Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

Beezer Clarkson: major mistake to avoid as a General Partner!

5 Sept 2022 · 1 min

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In this interview excerpt, venture‑capital general partner Beezer Clarkson warns that many GPs habitually begin LP meetings with an unstructured pitch, treating limited partners like an ATM. He advocates spending the first ten minutes establishing a clear agenda and asking LPs about their experiences in previous market downturns, successful fund strategies, and how they construct their portfolios. This dialogue‑first approach, he argues, yields deeper insight and a more collaborative relationship than a one‑sided sales pitch. The conversation also touches on the importance of asking LPs about portfolio construction to better align expectations.

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I think people make, and I, I hate to call it a mistake, but it happens so frequently, is to immediately launch into the pitch. Yeah. Versus saying, I wanna spend the first 10 minutes really structured on the agenda to understand what you're doing, Mr. and Mrs. LP. And then ask them questions like, what did you see in the last downturn? What was a successful strategy that venture funds used? I mean, presuming they've lived through it, like, it's like, it's the book that hasn't been published, but is sitting in front of you and I hesitate to say this, and again, I'm sure this is the same experience GPs have with entrepreneurs. A lot of times I, the feeling is a bit that GPs are approaching LPs like an ATM, like, can I just have a check and leave? And I get it, but you're missing out the point of the dialogue. It doesn't have to be on Twitter, it doesn't have to be a big article. Yeah. You can just be in the room and you'll learn a ton.
That's super cool. I feel like the questions that I became more comfortable asking over time were around like, what is your portfolio of construction look like?