Why I Invested in Builtfirst: The Pioneers of Ecosystem-led Growth

When I came across Builtfirst , I immediately wanted to get involved. The reasons behind my decision to invest in Builtfirst are rooted in my own personal experience and connection to their value proposition, key industry trends, and their innovative approach to solving a problem they also personally experienced.

A Personal Connection

Having worked as both a vendor salesperson and venture investor, I deeply understand the significance of community and ecosystem-led growth. Builtfirst emerged from the founders' experience as venture capitalists seeking an intelligent solution to build a more scalable way to expand their platform team’s impact. This personal story resonated deeply with me, and I knew their dedication and firsthand knowledge would accelerate their path to success.

As a former salesperson, I instantly gravitated toward channel sales and strategic partnerships to build my pipeline. It always felt more natural and authentic to me. I strongly believe in relationship-based and solution-based selling, and channel sales is exactly that. A new term in the go-to-market space to represent this approach is ‘Nearbound’, and I love it.?

"Nearbound means leveraging the full power of your ecosystem." - Reveal

And as a former team member at a venture capital fund, I have witnessed the challenge of building a scalable platform strategy.?

The Value Proposition

The Builtfirst platform is a single solution that uniquely provides value to various stakeholders - ?

• For Venture Capital firms, it provides the VC with a scalable way to offer a ton of valuable (pre-approved) discounts and a more educated vendor selection process to their portfolio. No more manually maintained Google Sheets, Airtables etc. Just one turnkey solution for the VC to offer and endorse the vendors they trust.?
• For startups, it’s easy self-serve access to thousands of dollars in software and services savings which is incredibly meaningful for companies of all stages looking to extend their runway and maximize their investor dollars. No more waiting around for a discount code or recommendation from your investors. Just log in and see their preferred vendors and discounts.?
• For vendors, it’s a way to control your messaging, offers, and placements with your strategic partners. No more black box. You control the offers, visibility, messaging, etc - in real-time. It’s also giving vendors better buyer intent and traffic data to improve their GTM strategy.?
• For banks and any other business that wants to build a marketplace to offer value add services and discounts to their customers, it’s a turnkey solution for you to launch this. No more long development and planning cycles. Launch your custom marketplace in hours.?

Foundational Strength and Future Expectations

The cornerstone of any successful enterprise is its leadership - and Builtfirst boasts an exceptional founding team with Aaron Bailey and Michael Julve. Driven by their motivation to solve their own problem, these former venture capitalists bring authenticity and a wealth of experience to the table. I am confident that their expertise and dedication will steer Builtfirst towards exponential growth in the market, ultimately positioning the startup as a game-changer in the channel and ecosystem partnership space.

Market Trends and Industry Outlook

In an increasingly globalized world, engaging in strategic partnerships has proven instrumental in the success of numerous businesses. Builtfirst's innovative solution arrives at a crucial time, as more and more companies place substantial value on ecosystem-led growth, community-led growth, and nearbound focused collaboration. By staying ahead of this curve, Builtfirst is poised to capitalize on this emerging trend and capture the rapidly expanding addressable market.

My decision to invest in Builtfirst was a no-brainer, thanks to the startup's impressive founding team, innovative approach, and alignment with current industry trends. Builtfirst has the potential to disrupt the market and create a lasting impact on the channel partnership landscape. And as the startup continues to innovate and prove its value proposition, I am excited to watch their journey continue to unfold.

Rock on, friends.