Meet Rachel Mackey: The Artemis Fund’s Newest Huntress

November 26, 2024

By The Artemis Fund
The Artemis Fund believes technology can create prosperity for all. With offices in New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Nevada, Artemis leads seed rounds for companies creating resilient families, individuals, and businesses across the US.
Prior to joining The Artemis Fund, Rachel Mackey was Head of Platform at OCA Ventures, implementing the firm's platform strategy from 0 to 1 and co-founding V2:VC, a networking group for rising investment professionals in the Chicagoland area. 
She has also worked in a fractional capacity as a marketer for VCs across the country, with a particular focus on emerging managers. We're excited to share her take on the marketing landscape in venture.

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Q: Can you share a bit about your journey to venture capital?
A: My path to VC was non-traditional. I’ve dabbled in a little bit of everything — starting with restaurant management, which left me with an inherent sense of urgency and an appreciation for good food and good wine. From there, I moved into Executive Assistant work, where I got extremely good at being proactive and organized. Eventually, I transitioned into fractional marketing for venture capital firms, which allowed me to combine creativity with the other skills I picked up along the way.
When I found myself starting out in VC six years ago, it wasn’t entirely on purpose, and I really wasn’t that familiar with the industry. Like most good things, the opportunity popped up when I wasn’t expecting it. I joined an early stage Chicago based fund as an Executive Assistant, and eventually worked my way up to Head of Platform, building the platform strategy at the fund from zero to one.
Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working with several emerging managers in a fractional capacity, helping them define and grow their brands.
Q: Why did you decide to join The Artemis Fund?
A: This role combines everything I’m passionate about — storytelling, brand-building, and creating meaningful connections. It’s an opportunity to bring my experience to a firm that’s focused on making a real impact, especially for diverse entrepreneurs and founders.
Q: What’s your perspective on branding in venture capital?
A: Branding in VC is fundamentally about authenticity, consistency, and differentiation. Helen Min of Phenomenal Ventures captures it perfectly:
“A venture firm’s brand communicates its personality and values, giving prospective founders, LPs, and others a sense of what it would be like to work with them before ever meeting. Consistency is key to building trust and brand.”
For emerging managers, it starts with aligning your investment thesis and values. Without clarity here, it’s nearly impossible to create a strategy that resonates. Once the foundation is in place, I recommend focusing on three key areas to bring your brand to life:
Linkedin: For venture capitalists, LinkedIn is the highest ROI platform for both personal and firm branding. It’s where you can consistently engage with your network, showcase your expertise, and establish your voice. Authentic interactions and well-thought-out content can amplify your reach and credibility.
Blogs: Long-form content allows you to go deeper — sharing market insights, perspectives, and lessons learned. It’s a great way to establish thought leadership and provide value to your audience.
Email Marketing: A well-crafted newsletter helps you stay top-of-mind with your audience. It’s an excellent channel for sharing updates on your portfolio, upcoming events, or market insights in a more direct and personal way.
These three pillars work together to create a content flywheel. At a firm like The Artemis Fund, where knowledge sharing, data-driven decisions, and deep market research are part of our ethos, this approach enables us to craft content that is not only meaningful but also useful to our audience.
Ultimately, your brand isn’t just about what you say — it’s about what you consistently deliver. A thoughtful, authentic branding strategy helps you stand out, build trust, and foster connections that drive long-term success.
Q: Do venture firms need a PR firm to build their brand?
Not necessarily. I often get asked this, and my answer is usually no — unless you’re in crisis management mode. PR firms can be expensive, and what you’re paying for (media relationships) can often be built organically.
Instead, I advocate for focusing on owned media — my beloved content flywheel. These platforms let you tell your story in a way that feels authentic and personal. The era of cookie-cutter press releases is over. Today, it’s about creating adaptable, bite-sized content tailored to your audience.
That said, press releases still have a role. They’re great for capturing key milestones — fund launches, major hires, or significant portfolio wins — but don’t rely on them as your sole strategy. Use them alongside creative storytelling to amplify your impact.
Q: What trends do you see shaping marketing in venture capital?
A: We’re at a turning point in VC marketing. The industry is more competitive than ever — raising funds, winning deals, and building visibility all require a thoughtful, strategic approach. YTD, 80% of fundraising dollars have gone to established funds. Some key trends I see include:
Personalized Content: The best firms are leaning into the authentic voices of their investment teams to create high-value, tailored content that resonates with specific audiences.
Authenticity Over Hype: Founders and LPs value real stories and genuine connections over flashy PR, exaggerated claims, and meaningless jargon.
Cost-Effective Strategies: With tighter budgets at emerging funds, firms are focusing on leaner, more impactful approaches to marketing.
Q: How do you approach relationship-building in the context of venture capital branding?
A: Venture capital is fundamentally a relationship-driven industry. Every aspect of success — deal flow, partnerships, fundraising — hinges on strong, authentic connections. For me, the platform strategy I built at my previous fund was shaped entirely by the generosity of experienced professionals who took the time to meet with me, share insights, and guide me along the way. If you’re early in your platform career, don’t hesitate to reach out — I’d love to connect and pay it forward.
One unique aspect of the platform function is its demographic makeup. While check-writing roles in VC remain predominantly male, platform teams are often female-led. This dynamic presents a great opportunity for collaboration and knowledge-sharing across roles. In terms of maximizing diverse representation in VC, if we’re not collaborating, what’s the point?
I’m also a firm believer that treating relationships as transactional is the quickest route to failure in every aspect of life, but especially in VC. Successful relationship-building is about adding value, being authentic, and showing a genuine interest in the people you’re engaging with. Heidi Roizen captures this beautifully in this episode of The Startup Solution — I highly recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of relationship dynamics in VC.
Ultimately, relationships aren’t just a part of branding in venture — they are the brand. How you approach, nurture, and sustain them is what sets great firms (and professionals) apart.
Q: What excites you most about this new role?
A: Can my answer be everything? If I had to choose, I’d say I’m most excited to join a team of very smart women. I think it’s rare for mid-career professionals to be genuinely excited about their work, but I am, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
Q: Biggest learning or piece of advice?
A: Start posting on Linkedin and thank me later. After all, a cold DM is what got me this job. When you start, always write in your own voice. If you write something and it sounds strange, try it again- you’re probably trying to force a tone that isn’t authentic to you.
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