One thing must be said - in today’s competitive VC landscape, investors must be tech-driven in order to perform effectively and reap substantial returns from their investments. A carefully created VC stack is, therefore, a necessity. In our series of articles exploring the ins and outs of the best VC tech tools stack, we have previously covered the unparalleled rise of data-driven VC funds. We've also delved into specific software pieces, including platforms for fund administration, reporting, portfolio management, investor relations, as well as data rooms.
Today, we're zooming out to take a look at the bigger picture that encompasses the full spectrum of tools that VCs can use to boost their productivity. It’s no mystery that GPs and LPs are flooded with a huge amount of daily tasks - from conducting thorough due diligence to fostering business relationships. The key lies in leveraging the right set of productivity tools to simplify these daily responsibilities and optimize the decision-making process. These enhanced capabilities will ultimately improve the efficiency and effectiveness of VC fund management.
So, without further ado, let's delve into a selection of tech tools that can boost the productivity of VC funds.
Productivity Tech Tools Breakdown:
- Category 1: Workflow Automation and Project Management
- Category 2: Idea Capturing and Knowledge Management
- Category 3: Communication and Collaboration
- Category 4: Time and Task Management
Category 1: Workflow Automation and Project Management
Workflow automation
- Bardeen - AI-powered automation tool that simplifies workflow automation by generating automation based on user input.
- Pipefy - AI-powered business automation platform.
- Integrify is a workflow management and automation software that helps organizations streamline their business processes without the need for coding.
- Flokzu - a process automation software that helps companies streamline and optimize their business processes.
Connecting between applications:
- Zapier - an automation platform that allows you to connect and automate tasks between different web applications.
- Automate.io + Asana - a platform connecting Asana with other workflow tools
- ClickUp - AI-powered productivity tool designed to streamline work processes and enhance collaboration for teams
Low-code automation software:
- Make - AI visual platform that allows you to build and automate workflows, apps, and systems without the need for coding.
- Appy Pie Connect - a no-code platform that enables seamless integration of various apps to automate workflows and enhance productivity.
- ProcessMaker - an open-source workflow automation tool with minimal coding.
- Kissflow - a platform that allows users to create modern applications and automate workflows with minimal coding.
Other:
- PhantomBuster - a lead generation tool that automates the extraction of leads, data enrichment, and outreach campaigns from various websites and networks.
- Scraper API - simple API to retrieve data from any web page.
- UiPath - robotic process automation platform that automates repetitive tasks and processes through software robots
- Chat GPT - AI can assist in process automation by generating code snippets, writing documentation, and providing insights to streamline and optimize various tasks and workflows
- There's An AI For That - the largest AI aggregator
- Google Bard - AI chat-based tool developed by Google, still in the development stages
Project management and task tracking
- Fathom - all-in-one reporting, analysis & forecasting for business projects
- Asana - a flexible and easy-to-use platform that helps teams manage their work, projects, and tasks online.
- Nifty- a comprehensive project management tool that unites teams, goals, and processes in one app.
- Hive - productivity platform for teams
- Trello - collaborative project management tool that helps teams organize, track, and prioritize their work visually.
- Teamwork - online teamwork & project management software app that helps managers, staff, and clients collaborate
- Airtable - a platform that allows businesses to transform workflows and build custom applications without code.
- Payhawk - a solution that reinvents business spending by combining corporate cards, expense management, Accounts Payable, and seamless ERP connections.
- Personio - a holistic HR software for companies from 10 employees up
- SmartTask is an online collaboration tool that helps teams streamline their work and projects in one place.
- Wrike - a versatile project management software that streamlines work processes, improves collaboration, and accelerates execution across teams
- Monday.com - work operating system designed to facilitate collaboration, planning, and progress tracking for teams.
Simple task tracking
- Todoist - simple, customizable to-do list app and task tracker
- Microsoft Todo - free task list app for all users with a Microsoft account
- Any.do - online task manager
- WebWork - time tracking & employee tracking
Category 2: Idea Capturing and Knowledge Management
Taking Notes
- One Note - writing tool with searchable and shareable note-taking capabilities
- Evernote - popular alternative, for organizing and arranging notes
- Google Keep - easily accessible note app, synchronized with a Google account
- Dropbox Paper - a co-editing tool that brings creation and coordination together in one place
AI-based writing assistants
- Grammarly - grammar checker, browser plug-in
- OpenAI - free generative AI, for natural language processing and generation
- Text Blaze - versatile Chrome extension that offers customizable templates and snippets to enhance typing efficiency and productivity
- AuthoredUp - tool for content creation on LinkedIn
- TextCortex - customizable AI Assistant
- Wordtune is an AI-based writing assistant that helps improve writing by providing suggestions and alternatives for sentences
- Summate.it - on-demand web article summarization tool
- Compose AI - Chrome extension that uses AI-powered autocompletion and text generation to help you write faster.
- Writesonic - AI-powered content creation platform that helps users generate high-quality texts
Bookmarking
- Pocket - Chrome extension that allows users to capture and save articles and other web pages
- Dropmark - a smart way to organize all your links, files, and notes into visual folders
- Instapaper - A simple tool for saving web pages to read later on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Computer, or Kindle.
