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Nov 12 dinner · Nov 19 mixer · Private Network · Free webinar Nov 17
For the last month and a half, Arthur Bavelas has been mentoring me. He runs Family Office Insights, a membership community of more than 5,000 investor members representing over 3,200 family offices, and he has been building those relationships since 1998. On Friday he said something I keep coming back to.
“The number one thing that family offices want to do is meet other family offices.”
I have been running family office rooms this year to bring serious capital allocators into Propel and introduce them to our community. Here is what I have learned.
Trust, and a way to verify it, beats everything else. Nobody at this level moves on a pitch. They move on whether they can check you out, and on whether whoever introduced you is someone they already trust. Verification is not a formality here. It is the product.
They will know in about a minute whether you are a real investor. If you are running a fund of funds, or aggregating other people's deals, say so. Do not call yourself an investor and hope it holds. It does not, and the correction costs you the relationship, not just the meeting.
There are only about 10,000 family offices in the world. That is a small town, not a market. They talk to each other. Build relationships that last and they will make the introductions for you. Burn one and you have burned more than one.
Last month's room had about 70 people and a combined $37B in self-reported AUM. That is the whole idea behind Propel. You tell us what you need, and a person routes it by hand.
01 · THE BOARD
Introductions made last month: more than 100
Mutual introductions delivered at the October room: 40
Members got meetings with research groups at Harvard, with lawyers who represent senior government officials, with VCs who took the call, with family offices meeting other family offices and smaller funds, and with the providers they needed.
If you want to be in next month's hundred, reply with the word INTRO and tell me who you need to meet or visit the link below to join the Private Network and come to all our rooms!
02 · MEET SOME OF THEM
The people in the last room were working on data centers, energy and real estate. There are two rooms this month, both at Fushimi in Times Square, both 6 to 9 PM ET. Ryan Levychin, Dylan Oriundo and I are hosting.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12 · THE DINNER
Who it is for
Founders, investors and family office professionals who would rather have one real conversation than collect twenty business cards.
What you get
A seat at a table with people you would otherwise spend six months trying to reach, and a host who knows what you are looking for before you sit down.
When
Thursday November 12, 6 to 9 PM ET. Fushimi in Times Square.
Tickets
Dinner $350. Featured Speaker $550, which includes dinner, the November 19 mixer and a two-minute speaking slot, and there are only six. Family offices and active capital allocators pay $150, which is at cost.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19 · THE MIXER AND PANEL
Who it is for
Anyone raising, anyone allocating, and anyone who needs to be in front of people who do.
What you get
A room with more than $20B in AUM already attending, a panel worth staying for, and, if you come on early access, a mutual introduction made for you before the night starts.
When
Thursday November 19, 6 to 9 PM ET. Fushimi in Times Square.
Tickets
Panel admission $50. Early access $150, which includes the mutual introduction and a drink. Dinner $250. If you run a family office managing $100 million or more, your seat is free, subject to verification. Registration requests require approval, and Private Network members get into both nights free.
Or come to both for less. The Private Network is $250 a month and members get into both nights free, which is less than the dinner ticket on its own. You also post asks between the rooms, we search Propel's archive for a fit, and you get up to three tailored introductions a month with both people opting in.
03 · ARTHUR BAVELAS AND FAMILY OFFICE INSIGHTS
Arthur Bavelas, Family Office Insights
Back to Arthur. He is also Greek, which I enjoyed more than I should have. He runs Bavelas Group and Family Office Insights, more than 5,000 investor members representing over 3,200 family offices, built since 1998. There are only about 10,000 family offices in the world, so that is close to a third of them in one place.
He also hosts Arthur's Round Table, a family office investing podcast, which tells you most of what you need to know about how he works. He is always building something, and always in a room with someone else who is. That is why I asked him to mentor me, and why we are working together now.
If you are raising, I will introduce you to his team myself. They will read your deck and send back a free Capital Intelligence Executive Report. No obligation, it costs you nothing, and I am copied on it so I can chase it if you do not hear back.
If you want his full network, with his team building your target list and running the outreach for your raise, he sells that directly starting at $2,500.
Introductions and commitments are not guaranteed. FOI charges no success fees and is not a broker-dealer. Propel charges no investor-introduction success fees. Ask Arthur's team about current availability. Propel may receive a referral fee if someone I refer becomes a client.
Propel runs the same play on our own network. You post an ask, we route it, and the introduction happens when both sides say yes. More than a hundred went out last month, every one of them made by hand, and we are building the logged-in version that does it automatically. Members who qualify also get a webinar in front of the network. Two questions, so I build it in the order you want it.
04 · CUT YOUR PAYMENT FEES, NOVEMBER 17
Courtney Wilhelm and her father James of First Nationwide Payments are running a free session on cutting payment processing fees, and the alternatives to Stripe and Square. Tuesday November 17, 1 to 1:45 PM ET, online. Bring your questions for live Q and A.
Stripe takes 2.9% plus $0.30. First Nationwide quoted us 2.75% plus $0.20. On international, Stripe is 4.4% plus $0.30 against their 3.75% plus $0.20. Lower on both, and I want every founder here to be able to check their own rate.
Save your free spot for November 17
Courtney is our Provider of the Month. Provider of the Month and Founder of the Month slots are open for December and January. Tell me about your business.
Want to reach this list? Ads here start at $50 and go to nearly 14,000 subscribers. Sending this costs about $200 a month and the ads cover it, which is exactly why I would rather run something from someone in this network than from whoever happens to buy the slot on an ad marketplace.
Reply and tell me what you do and who you want to reach.
05 · BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Nearly half of you open these emails. That is not normal, and I do not take it for granted.
So before the holiday: who in this network helped you this year?
Reply with their name, one line about what they did, and whether Propel had a hand in it. I will publish them in the Thanksgiving edition, and I will tell each person they were named.
06 · EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE
Dinner on November 12
Mixer and panel on November 19
Upgrade to the Private Network
Book 15 minutes with me
Send your deck and I will connect you with Arthur
Tell me about your business for Provider or Founder of the Month
Or just reply to this email. I read all of them.
Know someone who'd want to meet founders, investors or family offices? Forward this to them.
See you there,
Stephen