The 15 checks
Who you are
1. A clear one-line answer to "what do you do?" Visitors want to know in five seconds: what size of company you back, in which sectors, and where. "We partner with exceptional businesses" says nothing. "We buy majority stakes in healthcare and education businesses across Europe and North America with $5–30M in revenue" says everything. 2. Your investment criteria, in plain numbers Founders want to know quickly if they fit. Show the deal size, revenue or profit range, stake size (majority or minority), sectors and regions. This also saves your team from screening deals that were never a match. 3. What makes you different Every firm says it "adds value." Say how. Do you have an operating team? A buy-and-build playbook? Deep ties in one sector? Give one or two concrete examples, not a list of adjectives.Your people
4. Real team bios with real photos People invest in people. Each bio should show past deals, prior roles and what that person actually works on. Stock photos or missing headshots are a red flag. 5. Who a founder will actually work with Founders care less about the senior partner who signs and more about who they will speak to every week. Make it easy to see the deal team, the operating partners and any advisors.Your track record
6. A portfolio page that is current List current and past companies, with logos, sector, year invested and a line on what you did together. A portfolio page that stopped updating in 2022 makes people assume the firm has slowed down. 7. Proof of results Where you can share them, show outcomes: exits, growth in revenue or headcount, new markets entered. Even without fund returns, a few real numbers per company beat a wall of logos. 8. Founder testimonials The most trusted voice on your site is a founder you have backed. Short, named quotes or a two-minute video interview carry more weight than anything you write about yourself.How you work
9. What happens after you invest Founders worry about losing control. Explain what the first 100 days look like, how board meetings run and what support you offer, such as hiring, finance or expansion help. 10. Your deal process and timeline Set expectations: first call, information you will ask for, due diligence, term sheet, closing. A rough timeline (for example, 8–12 weeks) shows you are organised and respect their time. 11. Your thinking, in your own words Insights, market notes and sector reports show how your team thinks. They also give founders and investors a reason to come back, and help your site show up in search.Trust and practical details
12. Signs you are regulated and real Investors look for regulatory details (for example, DFSA, ADGM FSRA or SEC registration where it applies), a physical office address and proper legal pages. Missing basics make due diligence teams nervous. 13. Up-to-date news Recent deals, hires and fund closes show momentum. A news page with nothing new for 18 months tells its own story. 14. An easy way to get in touch A named contact, a direct email and a simple form for founders to submit a business. A generic "info@" with no response time is where good deals go to die. 15. A site that works on a phone and loads fast Many first visits happen on a phone, between meetings. Slow pages, broken links or text you need to pinch to read undo everything above.Make your website do the first meeting for you
Your website will never close a deal. But it decides who picks up the phone. A clear, current, honest site brings in better-fit founders, gives investors confidence before the first call, and saves your team hours of explaining the basics.
At FOLD Research, we work only with finance and professional services firms, including private equity firms, investment banks and financial advisors. We help with website content, SEO, social media and research that shows how your team thinks.
Want a second pair of eyes on your site? Email info@foldresearch.com or call +971 50 295 5420. For more pieces like this, visit our Insights hub.