How to partner with a VC? | Alliances

Description

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.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

We believe every partnership is unique yet certain universal principles can help you build lasting, high-performing collaborations.
Our guests share both their successes and the challenges they’ve overcome, so you can learn from real-world experience. Together, we unpack key steps such as:

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

From powerful co-branding initiatives to tech integrations, joint ventures, and loyalty programs, Alliances dives into all dimensions of strategic collaboration.
We also explore emerging trends the impact of digital transformation, the rise of innovation ecosystems, and the growing importance of shared values in modern partnerships.

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Whether you’re leading a startup, SME, or large enterprise in tech, finance, industry, or beyond you’ll find in Alliances a wealth of insights to elevate your partnership initiatives to the next level.

Ready to transform the way you collaborate and turn your alliances into a true growth engine?
Subscribe to Alliances now and discover inspiring conversations, practical advice, and fresh perspectives to fuel your business strategy.

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

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.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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Description

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.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

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.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Alliances

Alliances: The Podcast on Strategic Partnerships

Welcome to Alliances, the podcast dedicated to the art of strategic partnerships in the business world.

In an ever-changing economic landscape where collaboration has become a key driver of growth, Alliances aims to help you master this crucial skill.

Each month, we sit down with inspiring leaders like CEOs, CROs, CCOs, Heads of Partnerships, and renowned industry experts to share their experiences and insights.

These pioneers, shaping the future of collaborative business, reveal their winning strategies and the secrets behind partnerships that truly transform their organizations.

Why Listen to Alliances?

Whether you’re a business leader, revenue owner, sales executive, or responsible for building strategic collaborations, this podcast is made for you.

It delivers practical answers and actionable tools to help you:

Understand why and how strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth and revenue.
Identify high-impact collaboration opportunities for your organization.
Set up effective processes to manage and sustain your alliances.
Avoid common pitfalls and maximize the value of professional relationships.

Insightful, Action-Oriented Conversations

Finding the right partners.
Negotiating and structuring agreements.
Integrating partnerships into the company’s overall strategy.
Measuring performance and refining the relationship over time.

From strategic alliances to marketing collaborations, channel partnerships, and more every facet of partnership management is explored.

Authentic insights & diverse topics

A Podcast for every Partnership Leader

Together, let’s build partnerships that create real value.

Available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@Alliancespodcast

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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