CASE STUDY
Ironspring Ventures
Building the story behind a $100M fundraise
Ironspring Ventures is a sector-focused, early-stage venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas. The firm invests in visionary founders building innovation across the industrial supply chain — particularly in construction, manufacturing, transport & logistics, and energy & renewables.
OVERVIEW
A fundraising pitch for their second fund.
Through our work together, they not only crafted a tight and compelling narrative that helped them close $100M, but also uncovered a broader opportunity to translate Ironspring Ventures’ corporate narrative (core story) into a refreshed website. The result was a consistent, founder- and LP-facing brand that reflects Ironspring’s unique sector focus and operational edge.
OBJECTIVES
Ironspring Ventures had all the key elements but lacked a cohesive core story.
A core story would capture why their focus mattered and how their operational edge created outsized value.
There was no existing pitch structure or internal messaging framework to build from, which meant the story had to be uncovered from scratch. Through our discovery process, it became clear that Ironspring had a compelling and differentiated approach — they just needed the right lens and language to bring it to life.
During our time together, the Ironspring team showed up ready to do the work. They were thoughtful, responsive, and collaborative throughout the process, trusting Creative Blue to guide the way.
SERVICES
A full rebuild of their fundraising materials
including a live + leave-behind pitch deck and a teaser for warm intros and outreach.
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We began with a comprehensive brand audit, diving into Ironspring’s existing materials — including their AGM presentation, Fund I decks, and early internal positioning documents. This allowed us to understand both the assets they had and the gaps that needed filling.
In parallel, we conducted a market and competitive analysis, benchmarking Ironspring against peer firms and examining broader trends across the industrial innovation space. At the heart of our process were a series of collaborative working sessions with the three co-founders and a key investor.
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Building on this foundation, we began crafting Ironspring’s core story — a clear articulation of why Ironspring, why now. We translated these ideas into a pitch BLUEprint: a structured, working draft that served as the strategic spine for the deck design.
Along the way, we also surfaced language, phrasing, and visual cues that felt distinctly “Ironspring.” That process of defining their voice ultimately inspired their decision to extend our engagement beyond the pitch itself, refreshing Ironspring’s website to reflect their sharpened identity.
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With strategy and narrative in place, we brought the final pitch deck to life — visually and verbally. The design added clarity and momentum to complex ideas, ensuring the deck would resonate whether presented live or shared digitally.
The end result included a final, investor-ready presentation and one-pager — tools that not only helped close Fund II, but laid the groundwork for a cohesive, confident brand presence across Ironspring’s communications.
RESULTS
The work we did together helped Ironspring Ventures close their $100M Fund II in June 2024.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive — from LPs, Founders, and Ironspring’s broader network. The pitch helped spotlight macro tailwinds and past performance in a way that felt both strategic and urgent. For Founders, the messaging hit home: Ironspring’s operational expertise and deep networks weren’t only value-add — they were directly relevant to the challenges industrial startups face. The work also clarified and codified how Ironspring talks about itself, whether with investors, industry partners, or potential portfolio companies.
The finalized visual style and messaging sparked an additional engagement to overhaul their website, supporting content strategy, design, and development to match the clarity and conviction of their new story.
In a referral to another client:
“I can’t brag on Creative Blue any further. They really did an amazing job for us and our Fund II efforts, and this team is certainly now well-versed in the digital industrial ethos/ecosystem”
Ty Findley | General Partner
Ironspring also invited our founder, Chris Ott, to appear as a guest on their Heavy Hitters: The Digital Industrial Podcast — a full-circle moment that highlighted the shared respect and partnership behind the work.