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Welcome

Most people building technology for VC funds are coming from the outside. They’re talented engineers who haven’t worked in venture capital before, don’t yet know how funds actually operate, and often spend early cycles building the wrong things. This guide exists for the love of the game. I’m not trying to commercialize it or build a business around it. I just want to help funds think more holistically about technology and data in VC, and give engineers entering this space the resources I wish I’d had.
A note on perspective: This guide reflects my personal experience building VC infrastructure. Your mileage may vary. Every fund is different, and what worked for me might not be the right approach for yours. Use this as a starting point, not gospel. I’m sure there are things I’ve missed. Dissenting opinions welcome!

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What This Guide Covers

The guide is organized into three parts:

Part 1: Understanding VC

Learn how venture capital funds actually work, understand your specific fund’s needs, avoid common mistakes, and hire the right people for your data team.

Part 2: The VC Tech Stack

Explore the technology landscape at VC funds: what tools matter, when to build versus buy, and real examples from working funds.

Part 3: Technical Foundations

Deep dives into data providers, modeling, entity resolution, warehousing, integrations, security, and emerging trends like MCP and AI agents.

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Who This Is For

You should read this if you:
  • Just joined a VC fund as an engineer or CTO
  • Are building tools or infrastructure for venture capital
  • Want to understand how VC funds operate from a technical perspective
  • Need practical guidance on data modeling, integrations, and architecture for VC
This guide is not:
  • An introduction to venture capital investing
  • A guide to becoming a VC or raising money
  • Generic startup or tech company advice

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Getting Started

Start with Part 1

Begin with the fundamentals of how VC funds work - essential context before building anything.

Quick Reference

Skip to specific topics or use this as a reference guide if you’re already familiar with VC basics.

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About the Author

Alex Patow has been building in VC since 2020. He started at EQT as part of the Motherbrain platform, then worked closely with deal teams in EQT’s PE business as a founding member of Motherbrain Labs. At Inflection, a pre-seed/seed deep tech VC fund, he’s building the fund’s core infrastructure: data pipelines, deal flow systems, portfolio analytics, and the internal tools that power investment decisions. He’s been recognized in the Data Driven VC Landscape as a leader in the field and has given multiple talks on the subject.

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Contributing

Found an error, have a suggestion, or want to contribute additional content? Contributions are more than welcome! Check out the GitHub repository to open an issue or submit a pull request. See the contributors who’ve helped shape this guide.

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Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this guide are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any employer, client, or organization I am or have been affiliated with. Any product or vendor recommendations are based on personal experience and are not endorsements by any affiliated entity.