---
title: A research workflow for venture capital
category: workflows
summary: Watch a portfolio, track a thesis, follow public comparables and prepare partner meetings, with source-cited updates your investors can act on.
order: 21
updated: 2026-10-07
next: research-workflow-technology-professionals
related: build-and-save-a-beacon, present-manifests-to-your-users
reference: /agents/vertical-agents, /agent-guide.md
---

An investor's problem is not too little information. It is knowing which of a thousand small events touches a portfolio company, a thesis, or a deal. This workflow turns Synorb into four standing watches and one on-demand preparation, and tells you how to present each.

## When to use this

Use it when your user is an investor or works for one. Examples are a partner who wants a Monday update, an associate who prepares for a founder call, or an analyst who tracks a thesis. It builds on the Beacon and filter guides.

## Smallest working call

Find venture-capital writing Streams. Search is free:

```mcp
synorb-stream-search
{"surface": "venture_capital", "page_size": 10}
```

Then look at a company before a meeting. This pull is billed only for what it returns:

```mcp billed
synorb-manifests
{"stream_ids": ["STREAM_ID"], "days": 7, "significance": "high", "target_count": 5}
```

## What you get back

### Four standing watches, one Beacon each

Create these with the Beacon guides, asking your user before each save.

| Watch | Scope | Pull each run |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Portfolio** | One Stream per portfolio company, in one Beacon (a Beacon holds up to 750 Stream IDs) | `lookback_hours: 24`, or `days: 2` for a daily check |
| **Thesis** | The topic Tags that define the thesis (from the Tags guide), across relevant Streams | `days: 7`, `source_class: ["company_first_party", "corporate_blog"]` |
| **Public comparables** | The comparable companies' Streams, by `ticker` | `sec_form_type: ["8-K"]` and a 30-day window |
| **Market voices** | The venture-capital Streams found above | `days: 7`, deduped across runs |

Starter accounts may already have a "VC Blogs + Startups" Beacon. List them with `synorb-beacons` and `tag: "starter"` before you build another.

Find each company with a name search, then check it before you add it:

```mcp
synorb-stream-search
{"query": "COMPANY_NAME", "page_size": 3}
```

A founder's company may not be covered. Say so, and ask for a public source. Do not substitute a similar name.

### The Monday update

Run the portfolio, thesis, comparables and market watches. Dedupe on `manifest_id`. Then write sections in this order:

1. **Lead line:** the one thing the partner most needs to know.
2. **Your companies:** first-party announcements, with the source link on each.
3. **Your thesis:** the strongest two or three items, each with why it matters to the thesis.
4. **Public comparables:** filings that move the picture. If two or more comparables report the same measure in the same unit, add a small table. See the charts guide.
5. **Also seen:** one line.

### Meeting prep

Before a call, pull the company's last seven days at `significance: "high"` with `target_count: 5`. Use the Claims of the Signal to find specifics, the Brief's `timeline` for sequence, and `unresolved` for the questions worth asking. Lead the prep note with the question the evidence leaves open.

## Failure modes

| Symptom | Cause | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A portfolio company has no Stream | It is not covered | Tell your user, and request a public source. Do not guess. |
| The Monday update is too long | Too many low-signal items | Raise to `significance: "high"` and cap `target_count`. |
| A comparable shows nothing | Wrong form or no filings in the window | Widen to 90 days, or confirm the form name. Use exact `sec_form_type`. |
| Duplicate stories across watches | One item routes to several Streams | Dedupe on `manifest_id`, and merge same-story items. |
| A table of "valuations" tempts you | The numbers are not comparable | Do not chart or tabulate figures with different bases. Describe them. |

## Make it good for your user

Investors read for what changed and what to do. Lead with the change. Link every statement. Keep "not covered" and "nothing new" as plain, short lines, since those are answers too. Offer to tune a watch after each update: "less of the blogs, more of the filings?" is a one-line `PATCH`.

## Next guide

[A research workflow for technology professionals](/agent-resources/research-workflow-technology-professionals): track the stack you depend on.