Family Office Mandate Fit
Mandate fit is the degree to which an opportunity matches an allocator’s mandate constraints and preferences.
Allocator relevance: The highest-leverage filter for improving conversion, reputation, and time-to-close.
Expanded Definition
Mandate fit is not generic “interest”—it is structural compatibility: asset class, liquidity, stage, geography, sector, ticket size, and execution model (fund vs direct). Great outreach is often simply a mandate-fit problem solved with accuracy and proof.
For allocators, mandate-fit accuracy signals professionalism and reduces noise—especially for family offices that receive heavy inbound.
How It Works in Practice
Teams score fit based on structured fields and evidence, then route outreach through the correct decision chain. Fit improves when data is verified, fresh, and mapped to specific strategy constraints.
Decision Authority and Governance
Mandate fit is enforced through IC/IPS rules or principal preference. Governance defines whether exceptions are allowed and who approves them.
Common Misconceptions
- Fit can be inferred from broad labels (e.g., “family office = venture investor”).
- Fit is static over time.
- Fit is only about sector.
Key Takeaways
- Fit is multi-dimensional (liquidity matters as much as sector).
- Verified data and recency drive true fit.
- Fit improves conversion and protects reputation.