How family offices differ from VCs
A family office manages the wealth of a single high-net-worth family. They have no fund lifecycle, no LP reporting obligations, and no requirement to deploy capital on a schedule. This means they can invest at any stage, hold positions indefinitely, and make decisions based on personal conviction rather than portfolio construction math.
The implication: family offices are more patient capital, often more flexible on valuation and terms, and can move faster than institutional VCs because there's no investment committee. The downside: they provide less structured support (no portfolio network, no recruiting resources), and their involvement post-investment varies enormously.
What family offices look for
Most family offices that invest in startups have a sector focus that reflects the source of the family wealth: a family that built a manufacturing business often invests in industrial tech; a family that built a healthcare company often invests in health tech. Finding the overlap between your sector and the family office's background is the highest-conversion targeting strategy.
Beyond sector fit, family offices look for: capital efficiency (they often prefer companies that don't need to raise every 18 months), defensibility (proprietary technology, strong market position), and founder quality — they're often investing in a long relationship, not just a transaction.
Check sizes and typical terms
Family office check sizes vary enormously — from $250K to $10M+ depending on the size of the family office and their conviction. Most participate as co-investors rather than leads, though some larger single-family offices (with dedicated investment teams) will lead rounds at Series A and beyond.
Terms are typically more flexible than institutional VCs — some family offices will invest on the same SAFE terms as angels; others use priced equity with lighter governance provisions than a VC (minority seat rather than full board seat, observation rights rather than voting rights).
How to find and approach family offices
Family offices are deliberately hard to find — many don't have public websites or LinkedIn presences. The best paths: ask your existing investors and advisors for introductions (many angels have family office relationships), attend wealth management and family office conferences (FOX, TIGER 21, regional equivalents), and use CAPLINK's investor database which includes verified family office profiles with investment focus and contact information.
When approaching: lead with sector relevance and founder-market fit, not just metrics. Family offices respond to narrative and personal connection more than institutional VCs — the relationship matters as much as the deal.