Pipeline Conversion Metrics
Percentage of LPs advancing from one fundraising stage to the next, used for bottleneck identification and pipeline forecasting.
Conversion metrics reveal where LP interest drops off—enabling targeted process improvements and realistic capacity planning.
Expanded Definition
Core conversion metrics: outreach-to-meeting (% responding to outreach), first-to-second meeting (% returning after pitch), engagement-to-diligence (% requesting DDQ), diligence-to-IC (% advancing to IC presentation), IC-to-commitment (% approving), and overall conversion (% of qualified targets that commit).
Healthy conversion benchmarks vary by fundraising stage: early fundraising (5-10% outreach-to-commit), mid-fundraising (10-15%), late/oversubscribed (20-30%). First-to-second meeting conversion (30-40%) and diligence-to-commitment (60-70%) are relatively stable regardless of fundraising stage.
Signals & Evidence
Conversion rate tracking:
- Outreach → First Meeting: 15-25% is normal (varies by access quality)
- First → Second Meeting: 30-40% indicates strong pitch/fit
- Engagement → Diligence: 50-60% shows qualification working
- Diligence → IC Presentation: 70-80% indicates strong diligence quality
- IC → Commitment: 60-70% normal; <50% signals IC preparation issues
- Overall Qualified → Commit: 10-20% for mid-stage fundraising
Decision Framework
- Baseline establishment: Track conversions from fundraising start to establish normal ranges
- Bottleneck identification: Stages with abnormally low conversion require diagnosis (pitch quality, qualification accuracy, process friction)
- Capacity planning: Use conversion rates to forecast how many qualified targets needed to hit fundraising goals
Common Misconceptions
"Higher conversion always = better" → Extremely high conversion may indicate over-qualification (missing opportunities); balance conversion vs pipeline breadth. "Conversion rates are constant" → They improve with fundraising momentum, social proof, and GP experience. "Low conversion = poor performance" → Some stages naturally have lower conversion (outreach-to-meeting); context matters.
Key Takeaways
- Pipeline conversion metrics track stage-to-stage advancement rates—revealing where LP interest drops and enabling targeted improvements
- Conversion benchmarks vary by fundraising stage and fund characteristics—establish baselines specific to your situation
- Abnormally low conversion at specific stages signals problems requiring diagnosis and process refinement