Fundraising as an Emerging Manager is, at its core, a trust problem. You’re asking LPs to commit capital to a team with a shorter track record, less institutional infrastructure, and fewer of the third-party validators that established managers rely on.
Everything you do (or don’t do) to build that trust matters.
We decided to look at one specific channel that has the potential to build trust faster than almost anything else: video.
Video Adoption by the Numbers
We analyzed 197 Emerging Managers, reviewing their websites, LinkedIn presence, and other digital channels, to understand how many are actually using video as part of their LP communications strategy.
- 163 firms have no visible video
- 34 firms use video on at least one channel
- 17% overall adoption rate
83% of Emerging Managers are relying entirely on words on a page to make a first impression with potential LPs. In a trust-driven industry, that’s a significant gap.
Below is the full list of firms with and without video. If we missed anything, it’s likely not easy to find. And LPs will definitely not spend time trying to track it down.
Why Website Video Matters
Read more: How to Use Video To Boost Visibility and Build Trust in Private Equity
Your website is usually one of the first stops for an LP doing initial due diligence. The question it needs to answer quickly is: do I trust these people?
Text-based websites can explain your strategy, your thesis, and your team’s background. But they struggle to convey the thing that often matters most to LPs: what these people are actually like.
A short, well-positioned video does several things that a bio page cannot:
- Puts a face to the firm: LPs see who they’re backing, not just a logo or a corporate headshot.
- Humanizes the team: tone, energy, and personality matter in long-term partnerships.
- Shows how you think: investment approach, judgment, and decision-making come through more clearly than in text.
- Reinforces credibility: confident, clear communication builds trust faster than written materials alone.
- Differentiates immediately: if 83% of your peers have no video, the bar is genuinely low.
- Shortens the path to a first meeting: an LP who’s already seen and heard from you arrives at the intro call warmer.
- Extends beyond the meeting: LPs can revisit and share internally.
- Works around the clock: your website is asynchronous; a video means your best pitch is available whenever an LP has 90 seconds to spare.
An example of a website video 51 Labs produced for Carr’s Hill Partners
Why LinkedIn Video Matters
LinkedIn is another place where LPs form first impressions, scrolling through their feed, watching who surfaces, noticing who has something interesting to say.
For Emerging Managers, it’s one of the few channels where you can build familiarity with a potential LP before you ever send them a cold email.
LinkedIn’s algorithm continues to favor video content over text posts in terms of reach, which means you can demonstrate your expertise and voice in a format that scales.
A 90-second video on a market theme, a portfolio observation, or a contrarian take on deal flow reaches your network (and their networks) in a way your deck never will.
Consistency matters more than production quality here. A GP who posts a thoughtful short video twice a month will build more LP familiarity over 12 months than one polished video posted once.
Matt Jenkins (QHP Capital) sharing a quick industry update.
An example of an easy-to-produce LinkedIn video created by 51 Labs.
A Low-Friction Way to Start Using Video
Read more: Pre-Production Guide for PE Firms: What to Do Before a Video Shoot
The most common objection we hear is some version of “we’re not ready” or “we need it to be more polished.”
Both are understandable, but they’re also the reason the overall majority of Emerging Managers still have no video at all. Here’s a low-barrier starting framework:
- Start with one website video. A 90-second GP intro—who you are, what you invest in, why—is a meaningful upgrade over nothing.
- Commit to one LinkedIn video per month. Pick one thing you’ve been thinking about, like a market dynamic, a portfolio observation, a question you keep getting from LPs. Speak to it for 60–90 seconds.
- Repurpose what you already have. Recorded fund update calls, conference panel clips, and pitch recordings are all raw material. A well-edited clip from an existing talk is better than starting from zero.
- Don’t let perfect be the enemy of present. LPs are not judging production value. They’re judging whether you have something credible to say and can say it clearly. A phone video with substance beats a polished video without it.
Most Emerging Managers are under-positioned online—and it shows before the first meeting. We fix that through content strategy, LinkedIn execution, website development, video, and more. Happy to share where you stand and what to fix quickly.
