Your Trusted Operating Partner
We help venture capital and private equity funds optimize their limited time and reduce portfolio risk driving better outcomes for all.
Founder-led companies outperform all others.
You don’t need an academic study to confirm what you already know.
The longer a founder stays in the CEO chair, the better the outcome for the company and your investment.
A founder’s vision, enthusiasm and work ethic are second to none and why you invested in the company in the first place.
And founding CEOs have the moral authority to make difficult decisions about the direction of the company that only they can make.
The most expensive thing in the world is experience.
With that beginner’s mind, however, comes the normal mistakes of inexperience.
These include leadership team mis-hires, shiny object syndrome, and cycles wasted in areas of the business that ultimately won’t create enterprise value.
Many times these mistakes are simply a friction to growth. In some instances, however, they can be more damaging.
How you equip and support your CEOs to handle the inevitable headwinds of building a meaningful business is the single most important variable in your control after you make an investment.
Your time is at a premium as your portfolio grows.
We understand the time constraints facing investors in growth mode. Sourcing and closing new deals is very time consuming.
And while you and your team may have relevant operating experience, the attention you are able to spend on each company and CEO quickly declines as the portfolio grows.
We've sat on both sides of the table.
We get the founder mindset, having started multiple venture-backed companies ourselves with multiple exits. We quickly build trust and rapport having been there and done that. And by having a team of advisors to choose from, we find the best personality fit between CEO and partner.
We’ve also been VCs and are active angel investors. We understand fund objectives, managing limited partners, and the time constraints in your role of managing a portfolio.
In the words of Mark Suster, we’ve sat on both sides of the table.
Get the right help in the right way.
HR leadership coaches may help equip the CEO with psychological tools but can’t provide relevant or practical business advice.
Peer groups are a great resource for CEOs to bounce ideas off of with limited context but are used selectively.
Adding a senior C-level executive to the team may be a logical option, but is not appropriate at all business stages.
That’s where Arena Partners comes in.
