Founders don't need "helpful."
We deliver outcomes.
Primary Impact
So founders can focus on what's ahead.
Hundreds of Hires
We see processes all the way through and regularly fill more than half of your first dozen roles.
Driving Real ARR
Million-dollar pilots, sales call review and coaching, customer retention strategies, and even scaled prospecting.
Top Models
We do finance for you—wildly beyond early stage standards—to set operations in the right direction.
Your Next Investors
Our sophisticated, fast style has a16z, Bessemer, Insight, and other top firms lining up for your Series A.
NYC'S TOP FOUNDERS START HERE
Tommy Nicholas, Laura Spiekerman, and Charles Hearn
Fairer finance, a million identity decisions at a time
Dr. Harry Ritter
Simplifying access to high-quality and affordable mental health care
Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan
The leading private network for the world's most powerful women
Ryan Denehy
The help desk every mid-sized business deserves
Allon Bloch, Ran Shaul, Adam Singolda, Israel Roth
24/7, personalized, virtual healthcare—anytime, anywhere
Brynn Putnam
The nearly invisible home gym—and new category of screen; Lululemon acquired
Ilir Sela
Tech for independent pizzerias—and online ordering for consumers
Aaron Schumm
Powering modern-day workplace savings and investing programs
Tommy Nicholas, Laura Spiekerman, and Charles Hearn
Fairer finance, a million identity decisions at a time
Dr. Harry Ritter
Simplifying access to high-quality and affordable mental health care
Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan
The leading private network for the world's most powerful women
Ryan Denehy
The help desk every mid-sized business deserves
Allon Bloch, Ran Shaul, Adam Singolda, Israel Roth
24/7, personalized, virtual healthcare—anytime, anywhere
Brynn Putnam
The nearly invisible home gym—and new category of screen; Lululemon acquired
Ilir Sela
Tech for independent pizzerias—and online ordering for consumers
Aaron Schumm
Powering modern-day workplace savings and investing programs
first Edition: The Magazine for New York Startups
Whether you’re a founder or AE, here’s advice we’ve honed from hundreds of coaching sessions.
A case study on what you need to know, from screening resumes to closing your candidate.
Partner Cassie Young shares a secret of streamlined hiring: Ask these hard questions first to qualify potential hires earlier in the interview process.
"We roll up our sleeves"?
Please.
A lot of VC firms say they help founders—most of the time, that's bullshit.
Primary's commitment to that promise begins with how we invest: We take a low-volume, high-conviction approach—because we devote unreasonable resources toward making sure founders can succeed.
The differentiator, unheard of in seed VC, is Primary Impact: We have a track record of making hires, signing customers, and securing next rounds to supercharge the growth of New York City’s most successful startups.
Here, you'll find a few examples of the work our team does alongside founders and their teams.
The main takeaway
Your Series A—twice as likely with us.
The value of our deep work alongside founders—in addition to our network, guidance on business model narratives, and fundraising support—is proven out by a portfolio Series A success rate of more than twice the industry average.
TRULY STRATEGIC FINANCE
Financial modeling to operate smarter from the start
Pan Chaudhury tapped Primary to calibrate an appropriate hiring plan and ensure solid unit economics for a people-intensive business scaling rapidly. The model—which Pan would have had to hire full-time staff to create otherwise—provided a detailed perspective on the long term gross margin potential for the business that was key for downstream investors.
Secure ARR
Day one sales strategy drives 100% retention rate
Stefan Bauer excelled at every challenge he'd ever taken on, but he had never led sales calls before. With Primary's frameworks for pipeline coverage, qualification targets, and sales targeting, he signed deals with top school districts, and found Series A funding from a16z and Sir Richard Branson.
"A managing director at a prestigious later-stage firm said my comments were the best answers he’s ever heard to sales questions and a master class—a Cassie Young product!”
- Stefan Bauer, Cofounder and CEO of Marker Learning
Hire like a pro
A team of 6—plus a recruiter—staffed in 4 months
As Black Crow surpassed stretch goals and prepared for a Series A, the team was challenged with multiple urgent GTM roles for pipeline coverage. Primary staffed 6 GTM roles plus a recruiter inheriting A+ recruiting hygiene and repeatable hiring playbooks left behind for AEs, BDRs, Marketing.
"Building this team ourselves would have taken us at least twice as long and cost us millions in missed pipeline. The difference with Primary as a whole is they really want to get shit done—and they deliver."
- Richard Harris, Black Crow