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Investment Firm Website Revamp
Context
Landersonic, an investment firm, needed to refine its messaging to better appeal to investors, foster trust, and support deal flow—key to building long-term ties.
Read Time
8 Minutes
Project Duration
3 Months
Platform
Web + Mobile
Team
Product Designer & UX Researcher (Me)
Tools
Figma, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel
Goal
Through improved branding and appeal, attract and engage more investors through scheduled calls, who seek and partner with independent sponsors like Landersonic.
Task
Re-design an informal website experiences that represents Landersonic in a eccentric and modern manner to speak with the various parties it engages with.
About Landersonic
Acquiring Telecom and IT Companies
(LC) Landersonic is an independent sponsor, which is a type of company that finds unique acquisition opportunities and then finances each deal exclusively, instead of raising a pool of money.
The company focuses solely on the telecom and IT managed services industry. Investors play a key role in its success, as Landersonic's acquisition strategy must align with their objectives.
The Problem
The company struggled to get scheduled calls from potential investors.
Landersonic’s old website did not give investors enough confidence to schedule calls to discuss the investment opportunities the company finds. Without investment partners, Landersonic cannot make acquisitions.
The old website didn’t reflect Landersonic’s identity, reducing phone inquiries.
Each page did not have a clear CTA, which didn’t help the business achieve its goals.
Old Landersonic website homepage I designed back in 2021
New Landersonic home page
The Solution
A new site built for clear stories with stronger branding.
To boost success, I refined the branding and copy to highlight Landersonic as an independent sponsor, a familiar investor type for investors. This better conveyed how the firm operates and gave investors key information.
Each page tells a story and leads the user to engage with the dedicated CTA.
I highlighted Landersonic's benefits as a great equity partner and acquirer for business owners.
White Paper Research
Independent sponsors handle 10% of lower-middle market acquisitions.
Deal flow is the stream of investment opportunities investors assess to deploy capital. Research highlights its importance for family offices and private equity firms to meet their investment goals. Investors rely on platforms like Axios and DealStream to source and evaluate deals, maintaining a steady pipeline.
Independent Sponsors solve a key pain point by sourcing quality deals without in-house overhead. Research shows they vet and structure investments, helping investors deploy capital efficiently while reducing risk.
Competitive Analysis
Other sponsors prioritize their criteria.
The majority of independent sponsor websites I found have an easy way for investors to find their search criteria, which features deal size, region, character traits, and much more.
Sites did a great job illustrating the experience of the team members and their track record.
Appealing to business owners helped sponsors secure more deals directly.
Team Credibility & Track Record
Sites highlighted experience, past deals, and expertise to build trust.
Direct Engagement with Business Owners
Many sponsors spoke directly to sellers to secure off-market deals.
User Interviews
3 out of 5 investors take the call when the deal criteria match.
I interviewed five investors who closed deals with IS in the past six months to uncover the top three themes that drive their interest in taking calls.
One super important aspect of sponsors according to all investors is the alignment between the IS search criteria and the investors criteria/investment objectives.
Interview Questions
1.
Deal traits that matter the most?
2.
What makes you take a call with an IS?
3.
What makes a sponsor stand out to you?
4.
How do you assess alignment with a sponsor’s criteria?
5.
What challenges arise when sourcing deals through IS?
Research & Ideation
Understanding Investor Needs
After the feedback from my interviews with the investors, I used affinity mapping to organize qualitative insights into meaningful categories. This process helped me identify patterns, pain points, and UX opportunities.
After Research
Insights & Takeaways
Deal Flow Takes Time
Investors take a ton of time to find opportunities to deploy money, so the easier it is to find a IS deal criteria, the easier it makes investors reach out.
Faster Partner Decision
Investors review deals quickly, so clear criteria ease decisions. My research showed simplifying deal access increases engagement.
Moving forward, Investors prefer sponsors with clear focus and proven success. My research showed that credibility, transparency, and alignment make them more likely to take a call and explore deals further.
The Old Design
Why was the old website ineffective?
When raising capital, the clarity of information provided on a IS’s website can determine its success in the raise of that capital. For Landersonic, they needed to clarify that they are an (IS) independent sponsor, which is different from an investment firm. An IS finds opportunities.
Unlike investment firms that raise funds first, the old design made Landersonic’s search criteria hard to find, discouraging investor calls. Poorly structured pages also failed to engage viewers in learning more about the company.
Design Decisions
Design Decisions
Investment Criteria- Use of Columns
I designed the Investment Criteria section to be clear, scannable, and investor-friendly, ensuring key details are immediately visible. Bold typography and distinct columns help investors quickly assess alignment with Landersonic’s focus. This structured layout improves readability and encourages investor engagement, making calls more likely.
Want to see this page in action?
Visit Link: www.landersonic.com/approach
Design Decisions
Provided Value Propositions
Besides a IS's success and track record, an investor is also impressed by value propositions that are different than other sponsors. For Landersonic, it was important to highlight their investor pain points and illustrate how the company provides investors with education about the industry and also prioritize investor engagement, and more.
Want to see this page in action?
Visit Link: www.landersonic.com/invest
Design Decisions
Concise and informative
Investors are busy, so the about page delivers key details upfront. It clarifies that Landersonic is an IS, not an investment firm, and highlights essential info like its thesis.
Want to see this page in action?
Visit Link: www.landersonic.com/ourstory
Final Design
High-Fidelity Screens
The new www.Landersonic.com gives investors a clear, sleek view of how Landersonic sources top-tier acquisitions, positioning the company as a trusted, strategic partner.
With the new Landersonic website, I focused on simplicity while highlighting its unique value. Unlike other independent sponsors, Landersonic specializes in telecom and IT-managed service companies with recurring revenue or scalability, ensuring long-term stability and growth potential.
Investors valued Landersonic’s approach since recurring revenue models make performance easier to predict. The new design highlighted business details like size, revenue, and industry, helping investors assess deal quality, build trust, and schedule more calls.
Business Considerations
Success Metrics
These metrics measure how well the new design boosts investor engagement. They track scheduled calls, investment clarity, and deal sourcing efficiency, helping evaluate Landersonic’s ability to convert investors.
Scheduled Call Rate
% of investors who schedule a call after visiting.
Deal Criteria Clarity
% of investors who find deal criteria easy to understand.
Engagement Time
Average time investors spend on investment-related pages.
Investor Drop-off Rate
% of users who leave without engaging with key content.
Final Thoughts
Key Takeaways & Achievements
Through strategic planning, research, and design, I helped Landersonic grow its investor list to over 300+ vetted investors, creating stronger connections and more opportunities for deal-making. This project taught me how to match users (investors) objectives and how to meet business metric expectations.
My design principles guided me in proving the value of tracking key metrics before starting any project. By considering these metrics early, I ensured that testing user needs became a crucial step in helping Landersonic achieve their goals.
What would I do differently next time?
1.
User Observation, during iteration, I gathered investor feedback with each design change. If I could go back, I’d observe investors in real time to better understand their interactions.
2.
Adding Industry Info, some investors loved telecom but lacked industry knowledge to feel confident. I’d add engaging content to make learning about telecom easier and more exciting.
