Last Updated on May 8, 2024 by
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The challenge: finding a solution that supports the various components of angel investment group’s business model
Keiretsu Forum is the world’s largest “by invitation only” angel investor network. It’s also the fastest-growing and most active angel community in the world. The forum is comprised of chapters (i.e. sub-groups) that operate in specific regions, contributing towards the economic growth and funding of innovation in the area. All Keiretsu Forum members are accredited investors and the member community includes successful senior executives, business leaders, family offices, and serial entrepreneurs.
What makes Keiretsu Forum special is its highly collaborative syndicated chapter network. This means they need to share information easily yet safely within their own group as well as across other Keiretsu groups. To facilitate the syndication process, they find it very helpful to document as much of the due diligence process, questions, and information as possible. “Having that documented due diligence report is incredibly helpful for the next investor or investment group when looking at the opportunity,” explains Nathan McDonald, Managing Partner & CEO of Keiretsu Capital and President of Keiretsu Forum Northwest & Rockies.
Nathan has worked with angel investors and groups for 25 years and finds it uniquely challenging:
“There are a lot of management challenges. You manage a membership group and produce events with in-person and online attendees – angel, institutional and private equity investors, and family offices. You facilitate the investment process for the investor members – including screening, due diligence, follow-up the due diligence – and also provide constant ongoing support and assistance to the companies. It is several different businesses wrapped into one.”
That’s why finding a good technology platform able to support all the different roles and tasks of an angel investment group and address each unique operational need is so difficult.
Keiretsu Forum was looking for a deal flow management system for:
Tracking incoming applications;Identifying and selecting companies for their review process and pre-screening; Moving companies through a workflow, including gathering more information for the investors, due diligence, documenting the due diligence process and relevant information, voting; andSyndicating investment opportunities across their network of investors and other angel groups.
The outcome: a web-based system that gives members access to real-time information
Today, Keiretsu Forum’s North American chapters use Dealum as their deal flow platform to interact with their members and companies. Nathan says that they liked Dealum’s approach to product development and there was a lot of alignment in terms of their core values and long-term goals.
Keiretsu Forum Northwest & Rockies adopted Dealum in 2021 and other chapters soon followed suit. Dealum has allowed them to combine multiple systems, streamlining different processes into one platform.
Sarah Aubrey, Membership & Events Director of Keiretsu Midwest says they’re building their system slowly and easing into it. They started setting up their system in 2022 and began using events at the end of 2023. Sarah says they like to think things all the way through not to add anything impulsively: “It’s a work in progress. Dealum is so customizable that there’s a lot more we can do with it, for sure.”
3 key benefits of using Dealum for Keiretsu Forum
Streamlining the overall deal flow – Dealum provides a robust platform for transparent and centralized communication throughout the application, due diligence, and syndication processes. The companies can connect with angel groups, and transparently communicate and market their offerings. Keiretsu is constantly working on making that process as helpful as possible for their group, their members, and the companies. A centralized space for events – with Dealum, members have one central space where they get a quick actionable overview of the events, information about the companies involved, and any deals in the making. Mutual access to real-time information – with Dealum, members can see which companies are applying, going through due diligence, etc., and can express or revoke funding interests in real-time. The companies can keep the investment information up to date and see the progress of the funding round.
The verdict: a rewarding partnership that helps to offer a more seamless user experience
Sarah says that knowing everything they know now, they’d choose Dealum all over again:
“Working with Dealum is more like a partnership. Working with a client-facing company like that is the best form of user experience you can get. In return, we provide insight, feedback, and suggestions from our perspective.
Dealum allows members and companies to see all the relevant information they need when they need it in an easily digestible format. This creates a more seamless user experience in general.”
Nathan is glad that Dealum worked well for them and the other angel groups they’ve referred to the platform: “Using Dealum has definitely positively impacted the overall management of our deal flow. It was great having real-time support from real people who cared a lot about our business and made sure that we were up and running successfully. There’s still a lot of work to do to curate and facilitate the process but Dealum gives us the ability to organize those activities.
We recommend any group to give it a try. Give it a demo, and see how it can work for your processes. Remember, being clear on your workflow is the key – both your operational flow and the information flow. The tool should work for you, not the other way around. Dealum offers a platform where you can customize everything for your specific needs.”
Keiretsu Forum Fact Sheet
Region
50+ chapters located on 4 continents
Member count
5000+ across 50+ chapters (up to 150 members per chapter)
Founded
2000
Website
keiretsu-forum.com
Using Dealum since
2021
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Request a demo to see how using Dealum can improve your investor group communications
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