Scout Program
OpenScout is Landscape VC’s “scout‑as‑a‑service” marketplace, unveiled in December 2021 and now used by a global community of founders, angels and ecosystem operators. Instead of tying scouts to a single venture firm, the platform lets them share opportunities with a pool of more than 60 subscribing funds. Scouts upload a short memo and deck; interested investors request introductions through the dashboard, triggering transparent tracking of engagement and outcomes. If a deal closes, the VC pays a pre‑agreed success fee—typically £5 k–£10 k, with some funds offering up to £50 k. Landscape automatically deducts a 20 % platform fee and remits the balance to the scout.
At launch, Landscape hand‑picked 30 scouts to seed quality; subsequent cohorts expanded the network toward a first‑year target of 100. Applicants today range from WeWork community managers and accelerator directors to operator‑angels and VC associates. The marketplace averages 75 % pre‑seed and seed deals and increasingly supports follow‑on carry sharing as legal frameworks mature. Scouts build a public track record via on‑site metrics (intros sent, funds raised), helping them parlay activity into jobs or raise micro‑funds of their own.
Funds subscribe on flexible plans that bundle access to the dealfeed with Landscape’s private founder‑review data, giving emerging managers a cost‑effective alternative to running an in‑house scout scheme. For founders, the model removes single‑fund gate‑keeping and surfaces a broader slate of investors in one go. Landscape positions OpenScout as a talent pipeline: by lowering friction on both sides it aims to surface the “top 1 %” of global talent‑spotters—regardless of background—and steer more capital to overlooked geographies and demographics.
Join the Superscout community!
🌍 Meet other scouts globally.
👀 Get first dibs on new scout programs and VC openings.
✨ Get feedback and investor recommendations for your deal memos.
✌️ Learn and grow together as a community!
Landscape reviews applications on a rolling basis. Candidates complete a short Typeform covering background, networks and two recent startups they would have scouted.
Promising applicants join a 20‑minute screening call before being onboarded. Early cohorts were invite‑only but the program is now open; selection focuses on quality of dealflow and understanding of fundraising dynamics.
Scouts are paid directly by VCs when an introduction leads to investment. Cash success‑fee brackets currently range from £5 k to £50 k; Landscape retains 20 %. A carry‑sharing framework is being piloted to let funds allocate a small percentage of upside instead of (or in addition to) cash.
There is no cost to scouts. The only financial flow is the platform’s cut of paid success fees. Landscape may introduce optional premium analytics, but core scouting remains free.
Scouts participate on their own schedule. Most active contributors spend 3‑5 hours per week sourcing founders, completing the mini‑memo and responding to investor questions. There is no formal cohort calendar; participation is continuous.
All deal sharing, messaging and analytics live inside the web app; video onboarding and community calls are hosted on Zoom/Slack. No in‑person obligations.
Landscape’s launch and model have been profiled by Sifted (Dec 2021), Maddyness UK (Jan 2022) and PreSeed Now (Jul 2022), each highlighting OpenScout’s potential to democratise venture scouting. Earlier coverage by TechCrunch (Oct 2020) introduced Landscape’s broader “Glassdoor‑for‑VCs” mission.
How do success fees work?
Investors set a cash fee (usually £5 k‑£10 k; some up to £50 k) payable once their investment closes. Landscape deducts 20 % and pays the remainder to the scout.
Can I negotiate equity or carry instead of cash?
Yes—several funds are piloting small carry shares; Landscape provides templated agreements.
Is there a minimum deal volume?
No. Quality trumps quantity, but inactive accounts may be archived after six months of no submissions.
Do I need prior VC experience?
No. Demonstrated access to promising founders is what matters.
What stages do funds on the platform invest in?
Roughly 75 % of deals are pre‑seed or seed; some Series A funds participate.
How are introductions tracked?
All comms and file sharing occur inside OpenScout; milestone timestamps create an audit trail visible to scout and investor.
Can a startup refuse to be listed?
Founders approve every intro request before pitch materials are shared.
Is the platform global?
Yes—scouts and funds operate across Europe, North America and increasingly LATAM & Africa.
What if two scouts submit the same deal?
Landscape time‑stamps submissions; the first scout receives attribution unless the founder specifies otherwise.
How do I leave the program?
Simply stop submitting deals; you keep access to your historical metrics for reference.
Openscout is a “scout-as-a-service” platform that allows scouts to share their deals with a whole marketplace of VCs.
VC review platform Landscape thinks it's come up with the scout programme to rule them all: a "scout-as-a-service" marketplace.
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