How VCs Are Using Video to Raise Millions

If you thought VC was technical, nerdy, metrics-driven – anything but cinematic…

Think again.

When Eric Reiner, co-founder of Vine Ventures, approached Fondu in August 2021 to produce its first Annual General Meeting (AGM), we were thrilled about the prospect of supporting a firm who shares our passion for companies shaping the future.

As a young fund wrapping up its first year of investments amid COVID-19 lockdowns, Vine needed to present its Fund I performance to a global investor base in the form of a captivating virtual event. The AGM would be an opportunity to deliver an engaging media experience that would not only impress investors with impactful metrics — but also showcase the human story of how Vine supports its founders, portfolio, and LPs — ultimately securing capital for the launch of Fund II.

The mission? 

Produce and stream a live, 60-minute investor experience featuring five cinematic videos showcasing Vine and some of its most exciting, global portfolio companies, interstitched with live presentations from an array of team members, founders, and key figures in VC.

The catch? 

Complete all this in time for the October event, less than eight weeks from our initial meeting with the client. 

As an agency that specializes in cinematic brand content, we knew that creating just one of the event videos could be a months-long process. To deliver five videos across four continents in under two months would be completely insane.

So we took the job.

‍The Process 

The Fondu team sprung into action, conducting a deep dive into Vine’s story and establishing key messaging and production goals for their specific investor audience. We coordinated shoots with portfolio companies in New York, Bogota, Paris, and Tel Aviv, partnering with local film crews to capture their stories in an emotional, informative, and visually compelling way. 

After shooting and compiling the beautiful footage, we handed it to our post-production team to build out five polished company vignettes, and added sleek motion graphics to tie the different pieces together with a cohesive visual language. 

Meanwhile, Fondu partnered with Evervideo to execute the live component of the event. This included working with the Vine team to write and rehearse speeches, design slide decks, schedule remote and in-person speakers, and manage all of the technical details that go into shooting and streaming a broadcast-quality livestream.

The Results

Leading up to showtime, Reiner and Vine co-founder Dan Povitsky were admittedly nervous about what to expect. Ultimately, thanks to hours of rehearsal, a polished lineup of beautiful video content, and a seamless live production, Vine Ventures’ inaugural AGM went off without a hitch, and the reception from the audience exceeded expectations. Beyond the numerous messages from LPs and founders congratulating them on a show-stopping performance, the Vine team also received tangible evidence of the AGM’s success. 

With an initial goal of doubling its existing fund, Vine’s $120 million Fund II fundraising target was surpassed by over $20 million dollars this past June, resulting in $140 million of capital commitments to Fund II – nearly triple the value of its ~$50 million Fund I. Notable Fund II investors include Tiger Global Management, Goldman Sachs, and Blackstone, as well as founders from unicorns like Carta, Shutterstock, and Hippo. 

When asked how Fondu’s production of Vine’s AGM might have contributed to his firm’s success, Reiner explained, “Video is so powerful. The amount of support that we've had since [the event] has been significantly greater than if we had not done it. It could be worth, frankly, millions and millions of dollars of LP capital.”

“Video is so powerful. The amount of support that we've had since [the event] has been significantly greater than if we had not done it. It could be worth, frankly, millions and millions of dollars of LP capital.” - Eric Reiner, Co-Founder of Vine Ventures

Following the project, Vine was able to provide its portfolio companies with the videos Fondu produced for them, as an added perk for their participation. 

“We shared the video in our company Slack and it was a real exciting ‘rah rah’ moment for all 400 employees,” said Natan Wise, Chief of Staff for BRANDED. “We have big plans for the footage: to display it pretty prominently on our website, and through a bunch of our marketing channels.”

In its two years of operation, Vine has become one of New York’s largest seed-stage investing firms. Earlier this year, co-founder Dan Povitsky earned a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, joining his partner Eric who made the list in 2020.

“In Fondu, you're getting a group of people that are equally —  if not more — invested than you are in creating something that you are going to be incredibly proud of,” said Povitsky, remarking on the process of working with Fondu, “I would love to work with Fondu for every single AGM we ever do.”