Smartround Launches Member Management to Ease Fund Administration for GPs

Smartround Introduces Revolutionary Member Management Feature

Smartround, headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, is on a mission to create a world where startups can realize their fullest potential. Recently, the company announced the launch of its new feature, 'Member Management', designed to alleviate the administrative burdens faced by General Partners (GPs) in fund operations. This innovative tool aims to optimize how GPs manage their interactions with Limited Partners (LPs), ultimately fostering a more efficient investment environment.

What is Member Management?

The 'Member Management' feature allows GPs to effortlessly oversee member registries, send emails, and attach files with ease. Key functionalities of this feature include managing member lists, sending bulk emails, and automatically logging correspondence, thereby significantly reducing the time and effort spent on routine administrative tasks.

Background of the Release

GPs are required to send quarterly or annual reports to LPs, including fund financial statements. Traditionally, these tasks are often handled using Excel spreadsheets or through individual emails, which poses challenges such as difficulty in managing sent items and a tendency for documents to go missing. As the number of functioning funds and LPs increases, managing these tasks manually opens up risks of miscommunication and escalating administrative workloads.

Feedback from existing users indicated an urgent need for a solution, particularly regarding the limitations of Excel management and associated costs. By introducing this feature, Smartround aims to allow GPs to focus on essential investment activities and better engage with their LPs.

Key Features of Member Management

The newly released 'Member Management' functionality simplifies several frequently performed tasks:
1. Vehicle-Specific Member List Management: GPs can now maintain a list of member names, investment shares, and responsible personnel organized by each investment vehicle or fund.
2. Email Sending and File Attachment: GPs can send emails with attached documents directly to members from Smartround's platform, streamlining communication efforts.
3. Correspondence Log Management and Auto-Saving: All sent documents are automatically logged, making it easy to track what has been sent, to whom, and when, thus helping prevent oversight and double sending. This also organizes information to mitigate dependency on individual personnel, providing safeguards against issues like staff turnover.

How to Utilize Member Management

Access to the 'Member Management' feature is included with a subscription to either the 'Investment Management' or 'LP Investment Management' premium plans at no additional cost. Interested parties can reach out for information gathering or assistance by scheduling a web meeting through the company's website.

Future Perspectives

Looking ahead, Smartround is considering the launch of additional tools that would streamline the management of scattered documents. These include a 'Data Room' function allowing GPs to share documents directly with LPs and a 'Data Integration' feature for seamlessly sharing fund financials in Excel format, removing the need for manual data entry from PDFs.

With its forward-thinking approach, Smartround is committed to providing infrastructure that enhances collaboration between GPs and LPs, advancing digital transformation in the investment sector.

About Smartround

Smartround is a data creation and sharing platform designed to facilitate efficient communication between startups and investors. It currently serves over 7,400 startups and more than 4,800 investors throughout Japan.

For more information, visit the Smartround service site: Smartround