社交媒体热潮五大明星公司

最佳小公司

首轮资本公司

为了与更大的风投公司竞争，首轮资本公司为其投资的公司打造了一个平台。

    公司网站及社交媒体账号：firstround.com; @firstround

    来自费城的风险投资公司首轮资本公司（First Round Capital）是一家很小的公司：公司只有七名投资专家和24名其他岗位的员工。不过在配置社交网络工具方面，首轮资本公司的表现远远超过它的规模。

    过去两年，致力于初期投资的首轮投资公司为它投资的公司打造了一个私人数字网络，类似于点评网站Yelp与问答网站Quora的结合，还有一点商务社交网站LinkedIn的影子。如今，这个网络已经成为时间宝贵的创业者们寻求帮助的平台，可以为创业者们提供从债务融资到为资深软件工程师支付多少薪酬等各个方面的建议。

    当然，这个工具不仅仅只针对创业者。在首轮资本所投资的公司中，营销人员、工程师和销售人员也会在聚集在这一论坛里。社交平台使首轮资本不同于其竞争对手。此外，融资人也可以直接感受到社交软件的强大。——杰西•亨佩尔

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First Round Capital

To compete with bigger venture firms, First Round built a platform for its portfolio companies.

    firstround.com; @firstround

    Philadelphia-based venture firm First Round Capital is a pretty small outfit: It has seven investment professionals and 24 other employees in various support roles. But when it comes to deploying social-networking tools, First Round punches above its weight.

    Over the past two years the firm, which specializes in early-stage bets, has built a private digital network for its portfolio companies -- think Yelp meets Quora with a dash of LinkedIn -- that has become the go-to resource for time-starved entrepreneurs seeking advice on everything from debt funding to figuring out how much to pay a senior software engineer.

    The tool isn't just for founders; the private site is also a forum for the marketers, engineers, and salespeople who work for First Round-backed companies. The social platform helps differentiate First Round from its rivals. It also gives the financiers direct insight into the power of social software. --Jessi Hempel