--- name: ecosystem-partner-segmentation-map description: "Builds a structured segmentation map of an ecosystem's actors — VCs, law firms, LPs, banks, audit firms, placement agents, and industry associations — categorized by role, influence tier, partnership type, and engagement priority, with a ranked target list and outreach sequencing. Use when mapping a private-markets ecosystem for partnership strategy, prioritizing which intermediaries to pursue, or building a referral and channel network for a VC or private-markets SaaS product." argument-hint: "[product] [target-market]" allowed-tools: ["Read"] --- # Ecosystem Partner Segmentation Map ## Purpose Produce a complete, prioritized map of the ecosystem actors surrounding a VC or private-markets SaaS product — classified by their functional role, influence tier, and the partnership model that fits each — so business development effort goes to the intermediaries that actually move deals and adoption, not whoever is easiest to email. ## When to Use Invoke this skill when the user asks to: - Map the partner ecosystem for a VC, fund admin, or private-markets SaaS product - Decide which intermediaries (law firms, banks, placement agents, LPs) to prioritize for partnerships - Build a referral, channel, or co-marketing network across the private capital landscape - Segment ecosystem actors by influence or by partnership type - Prioritize BD outreach when there are too many potential partners to pursue at once - Justify a partnership strategy or target list to a head of partnerships or revenue leader ## Inputs Required Before starting, collect: - **Product**: What the SaaS product does and who in the workflow uses it (e.g., fund operations, LP reporting, portfolio monitoring, deal sourcing) - **Target market**: The specific segment served — early-stage VC, growth equity, PE, fund admins, family offices, etc. - **Geographic focus**: Primary regions or financial hubs (e.g., US, UK, DACH, SEA) - **Partnership goal**: What partnerships should produce — referrals, integrations, co-selling, distribution, credibility, or data access - **Current partners**: Any existing partners or relationships, including those already explored or stalled - **Deal cycle**: How the product is bought — bottom-up adoption, procurement, committee approval, or champion-driven - **Resourcing**: How many partnerships the team can realistically support in the next 2 quarters If geographic focus or resourcing is missing, assume a single primary region and capacity for 6–10 active partnership conversations, and note the assumption. ## Instructions ### Step 1: Inventory Ecosystem Actors by Role Build the actor inventory across these seven role categories. For each, identify the specific subtypes relevant to the stated target market and geography: - **Capital allocators (LPs)**: Pension funds, endowments, fund-of-funds, family offices, sovereign wealth — the source of fund capital and a high-trust referral channel into GPs - **Fund managers (GPs / the buyers themselves)**: The direct customer; classify only as a partner where larger funds can refer their portfolio or peer network - **Legal**: Fund formation counsel, transactional/M&A firms, regulatory specialists — embedded in every fund launch and deal close - **Banking & finance**: Fund finance lenders, custody banks, prime brokers, investment banks — touch the operational and capital flow layers - **Audit, tax & administration**: Audit firms, tax advisors, third-party fund administrators — own recurring, workflow-adjacent relationships - **Intermediaries & agents**: Placement agents, secondaries advisors, capital introduction teams — sit at the deal-flow chokepoints - **Associations & communities**: Industry bodies (e.g., ILPA, BVCA, NVCA), conferences, accelerators, peer networks — provide reach and credibility at scale For each role category, list 3–6 specific named-type actors (organization types, not necessarily named companies unless an obvious leader exists) that matter for this product. ### Step 2: Score Each Actor on Influence Tier Assign every actor an influence tier using two axes: - **Reach** — how many of the target buyers this actor touches (one fund vs. hundreds) - **Trust weight** — how much the buyer defers to this actor's recommendation in a purchase decision Classify into three tiers: - **Tier 1 — Network hubs**: High reach AND high trust. A single relationship unlocks many buyers (e.g., a fund administrator serving 200 GPs, a major association) - **Tier 2 — Trusted advisors**: High trust, narrower reach. Recommendations carry weight but reach fewer buyers (e.g., a leading fund formation firm) - **Tier 3 — Volume channels**: Higher reach, lower