Why outbound matters more than ever

Australia and New Zealand are close-knit ecosystems, and as one of the region’s largest early-stage firms, Airtree benefits from strong network-driven and inbound deal flow. “A lot of people know us,” Marnix explains. “Our partners and investors have broad networks, and we get most of our deal flow inbound: through our site, direct introductions from our network, through our scout program or via our Open Source VC library of content and resources.”

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But the volume and velocity of early-stage company formation has changed. “Especially in this age of AI, there’s a huge volume of companies starting up,” Marnix says. “Many are led by young people who aren’t necessarily looking for investment yet. But we’d rather not wait until they’re already raising to reach out.”

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That’s where outbound becomes a critical supplement to our network. Harmonic enables the team to systematically surface early-stage companies using a blend of founding signals, traction indicators, and mandate-specific filters. Investors can assess fit across geography, sector, and founder background, then reach out early, before a round is underway.

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“We use a range of trackers and features in Harmonic to filter for what’s in mandate and interesting,” Marnix says. “Outbound is becoming an increasingly important factor for us.”

Bringing sourcing into the daily rhythm

At Airtree, Harmonic usage varies by persona, and Marnix designs workflows to reflect that. “I like to meet the investors where they’re at,” he explains. “Some are digging into Harmonic directly, setting up their own Saved Searches. Others stay in our CRM, so we pipe curated lists straight into Affinity.”

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Marnix reviews the outbound on a weekly basis, adding promising companies to tracked lists in Harmonic. Those lists automatically sync with the CRM, creating a shared view across the team. “Whether someone’s focused on a specific sector or just scanning for what’s new, this setup gives them the freedom to dive in how they want. But it also ensures we’re all aligned on the same core signals.”

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This includes the firm's investment partners who use Harmonic to prepare for trips or events. “If someone’s heading overseas, for example, they’ll pull a fresh list of founders in that region, regardless of whether they’re already in Affinity or not. It’s a quick way to find people we should know.”

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Once surfaced, opportunities are evaluated through a mix of mandate fit, traction, and intuition. “We check LinkedIn, websites, sometimes GitHub,” Marnix explains. “Harmonic shows us web traffic trends or past employment. And if someone’s connected to our network, that might be the entry point.”

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The process isn’t one-size-fits-all, but Harmonic supports that flexibility. “Different investors focus on different things,” Marnix says. “Harmonic helps surface the companies, but also gives us the right data to decide if, and how, we want to engage.”

Finding the signal, and the right path in

Once a company is surfaced, evaluation begins. While each investor brings their own lens, several consistent signals shape Airtree’s first calls:

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• Mandate fit: Geography, founder nationality, or even university background
• Momentum: Website growth and traction data
• Network context: If someone on the team has a shared connection, that often becomes the warm path in
  
  

Harmonic’s Network Mapping plays a key role in identifying warm paths to founders—especially those still in stealth mode. “If there’s a connection to someone on our team, it’s a natural starting point for outreach,” Marnix says. “Sometimes the relationship is already active; other times, it’s a chance to build one.”

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Reengagement is another frequent use case. Harmonic’s Affinity sync helps surface familiar names and companies that may have evolved since the team last connected. “A company we saw years ago might now be pursuing a completely different direction,” Marnix explains. “Harmonic keeps those opportunities visible without overwhelming people with unnecessary touchpoints.”

From tooling to team-wide traction

Harmonic features like Saved Searches, CRM syncing, and intuitive navigation make it easy for everyone at Airtree—from investors to platform, talent, and executive assistants—to engage with the platform in ways that fit their workflows.

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Prior to Harmonic, the firm used different sourcing platforms, but they proved far too complex for widespread adoption. As a result, it never became part of the team’s regular sourcing rhythm. “The biggest shift is usability,” Marnix explains. “Investors are incredibly busy, so if they’re going to use a tool, it has to be both frictionless and worth their time. Harmonic is both.”

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That ease of use with Harmonic is amplified by consistent processes. As team members explore new features and build the habit of checking Harmonic weekly, sourcing becomes more efficient and better aligned. “Tooling is only part of the equation,” Marnix adds. “Pair it with the right discipline, and that’s when you start seeing real results.”

Looking ahead: international identity and the edge case opportunity

One of the most important roles of investors at Airtree is finding the diamond-in-the-rough founders who might otherwise be overlooked by other investors. That’s why features like Founder Highlights (for slicing, filtering, and exploring) are so powerful. They make early, unstructured signals scannable, helping the team spot patterns long before they’re obvious. “It might be something small: a digital footprint others overlook,” Marnix says. “The point is, we’re seeing things that aren’t on anyone else’s radar yet.”

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For Airtree, the edge lies in separating signal from noise. And that’s exactly where Harmonic is headed.