Your funding round may have closed…but the real work has only just begun.
From a PR perspective, the first six months post-funding are critical for an early-stage startup. That’s when perception, positioning, and awareness either accelerate or stall. Striking while the iron is hot can be the key to turning that momentum into real growth.
And for the VC firms backing them – that momentum matters, too. The more visibility, credibility, and traction a portfolio company builds out of the gate, the stronger the foundation for long-term success – both for the company, and the investment behind it.
So what’s a VC firm to do? Here are a few ways to turn your portfolio momentum into greater visibility, and position your investments for success:
Think Beyond The Press Release
Funding isn’t just capital – it’s validation. When you announce a funding round, you’re shaping how the market sees a company: as a category leader, a growth-stage disruptor, or the next big thing. Sure, you can distribute a basic press release to share the news – but that’s a missed opportunity to build momentum from the jump. Taking a more strategic approach to PR in these first moments helps:
- Build credibility with partners and press
- Increase visibility with customers and talent
- Create a clear narrative around your portfolio
- Attract future customers, partner, talent, and investments
But without a clear PR plan, the story can fall flat – or worse, get lost in a sea of noise. Here’s what happens when VC funding announcements aren’t handled with care:
- The story leaks through a Form D filing before your message is ready
- Reporters skip the story due to weak positioning
- Founders scramble to prepare quotes and talking points
- Competitors gain traction with less funding but better PR
When you wait too long to plan your PR for funding announcements, you risk losing the attention your investment deserves.
Six Steps to Funding News Success
Use this roadmap to plan your funding news, and the PR program that comes after it – so both you and your portfolio companies can maximize every opportunity.
1. Plan Ahead
Start working on your PR strategy at least 3–5 weeks *before* your investment hits the bank. This allows for a comfortable window ahead of Form D deadlines, while also providing enough time to plan your messaging, identify top targets, and seed the media in advance.
2. Map Your Messaging
The first press release does more than just announce your portfolio company to the world. As a piece of owned content, it is one of your first opportunities to shape the narrative around the business, mission, and competitive positioning. Clearly explain the problem being solved, highlight unique differentiators, and establish category leadership out of the gate.
CASE IN POINT: Daybreak (formerly Noodle.ai) set out to transform global supply chains with AI-driven planning tools that eliminate waste and improve efficiency. Resound launched a category leadership initiative, including announcing funding news – securing top-tier coverage in Bloomberg, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal, along with steady thought leadership in supply chain and AI trades. The PR efforts helped the company double its share of voice year-over-year, exceed coverage goals by 25%, and achieve notable breakthrough wins in high-value business media.
3. Identify Your Targets
Build your list to include important top-tier VC, tech, and business targets, like TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Bloomberg, and others. But don’t overlook industry trades, key verticals, and other “watering holes” that reach the audiences most important to future growth.
4. Pre-Seed The Media
Putting a press release on the wire gets the news online, but pitching the media directly is how you generate meaningful, earned press coverage. Reporters need time to build their stories. Pitch them a few weeks in advance under embargo, or consider going “all in” with one major outlet for an exclusive if you’ve got something truly newsworthy.
CASE IN POINT: With breakthrough technology transforming construction cost estimating, 1build partnered with Resound to launch its funding round with an exclusive in TechCrunch – positioning the brand at the intersection of innovation and industry impact. We followed with a targeted effort across the construction trades, where the brand’s key audiences were looking for insights and solutions. This included educational bylines, customer spotlights, and insights on construction best practices. The campaign drove 3.5 billion impressions, including 19 funding placements across top-tier VC and tech media, and established a strong, ongoing presence in construction trades, keeping 1build visible where prospects live and learn.
5. Make Your News Go Further
Turn your coverage into content! Once the press release is live and media coverage runs, make sure to leverage these important proof points on company blogs, social media, sales emails, and investor updates. And don’t stop with just the startup: your VC firm should amplify the win as well. Showcasing portfolio successes to your own network, as well as current and prospective investments, is a key validation point for your firm.
6. Keep The Momentum Going
One of the biggest mistakes both investors and startups make is limiting their PR efforts to funding news only. Decades of experience have taught us that an ongoing PR program earns startups the visibility and credibility they need to attract customers, secure additional funding rounds, and facilitate meaningful exits. That means establishing a regular cadence of news, insights, thought leadership, and features over 12-18 months or more.
CASE IN POINT: The travel booking platform faced the challenge of scaling brand visibility while entering new markets and competing with larger, established players in the corporate lodging space. Resound developed a tailored PR strategy to elevate its positioning, combining thought leadership, executive commentary, customer success storytelling, and consistent media outreach. Within a few years, Hotel Engine (now Engine.com) hit unicorn status with a $65M Series B that was widely reported across top tech, business, and travel media – strengthening visibility, credibility, and growth opportunities.
Don’t Forget About Your Own Brand
And for investors? There’s an even bigger opportunity to leverage PR for your own growth. Venture capitalists have valuable intel about industry growth, startups to watch, and investment trends. Sharing commentary and insights on an ongoing basis, while announcing funding news across your portfolio as it happens, puts your firm in the spotlight, builds credibility, and helps to attract founders, partners, and future investment opportunities.
Resound has announced over $1B in funding rounds and supported clients through $3B+ in acquisitions + IPOs, from startup through exit. Whether you’ve just closed an investment, have funding news on the horizon, or want to build greater visibility across your portfolio, we know how to turn those moments into momentum. Ready to make some noise? Reach us at makesomenoise@resoundmarketing.com or schedule a call today.