per-recommendation trust (e.g., a broad conference or directory) State the reasoning for each tier assignment in one line — not just the label. ### Step 3: Match Each Actor to a Partnership Type Assign the partnership model that fits each actor's position in the workflow: - **Referral partner**: Sends qualified buyers; best for trusted advisors adjacent to a triggering event (fund launch, audit, close) - **Integration partner**: Technical/data connection that creates stickiness; best for fund admins, banks, and data providers - **Co-sell / channel partner**: Joint pursuit or reseller motion; best where the partner has a sales relationship with the same buyer - **Co-marketing / credibility partner**: Content, events, endorsement; best for associations and communities - **Strategic / ecosystem partner**: Deeper alignment, possibly equity or roadmap; reserved for Tier 1 hubs with structural leverage A single actor may carry a primary and secondary partnership type — name the primary. ### Step 4: Build the Prioritized Target List Combine influence tier, partnership type fit, and the stated partnership goal into a ranked target list of 10–15 actors. Rank by expected impact-to-effort, not by tier alone — a reachable Tier 2 advisor often beats an unreachable Tier 1 hub. For each ranked target include: 1. **Actor type and tier** 2. **Why now**: The event or dynamic that makes this partner timely 3. **Partnership type and the value exchange**: What each side gives and gets 4. **Entry point**: The realistic first conversation or warm path in ### Step 5: Sequence the First Two Quarters Sequence the top targets into a phased outreach plan aligned to team capacity: - **Quarter 1 — Foundation**: 1–2 Tier 1 hubs (long lead time) plus 3–4 high-fit Tier 2 referral partners (faster wins) - **Quarter 2 — Expansion**: Add integration and co-marketing partners once early referral signal exists - Note dependencies — which partnerships should land before others are pursued, and which require a reference customer first. ## Output Format - **Structure**: Role inventory table → influence tier classification → partnership-type mapping → ranked target list → two-quarter sequencing plan - **Length**: 1,100–1,500 words - **Format**: Tables for the actor inventory and ranked target list; structured bullets for tier reasoning and sequencing - **Sections**: Ecosystem Actor Inventory (7 roles) → Influence Tier Classification → Partnership Type Mapping → Prioritized Target List (10–15) → Two-Quarter Sequencing Plan - **Tone**: Head of partnerships — strategic, prioritization-driven, allergic to busywork; every recommendation tied to deal or adoption impact ## Quality Checklist Before delivering output, verify: - [ ] All seven role categories are populated with 3–6 specific actor types each - [ ] Every actor carries an influence tier (1/2/3) WITH one-line reasoning — not a bare label - [ ] Every actor is matched to a primary partnership type that fits its workflow position - [ ] The ranked target list contains 10–15 actors ordered by impact-to-effort, not by tier - [ ] Each ranked target has a "why now" event and a concrete entry point — no generic "reach out" - [ ] The sequencing plan respects the stated team capacity and names at least one dependency ## Notes - The most common BD error in private markets is chasing Tier 1 hubs first — they have the longest lead times and lowest reply rates; seed Tier 2 referral wins in parallel to build credibility for the hub conversations - Fund administrators and audit firms are consistently undervalued: they hold recurring, workflow-embedded relationships across dozens of funds and convert well as integration or referral partners - A referral partnership without a triggering event (fund launch, audit cycle, close) rarely produces flow — anchor every referral target to the moment its buyers are most active - If the product is bought bottom-up rather than through procurement, weight community and association partners higher — they reach the individual champions directly --- ## How to use this skill This file is a Claude Code skill in [Anthropic's standard format](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills) — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top. **Installing in Claude Code:** - `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` — auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects) - `/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` — auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills) Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register. **Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:** 1. 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