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How to partner with a VC?
In this episode, I sit down with two people who've lived on both sides of the VC partnership game. Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, and Roman Lobas, former VC platform operator and now co-founder of Icebreaker.
Abhishek spent 6+ years at Dropbox, then moved into VC at Sapphire Ventures before landing at Highland Europe, where he runs the full platform operation from talent and events to partnerships and enablement. Roman has led partnerships at growth-stage companies specifically targeting the VC channel, and has made every mistake in the book so you don't have to.
The VC partner motion is massively underestimated. A lot of companies either never touch it or blow it in the first call.
Done right, 10 solid VC relationships can generate a sustainable, high-quality revenue stream with better close rates, faster sales cycles, and lower CAC than almost any other channel.
No fluff, just the raw, honest playbook for how to actually crack this channel.
Here's what they break down:
The right timing to contact a VC and Who to contact in the firm
The discount conversation: 15% minimum, 20-25% sweet spot, 50%+ kills your pricing credibility
Never kick back revenue to a VC: give them deal flow and senior introductions instead
Pipeline is the real KPI, not number of VCs signed and don't expect anything in month one
The biggest mistakes: sending a hit list on call one, expecting a 30-min intro to generate 50 warm leads overnight
Be a sniper, not a machine gun: 5 deeply researched targets beat 200 cold blasts every time
This episode is a straight shot of reality for any partnerships person who wants to build a VC motion that actually drives revenue.
Did you enjoy this episode?
👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars
Watch at the episode on youtube:
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Abhishek's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahoti/
Roman's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-lobas/
Maxime's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships
#partnerships #venturecapital #VC #b2bsaas #partnermotion #ecosystem #growth #alliances #startups
I'm Maxime Imbert, Fractional Head of Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS and Fintech generate revenue by leveraging strategic partnerships. Strategy call: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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By Maxime ImbertIn this episode, I sit down with two people who've lived on both sides of the VC partnership game. Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, and Roman Lobas, former VC platform operator and now co-founder of Icebreaker.
Abhishek spent 6+ years at Dropbox, then moved into VC at Sapphire Ventures before landing at Highland Europe, where he runs the full platform operation from talent and events to partnerships and enablement. Roman has led partnerships at growth-stage companies specifically targeting the VC channel, and has made every mistake in the book so you don't have to.
The VC partner motion is massively underestimated. A lot of companies either never touch it or blow it in the first call.
Done right, 10 solid VC relationships can generate a sustainable, high-quality revenue stream with better close rates, faster sales cycles, and lower CAC than almost any other channel.
No fluff, just the raw, honest playbook for how to actually crack this channel.
Here's what they break down:
The right timing to contact a VC and Who to contact in the firm
The discount conversation: 15% minimum, 20-25% sweet spot, 50%+ kills your pricing credibility
Never kick back revenue to a VC: give them deal flow and senior introductions instead
Pipeline is the real KPI, not number of VCs signed and don't expect anything in month one
The biggest mistakes: sending a hit list on call one, expecting a 30-min intro to generate 50 warm leads overnight
Be a sniper, not a machine gun: 5 deeply researched targets beat 200 cold blasts every time
This episode is a straight shot of reality for any partnerships person who wants to build a VC motion that actually drives revenue.
Did you enjoy this episode?
👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars
Watch at the episode on youtube:
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Abhishek's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahoti/
Roman's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-lobas/
Maxime's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships
#partnerships #venturecapital #VC #b2bsaas #partnermotion #ecosystem #growth #alliances #startups
I'm Maxime Imbert, Fractional Head of Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS and Fintech generate revenue by leveraging strategic partnerships. Strategy call: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.