6 Challenges Portfolio Companies Face as They Scale
Scaling a portfolio company brings a unique set of obstacles that can make or break long-term success. From protecting founder vision to negotiating favorable terms, the path forward requires careful strategy and awareness. This article draws on expert insights to examine six critical challenges that companies encounter during rapid growth.
Protect Your Vision and Maintain Control
In venture capital negotiations it is crucial to protect the vision and maintain control over key aspects of the business. Ensure that investors align with the long-term goals and respect the elements contributing to your success. Retaining decision making power over product development is vital to preserving the integrity. Likewise safeguarding the company culture is essential to maintaining the values that differentiate the brand.
Investors should bring more than just financial support to the table. Their expertise and network play a significant role in helping your business grow and thrive. By working with investors who understand the industry and share the vision you can establish a partnership that supports both short-term needs and long-term objectives. A strong collaborative relationship can propel your company to new heights.
Control the Narrative Before You Negotiate
Everyone tells founders to "optimize for valuation" or "don't give up control." But the real thing to negotiate for isn't the number — it's the narrative.
Every term sheet is basically a story about what kind of company you are and where you're going. Investors don't just write checks — they co-author that story with you. The more vivid and grounded your narrative, the more leverage you have, because it makes investors feel like they're stepping into momentum, not manufacturing it.
So before you negotiate, get crystal clear on the story you want your next round to signal. For instance, are you the scrappy underdog that's just proven profitability in a "hype" market? Or are you the fast-scaling category creator pulling ahead of the pack? That framing should shape everything — from valuation to board structure to liquidation prefs. If you don't control the narrative, the terms will do it for you.
Numbers can be renegotiated later. Narratives can't. Once the story gets out, that's what defines your company in the ecosystem — and that's what dictates every term after.
Observe How Partners Handle Disagreement
It's easy to get fixated on the headline numbers in a term sheet—valuation, the size of the round, the option pool. These are tangible, easy to compare, and feel like a scorecard for how well you're doing. Founders often treat the negotiation as a battle to be won, where every concession is a loss and every hard-fought point is a victory. But this framing misses the entire point of bringing on a partner for the next decade of your life. The terms matter, but they are the byproduct of something far more important.
My advice is to focus less on "winning" the negotiation and more on what the negotiation process reveals about your potential partner. This isn't a one-time transaction like buying a car; it's the first project you're doing together. How do they handle disagreement? When you push back on a term, are they collaborative and principled, or do they become defensive and adversarial? The way you collectively navigate a tough conversation about founder vesting or board control is a direct preview of how you will navigate a product failure, a key executive departure, or a down round in the future.
I remember a founder who fought tooth and nail for an extra half-percent of ownership, creating weeks of friction and bad blood with the incoming investor. He "won," but the relationship was strained from day one. When the company hit a rough patch a year later, the investor was transactional and unhelpful. In contrast, another founder I know had a tough but respectful debate over board composition. They found a creative compromise, and in doing so, built a foundation of trust. When her company faced a crisis, that same investor was the first person to call, asking, "How can I help?" The terms on the paper define the deal, but the way you get there defines the partnership.
Focus on Liquidation Preference Over Valuation
Founders almost always focus exclusively on the valuation. But the liquidation preference term is more likely to determine how much the founders and employees end up in an acquisition. Any liquidation preference other than 1x sets up the common shareholders for trouble.
Also, while valuation is important, a valuation that is too high sets up high milestones to reach for the next round. I always advise founders to focus more on what the investor brings to the table in terms of industry contacts, leadership, and support and pick the best, most useful investors rather than the one offering the highest valuation.
Scrutinize Terms That Determine Exit Rights
When negotiating venture capital terms, I encourage founders to look beyond valuation and focus on the terms that determine control and exit. While it's natural to expect roughly 20% dilution with each funding round, what truly matters are the provisions that dictate who runs your company.
First, scrutinize liquidation preferences carefully. Non-participating preferences create a more balanced relationship between founders and investors, while fully participating preferences favor investors by guaranteeing them their money back plus a share of profits.
Second, board composition is critical. When investors request board seats, understand exactly how this affects your decision-making authority.
Third, clarify which decisions require investor approval - whether that's raising additional funds, pursuing acquisitions, or hiring executives. Ensure these rights don't hamper your company's agility or growth trajectory.
Fourth, negotiate vesting schedules that align with your actual role and long-term contribution rather than accepting arbitrary timelines.
Finally, be wary of exit rights, particularly drag-along provisions that could force you to sell if a majority agrees. Establish clear thresholds to prevent pressure toward premature or misaligned exits.
The bottom line: negotiate from a position of knowledge. This isn't just about protecting your ownership stake - it's about safeguarding your vision and legacy.
Treat Term Sheets as Partnership Architecture
Founders often walk into a negotiation thinking valuation is the victory. It rarely is.
The real power sits in the terms that decide control, dilution, and decision-making rights once the deal is done. I always tell founders to slow down and study the fine print around liquidation preference, board composition, and anti-dilution clauses. Those define how much freedom you keep when things shift.
I have seen great companies lose direction because they gained capital but surrendered control.
My advice is simple: treat term sheets as partnership architecture, not paperwork. Negotiate for alignment, not advantage. A fair investor is one who wins only when you do.
