the fund manager simulator
Fund Manager!
Can you start and scale a successful investment fund? Develop your strategy, raise LP financing, deploy capital and grow your investment portfolio. Take on the role of a highly successful fund manager. Ideally suited for finance and entrepreneurship programs.
how it works
Fund Manager! in 30 sec
You are the founding team of a new investment company. Your goal is to raise a fund and invest in successful companies. You compete with other world-class on achieving the best fund performance. Along the way, you will meet ups (Boom), downs (Bust), LPs, GPs, Strategic Dilemmas, Advisors, Venture Partners, Market News, Exits, Value Creation Strategies, Super LPs, and much more. You will be competing with (up to) five other funds, all set on finishing ahead of you.
Develop a clear investment thesis and investment strategy. Raise LP financing, grow your deal flow pipeline, protect your fund economics, beware of bad deals, scale your portfolio, get the best exits, deliver a stunning IRR and fund multiples.
“Over 2/3rds of first-time funds typically fail – until now. Fund Manager is a very sophisticated and multi-varied simulation that realistically lays out the journey of building, running and exiting a fund. Finally, there is a tool that I would recommend to anyone looking to become a venture capitalist.“
canvases
Work with visual strategy canvases – developed exclusively for emerging fund managers
Fund Manager! Brings 20+ visual strategy frameworks to the table. From strategy, fund raising, value creation or Outcome canvases, we have developed a rich collection of visual tools – exclusively designed to help fund managers become successful.
Content deepdive
What You Will Experience
You and your team will take on the role of a young investment team.
You will be challenged to develop a strategy and make strategic decisions under time pressure, notably with regard to your fund, your LPs, investment decisions, and portfolio growth.
You will be exposed to strategic dilemmas, challenging market news, demanding LPs, complex deal structures, crashing startups, and all the factors a real-life VC team has to deal with as it tries to build a successful fund.
Many people get overwhelmed. They function poorly as a team. They get stressed. They make bad decisions. They are unable to collaborate well. They are unable to handle tough competitors. They make bad deals. They are unable to handle cap tables. They lose sight of exits.
This is by design.
What Is Your Investment Thesis?
Start by defining your investment thesis, your fund strategy, value creation strategy, financial model, fund economics, IC workflow and more.
Can You Raise LP Financing?
Meet 100’s of potential Limited Partners. Can you find the right mix of LP investors that fit your fund?
Can You Deliver Portfolio Growth and Exits?
Once you start investing, you also start supporting, scaling and developing your portfolio. Can you find just the right mix of Portfolio Growth and Exits?
Can You Deliver On Your Value Creation?
When you were just starting out you likely set yourself lofty targets? After years of work, now you need to deliver. Can you chase down Unicorns, Decacorns, and Dragons?
why join
Built on Real-life Funds
In Fund Manager! You step into the shoes of a new fund management team. You and your team will work through the same, real-life challenges any new team will face. Who are the best LPs for our fund? How do we compensate our venture partners? Which strategic advisors should we work with? Should we do follow-on? And how can we reach the 63X fund return Garry Tan at Initialized Capital achieved with Coinbase in his fund?
Build a world-class team
Your first challenge is building your investment thesis and aligning your team. Should you do pre-seed in Japan, Impact in Africa or Web3 in the US?
Are you a pre-seed, $150.000 per ticket or do you prefer to lead monster rounds to catch unicorns?
And how do you get your team up and running in record-short time?
Compete across funds
Just like in real life, there are plenty of hungry fund managers out there. IRRs, multiples, roadmaps to exit, and strategies for value creation all get thrown around in meetings and on TikTok.
But who can actually deliver the numbers? By year three you will start seeing the industry leaders – and the laggards. Which one are you?
Deliver stunning results
As you gain experience, you will start seeing new paths to value creation. Should you work with Jennifer Cho from Hong Kong’s Venture association or perhaps Israeli ex-Colonel Gohlan Neyr or maybe focus on the exit landscape instead?
Regardless, your overarching goal is all about delivering stunning results in your fund.
the team
Key Roles on Your Team
Each team will have between two and five participants on the fund’s team.
Managing Partner
The Managing Partner is overall responsible for the team and the fund’s performance. Make sure to develop your fund’s economic model, value creation style and exit plays.
Fundraising Director
The Fundraising Director leads all work towards Limited Partners and investors into the fund. Expect a lot of meetings and a lot of nos.
Investment Director
You are charged with all investment decisions. Maybe you want to have an Investment Committee; maybe not.
Dealflow Analyst
You are tasked with scouting, analyzing and tracking all relevant startups. You need to feed the Investment Director with brilliant cases and investment opportunities.
Fund Manager
The Fund Manager is running the day-to-day fund operations. Keep your eyes glued to the economic model, the cash liquidity, portfolio modelling, return modelling and overall fund reporting and performance.
Format
Our Success Stories, Online and In-person
Fund Manager! can be used in-person, as well as online. Here are some success stories showcasing our different formats.
get in touch
Bring Fund Manager! to Your Ecosystem
Get in touch with us to learn more and explore how we can work together, whether you’re looking to enhance VC skills, foster teamwork, or cultivate strategic thinking.