Three Layers to Build Influence

This three-part framework helps explain why some funds have developed outsized influence relative to their AUM:

→ Layer 1: Ideas - The consistent public sharing of distinct perspectives
→→ Layer 2: People - The specific community these ideas attract
→→→ Layer 3: Products - The tools and resources created to serve this community

Each layer builds upon the previous one, creating a compounding effect that generates both brand equity and practical advantages in sourcing, winning, and supporting investments.

Layer 1: Ideas Network

The foundation begins with consistently publishing distinctive viewpoints. This is the authentic externalisation of the firm's expertise and perspective.

The most effective VC idea networks are characterised by:

• Specific, consistent points of view.

• Multi-format distribution (newsletters, social, podcasts, events)

• Distinctive framing that differentiates from competitors.

• Regular cadence (builds recognition over time).

We have covered this layer a lot, from distribution, to ideas, to systems. But the takeaway is that without this foundation, the subsequent layers lack focus and coherence. With it, every interaction becomes both value creation and intelligence gathering.

Layer 2: People Network

Successful Layer 1 operations require systematic content creation processes that go beyond "whoever has time to write," with structured feedback loops that track which ideas generate quality engagement and feed those insights back into investment thesis development. The best firms (and agencies) treat their content as market research, testing ideas across multiple formats and using response patterns to inform where to focus their partnership efforts.

When executed well, the ideas network naturally attracts specific types of founders, operators, industry experts or LPs. This is where two critical feedback loops begin:

→ First, you learn exactly who resonates with your thinking, allowing you to refine your messaging to attract more of the right people.

→ Second, you engage directly with this audience to understand their specific challenges, needs, and interests - invaluable intelligence that shapes both your investment thesis and your next layer.

Understanding attraction and retention is a key lever to assessing the effectiveness of your ideas. Wrote more about that here.

Layer 3: Products Network

This is where firms are breaking new ground. Creating actual products that solve problems for their target community (we broke more of these down in a different newsletter).

Older e.gs like Dorm Room Fund with their VCWiz CRM or newer products from Headline VC are the codification of this approach, with Headline having built multiple products.

But products don’t have to be software based. Headline also published Marketplace templates - an inside look at the financial metrics VCs use to evaluate their business - so there are other approaches to productisation, such as…

Educational Content Products:

• First Round Review - 10+ years of tactical startup content that became the "Harvard Business Review for startups"

• NFX's whiteboard video series - Quick educational videos explaining key startup concepts visually

• Unusual Ventures – Field Guides and Manuals: extensive free online guides for early-stage startups.

Community Infrastructure:

• YC's Bookface - Private alumni network for 9,000+ founders

• Sequoia's Ampersand app - Digital hub for founder resources and network access

• Village Global – Abaca & Capital Explorer: founders can self-assess their venture’s stage and “venture investment readiness” using Village Capital’s framework, and get matched to relevant resources or investors.

Useful Data: proprietary datasets that founders can't get elsewhere, positioning the VC as the definitive source on specific trends.

• a16z's AI tooling surveys - Research on what AI tools founders are using, creating market intelligence

• Battery Ventures - State of cloud spending

We’re still in the early innings for firms thinking about these formats.

Back to Ideas

It’s a flywheel.

Ideas attract people → people shape and spread the ideas → tools reinforce the ideas and attract more people.

i.e. products become vehicles for idea distribution at scale. The ideas embedded in the products shape how thousands of founders think and operate, which generates new conversations, case studies, and iterations that flow back to refine the original ideas.

Today, I think most funds are stuck in layer 1. Hoping their ideas attract people. But most fail to refine based on (or even capture) feedback properly. And even less are codifying this with tools.

The opportunity is now!

Laurie, Refinery Media

If you made it all the way through, thanks so much for reading! Several hundred VCs now open this every week. If it’s helped you think differently about marketing, Venture, or storytelling, please send it to someone in your orbit.