How to Use Hubspot CRM for Private Equity and Investment Teams
Hubspot can help private equity firms, venture capital funds, and investment teams manage relationships, track deals, and streamline fundraising in a single organized system. This guide explains how to set up and use a CRM like the options reviewed on the best CRM for private equity overview page, and how to mirror those best practices in your own workflow.
Why Investors Need a Hubspot-Friendly CRM Process
Investment firms manage long, complex relationships. A Hubspot-style CRM setup keeps all contact and deal data in one place so your team can move faster and collaborate better.
Key reasons to use a structured CRM process include:
- Centralized information on LPs, portfolio companies, and intermediaries
- Consistent deal pipeline tracking from sourcing to close
- Better reporting for partners and investors
- Improved email and meeting follow-up
Whether you use Hubspot or another CRM outlined in the private equity comparison article, the same implementation steps apply.
Step 1: Define Your Private Equity CRM Strategy
Before you build anything in Hubspot or another CRM, define how your firm works and what you need to track.
Clarify Your Relationship Types
List the core entities your team works with:
- Limited partners (LPs)
- Prospective LPs and family offices
- Portfolio companies and targets
- Bankers, brokers, and advisors
- Co-investors and strategic partners
In a Hubspot-aligned CRM structure, each of these becomes either a contact, company, or custom object so that you can report accurately on them.
Map Your Deal and Fundraising Pipelines
Next, outline the key stages of your investment and fundraising processes:
- Deal sourcing
- Initial screening
- IC review
- Due diligence
- Term sheet
- Closing
For fundraising, define stages such as targeting, first call, data room access, diligence, commitment, and close. These stages will become pipeline steps in Hubspot-style deal boards.
Step 2: Structure Objects and Fields Like Hubspot
A strong CRM for investors, whether it is Hubspot or one of the other platforms on the source page, uses a clean data model.
Set Up Core Objects
Use these standard objects in your CRM layout:
- Contacts: People at LPs, portfolio companies, and intermediaries
- Companies: LP organizations, targets, and portfolio companies
- Deals: Investment opportunities and fundraising opportunities
- Activities: Calls, meetings, emails, and notes
In a Hubspot-inspired approach, each object should have a simple, consistent naming convention so your pipeline stays searchable and organized.
Create Custom Properties for Investing
Private equity and venture teams need fields that go beyond generic CRM data. Consider properties like:
- Fund focus (sector, geography, stage)
- Check size range
- Deal source (referral, outbound, banker)
- Ownership target
- EBITDA, revenue, and growth metrics
- Fund number and vintage
Hubspot-style custom properties make it easy to segment lists, filter pipelines, and run performance reports.
Step 3: Build Deal Pipelines the Hubspot Way
Once objects and properties are in place, design your deal boards to mirror how work actually moves through the firm.
Design Your Investment Pipeline
Create a pipeline with clear stages and entry criteria:
- Sourced – lead identified and logged
- Screening – quick review by the team
- IC review – opportunity presented internally
- Due diligence – deeper financial and commercial work
- Term sheet – non-binding offer shared
- Closing – documentation and final approvals
A Hubspot-like board view lets partners see which deals are in which stage at a glance and where bottlenecks are forming.
Design Your Fundraising Pipeline
Use a separate pipeline for LP commitments:
- Target LP
- Intro call
- Data room access
- Diligence Q&A
- Soft circle
- Commitment
- Closed and funded
Most CRMs, including Hubspot, allow different pipelines for different processes, which keeps investment work separate from fundraising and investor relations.
Step 4: Standardize Data Entry and Workflows
Even a powerful tool like Hubspot cannot help if the data is incomplete or inconsistent. Set firm-wide rules for how information is added and updated.
Document Data Standards
Create a brief internal playbook that covers:
- Required fields for new contacts and companies
- Required fields for new deals
- Naming standards for deals and funds
- Rules for logging calls, meetings, and emails
Use examples and screenshots so new team members can follow the Hubspot-style guidelines without confusion.
Automate Repetitive Tasks
Many CRMs, including Hubspot, offer workflow automation features. Use them to:
- Assign new leads to the right partner or associate
- Set follow-up tasks after meetings
- Send reminders before key fundraising milestones
- Update deal stages when specific fields change
Automation reduces manual work so investment professionals spend more time evaluating opportunities and less time on data entry.
Step 5: Use Hubspot-Inspired Reporting for Partners
Leadership teams need clear visibility into performance. A CRM built like Hubspot lets you pull dashboards quickly for Monday meetings or quarterly reviews.
Key Dashboards to Build
Useful views include:
- Active deals by stage and owner
- Expected capital deployed by quarter
- Win rate by deal source
- Fundraising progress vs. target
- LP touchpoints and engagement
Regularly review these reports so you can adjust sourcing strategies and focus on the most productive relationships.
Step 6: Train Your Team on a Hubspot-Style CRM Setup
Successful adoption requires consistent training, not just initial configuration.
Roll Out in Clear Phases
Use a simple three-phase rollout model:
- Pilot – one fund or team uses the new setup and provides feedback
- Core rollout – expand to the rest of the firm with updated standards
- Optimization – refine properties, stages, and reports based on usage
A phased approach mirrors how teams are often onboarded to Hubspot and reduces disruption to active deals.
Offer Ongoing Support
Designate an internal CRM champion or work with an external consultant. A specialized agency such as Consultevo can help you design, implement, and maintain a Hubspot-aligned CRM strategy tailored to private equity, venture capital, or other investment workflows.
Next Steps: Apply These Hubspot Principles to Your CRM
The CRM platforms compared on the Hubspot private equity page share common best practices: clean data models, clear pipelines, automation, and strong reporting. Apply those principles in your own system by:
- Defining relationship and deal types
- Structuring objects and properties for investors
- Building investment and fundraising pipelines
- Standardizing data entry and workflows
- Creating partner-ready dashboards
By following these steps, you can build an investor-focused CRM that delivers the same clarity and efficiency that teams seek when they evaluate Hubspot and similar tools for private equity and investment management.
Need Help With Hubspot?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.
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