K (€3,333/month)
Targeting:
- Job titles: Partner, Managing Director, Principal, Investment Director
- Company size: 11-200 employees (mid-market focus)
- Industries: Private Equity, Family Office, Investment Management
- Geography: UK, Germany, France, Benelux, Nordics
Ad formats:
- Sponsored content — Thought leadership posts, case studies
- Message ads — Personalized InMail to decision makers
- Lead gen forms — "Get early access" with one-click signup
Expected results: 200 leads → 40 demos → 20 signups (10% conversion)
Content Marketing Strategy
Budget: €25K (outsourced writing + design)
Content pillars:
Market Intelligence
European secondaries trends, GP-led volume, pricing analysis
Operational Best Practices
Deal sourcing efficiency, verification workflows, compliance guides
Case Studies
How Platform X saved 15 hours/week, found €25M deal
Distribution:
- Blog (SEO + organic)
- LinkedIn posts (founder + company page)
- Email newsletter (monthly to prospects + users)
- Guest posts on PE Wire, Private Funds CFO
Goal: Establish thought leadership. Rank for "private markets deal sourcing" and similar terms.
Events & Sponsorships
Budget: €35K (€7K per event × 5 events)
Target events:
- SuperReturn International (Berlin) — €15K
- Private Equity Wire European Forum (London) — €8K
- ACG InterGrowth (various) — €5K
- Local PE networking events — €7K
Strategy: Not booth presence (expensive, low ROI). Instead:
- Speaking slots (free, high credibility)
- Sponsored happy hours (€3-5K, high engagement)
- 1:1 meetings pre-scheduled (quality over quantity)
Expected: 150 conversations → 30 demos → 15 signups
Strategic Partnerships
Budget: €20K (rev share + co-marketing)
Target partners:
| Partner Type | Examples | Value Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | Kirkland, Latham, Freshfields | Refer clients for deal sourcing |
| M&A Advisors | Houlihan Lokey, Lazard | White-label for client matching |
| Fund Admins | SS&C, Apex Group | Workflow integration + referrals |
| Data Providers | PitchBook, Preqin | Co-sell: data + workflow |
Deal structure: 20% rev share on referred customers. Joint case studies. Co-branded content.
Referral Program
Budget: €15K (incentive pool)
Structure:
- Refer a buyer: €500 credit (both parties)
- Refer a seller: €250 credit (both parties)
- Successful deal: Bonus €1,000 split between introducer + parties
Why this works: Users have aligned incentives. More participants = more matches = more value for everyone.
📌 Why Referrals Have Lowest CAC
Users who join via referral have 2.5x higher retention than cold leads. Why? Pre-qualified by someone they trust. Already understand the value prop. Come in warmer. €500 CAC vs. €2,000+ for LinkedIn ads.
Phase 3: Scale to 1,400 Users (Months 12-36)
Goal: Achieve €3M ARR. Prove unit economics at scale. Prepare for Series A.
What changes: Professionalize everything. Hire sales team. Build marketing machine.
Team Build-Out
| Role | Hire Month | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Head of Sales | Month 10 | Build sales process, close enterprise deals |
| SDR (2x) | Month 12 | Outbound prospecting, demo booking |
| Marketing Manager | Month 14 | Content, campaigns, demand gen |
| Customer Success | Month 16 | Onboarding, retention, upsells |
Channel Evolution
What stops working: Founder-led sales (doesn't scale). Manual outreach (too slow). Free accounts (margin pressure).
What starts working: Outbound SDR team. Paid enterprise deals. Product-led growth via freemium conversion.
Budget allocation shift:
The Playbook Changes Every 6 Months
Months 0-6: Founder-led everything. Manual, doesn't scale, but validates model.
Months 6-12: Build repeatable channels. Test, measure, optimize. Find what works.
Months 12-36: Scale winners. Kill losers. Hire team. Build machine. What got you to 100 users won't get you to 1,000. Adapt or die.
- Solve chicken-and-egg with fundless sponsors. They're motivated sellers who solve cold start. First 30 get lifetime free access. Cheap insurance at €150K forgone revenue.
- Channel mix evolves dramatically. Year 1: founder-led + events (25%). Year 3: sales team (35%) + content (25%). What works at 50 users fails at 500.
- Referrals have lowest CAC. €500 vs. €2,000+ for paid channels. 2.5x higher retention. Build referral program from day one with aligned incentives.
- Hire sales team at Month 10. Founder-led sales stops scaling at 100 users. Need Head of Sales + 2 SDRs by Month 12. Budget: €250K annually for 3 people.