Key takeaways
- Private referral links on your portal tag each application with its source (Pilot).
- Deals introduced by email can be created by an analyst, who notes where they came from.
- Referred deals go through the same rubric. A referral only counts if you make it a weighted preference.
- Scout links, an intake mailbox and relationship mapping are planned for later.
Planned feature: not in Delsivo yet, and details may change before it ships.
Why referral sources get lost
A warm introduction arrives as a forwarded email, a message on a phone or a mention at a dinner. The deck gets saved, the founder gets a reply, and the name of the person who sent it is forgotten by the second meeting. A year on, the fund can't say which co-investors or founders send deals worth meeting, or thank the people who did.
Referral links today, scout links later
| Route | Who uses it | What it records | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public application link | Founders who find your website | That the application came through the public link | Pilot |
| Private referral link | Co-investors, portfolio founders, friends of the fund | Which referral link the application came through | Pilot |
| Analyst-created record | Introductions by email or in person | The source an analyst notes on the deal | Pilot |
| Scout link | Each scout in a scout programme | Which scout sent the deal | Later |
| Intake mailbox | Anyone forwarding a pitch to a fund address | The forwarded email as the source | Later |
How to track VC referrals in Delsivo
- 1Create a private referral link for each group of referrers you want to tell apart, such as co-investors and portfolio founders.
- 2Share each link with that group. Founders who use it see your branded portal like anyone else.
- 3Applications arrive tagged with the link they came through, and the source stays on the deal through every stage.
- 4For introductions by email, an analyst creates the deal and records the referrer.
- 5When a referred deal advances or passes, the reason is recorded like any other, so you can later see what each source produced.
Treat referred deals the same way
A warm introduction is a signal, but it is also one of the ways a fund's networks shape who gets a meeting. In Delsivo a referral doesn't change a deal's screening unless you make it a weighted preference in your rubric, and if you do, it shows up as a named criterion with its weight. Founders without a connection to your network go through the same rubric as those with one.
Scout programmes and relationship mapping
Planned for a later release: scout links with attribution per scout, relationship mapping that shows who in your network knows a founder, and conflict review. Delsivo won't handle scout payments or carry: fund accounting is out of scope.
If you run a scout programme today, one private referral link per scout gives you basic attribution in the pilot.