Key Metrics to Monitor Your Portfolio Post-Investment

Important KPIs for any early stage investor

Keys:

1. The KPIs to track and figures to hit when performance tracking can change based on stage and sector. It’s more important to understand how the metrics serve the specific goals of the startup and whether they indicate that the company has the growth, sales, and customers to reach the next level before the zero cash date.
2. For early stage investors, it’s important to learn how “revenue” is tracked when you don’t have any. For startups, pick three metrics to measure early & often to quantify value and product-market fit.
3. Be sure to understand their sales method. There is not just one recipe that fits all startups; it’s more about justifying the rate and showing where the breaking points are.
4. Track churn over time. At the beginning, a company may have a higher churn, but it should refine and decrease as customers buy-in, love the product, and share it with others.
5. Burndown becomes significant when you understand the venture goals. What is the plan? With this level of burn, will you have enough employees and revenue to propel the company to the next level and justify the next round of funding? Map it out and strategize to understand the status of the company’s post-investment growth.

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