- Save to Notion - an extension that allows users to clip or bookmark webpages to their Notion set-up
Knowledge base
- Google Drive - for file creation, sharing, and team collaboration
- Notion - connected workspace for wiki, docs, projects, lists, notes, AI-powered suggestions, personal productivity, team collaborations, and more
- Jira/ Confluence - project management platform with knowledge base features
- Zendesk - comprehensible consumer service platform with robust knowledge management capabilities
- Slab - a knowledge base and wiki software that allows organizations to easily create, organize, and discover knowledge within their teams
- Stack Overflow for Teams - a platform that enables collaboration and knowledge sharing within the organization
- Helpjuice - customizable knowledge base software for collaborations
Creating content: presentations, documents, videos, websites
Presentations:
- Canva - versatile online design platform that allows users to easily create various visual projects
- Pitch - presentation software that allows fast creation, collaboration, and analytics for beautiful presentations.
- Visme - a presentation software and all-in-one content authoring tool.
- Prezi - presentation tool, alternative for slide-by-slide presentations
Documents, Images & Designs:
- Craft - document creation tool that provides users with features to create beautifully designed and structured documents.
- Screely - a tool that allows for upgrading and editing screenshots
- Adobe Creative Cloud - a collection of over 20 creative tools and services that enable users to create, edit, and collaborate on various digital projects.
- Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that enables teams to create, prototype, and develop designs together in real time.
- Scribe is a tool that allows users to create step-by-step guides for any process easily.
- Typeform - app for creating forms
Videos:
- Vidyard - creating and sharing personalized sales videos
- Video Marketing Blaster - a video-making platform that will help you to rank on the first page of Google without building backlinks and knowing any SEO.
- Biteable - brand video maker for multi-purposes
Websites:
- Webflow - a no-code web-building platform
- Wix - comprehensive web-building platform
- HubSpot CMS Hub - a web content management system built on HubSpot’s CRM platform
- Squarespace - an all-in-one website-building platform that allows users to create professional websites for various purposes,
- Duda - a customizable website builder
- Webflow - a visual web development platform
- Softr - a no-code platform for building software applications without coding, with the ability to connect to data sources like Airtable and Google Sheets
Category 3: Communication and Collaboration
Communication
- Superhuman - a super-fast email tool with many features and functionalities such as enhanced productivity and improved responsiveness, it is compatible with Google and Outlook
- Mailbird - a tool for managing multiple email accounts from one place
- Gmelius - a tool that transforms email into a collaborative channel (on Gmail or Slack)
- Mailparser - a tool to extract data from emails and organize it
- Inbox When Ready - Chrome extension plug-in that allows users to block out inbox and focus on emails that need attending first
- Mixmax - scheduling tool for cold emailing
- Spark Mail - email platform designed to help users stay more focused and productive by cutting out unwanted distractions.
Virtual meetings
- Zoom
- MS Teams
- Google Meet
Transcribing notes from meetings & video recording
- AI Notetaker by Fathom - transcribing meetings for Zoom
- Live transcription feature in MS Teams
- Fireflies.ai - an AI-powered notetaker that transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes voice conversations from meetings.
- Loom - video messaging tool that enables users to create and share quick videos to enhance communication
- Sonix - audio and video transcription
- Rev - transcribing speech to text
- Descript - an all-in-one video and podcast editing tool that makes editing as easy as working with documents.
Document sharing
- DocuSign - online authentication and document signing platform
- Box.com - secure cloud for file sharing and collaboration
- Intralinks - collaboration software and online document-sharing solutions
- Netfiles - safe cloud solution for data exchange
- Virtual Data Rooms for secure document sharing are featured in this article.
- DocSend - secure document sharing
Collaborating
- Slack - communication platform that facilitates real-time messaging and collaboration for teams
- Discord - a platform that facilitates communication, collaboration, and socializing through text, voice, and video channels.
- Google Suite
- Jira - software tool for teams using agile methodologies to plan, track, and collaborate on projects.
- Loom - video messaging tool that enables users to create and share quick videos to enhance communication
- Signal - a secure and privacy-focused messaging app that allows users to communicate with end-to-end encryption.
- Whatsapp channels
- Circle - an all-in-one community platform that brings together courses, discussions, members, live streams, chat, events, and memberships
- Coda is a document and workflow tool that combines words, data, and teamwork in a single platform.
- Telegram - cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a focus on security and speed
Category 4: Time Management and Calendars
Time tracking
- Google Calendar
- Microsoft Outlook Calendar
- Apple Calendar
- Calendly - scheduling automation platform for eliminating the back-and-forth emails
- Vimcal - a fast and powerful calendar that combines hotkeys, natural language processing, and an AI scheduling assistant to help you efficiently manage your time and schedule.
- RescueTime - an app that tracks your every move on the computer to tell you how productive (or unproductive) you are.
- Y-Productivity - a personal productivity tracker that helps you eliminate distractions and improve your focus on important tasks.
- Toggl - time tracking software that helps individuals and teams boost their productivity and maximize their profits.
- Clara - a virtual employee who schedules meetings and manages your calendar, saving you time and effort.
Disclaimer:
This is not a comprehensive list, by all means. The technology landscape is ever-evolving, and new solutions keep popping up. Researching and choosing tools based on your specific needs and objectives is essential.
If you want to gain more insights on the VC Tech Stack topic, make sure to check out our latest articles from the series:
- VC Tech Stack: The raise of data-driven VC funds
- VC Tech Stack: Top Tools For VC fund to streamline fund administration, reporting, portfolio management and investor relations
- VC Tech Stack: Virtual Data Rooms For VC Funds
- VC Tech Stack: Portfolio Management Tools
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CEE SaaS Index - June 2023 update (by Ewa Chronowska, CEO, Vestbee & Paweł Maj, Partner, Warsaw Equity Group)
Vestbee and WEG launch CEE SaaS Index valuation tool for startups (by Konrad Koncerewicz, Head of VC & Startups, Vestbee)
