Enhancing Private Equity Operations with HubSpot
How Pemba Capital transformed their outbound investment process with an integrated technology solution.

Project Overview
The Highlights
These metrics reflect the growth achieved through strategic campaigns and optimisation efforts. From ROI improvements to increased engagement, they demonstrate the campaign's success in meeting key objectives.
50%
Increase in platform utilisation
30%
Boost in outreach relevance
8,000+
Contacts migrated to unified CRM
100%
Visibility across all sectors

Situation
Pemba Capital, an Australian private equity firm, specialises in investing in businesses across five key sectors. Unlike many firms that depend on incoming leads, Pemba employs a proactive, outbound strategy.
Strategic Approach
Pemba maintains an extensive "origination master list" of potential investment targets spanning 25 years, which serves as the backbone of their tailored outreach efforts. These efforts include email sequences, event invitations, and newsletters designed to engage founders, CEOs, and shareholders.
Legacy Systems
Historically, Pemba relied on Affinity as their CRM, Mailchimp for email marketing, and AddEvent for event management. However, as their operations expanded, these disconnected tools struggled to support their growing needs.
Key Business Areas
- Business Services
- Non-bank Financial Services
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Education
The Problem
Pemba Capital encountered several challenges that impeded their outbound investment process, creating operational bottlenecks as they aimed to scale.
Fragmented Systems
Their CRM was poorly structured, often functioning merely as a list of companies and contacts. Separate platforms for email, marketing, and sales operated independently.
Limited Reporting
Disconnected systems restricted reporting capabilities, offering little visibility into marketing and sales performance and hindering strategic decision-making.
Inaccurate Email Targeting
Unorganised data, when imported into Mailchimp, led to emails being sent to unsubscribed or bounced contacts, harming domain authority.
Manual Processes
Most tasks lacked automation, allowing deadlines to slip and opportunities to be missed due to delayed responses and inefficient workflows.
No Website Tracking
The absence of a tracking code on their website prevented proper monitoring of analytics for ads and email targeting, limiting marketing effectiveness.
Inadequate Access Controls
Sensitive investor and company data lacked proper security, as their existing tools offered insufficient access controls, forcing the team to limit access.
Impact
The operational inefficiencies had significant repercussions on Pemba's ability to execute their investment strategy effectively.
Resource Drain
Manual outreach and event management consumed time better spent on relationship-building and deal analysis, reducing the team's capacity for high-value activities.

Missed Opportunities
A disjointed pipeline and lack of automation risked overlooking viable investment targets or failing to nurture leads effectively, potentially costing the firm valuable deals.
Marketing Inefficiency
Separate tools obscured campaign performance, hampering optimization efforts and reducing the effectiveness of outreach initiatives.
Decision-Making Gaps
Limited visibility into sales and deal progress left leadership without critical data for strategic decisions, creating blind spots in their investment approach.
Competitive Risk
In the fast-moving private equity sector, these inefficiencies threatened Pemba's edge over more streamlined competitors who could move faster on opportunities.
Data Security Concerns
Poor access controls jeopardized confidentiality and compliance, creating potential risks with sensitive financial and strategic information.
Centralising Operations with HubSpot
Pemba partnered with HubSpot and ScaleStation to consolidate their CRM, sales, and marketing operations into a single platform.
-
Unified Deal Pipeline
-
Automated Outbound Sequences
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Centralised Marketing Efforts
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Enhanced Reporting & Segmentation
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Data Migration & Hygiene
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Custom Team-Based Permissions
-
Website Tracking
-
Custom Views
A custom pipeline was designed in HubSpot with stages tailored to Pemba's investment-focused, low-volume, high-value model.
- Custom stages like 'Initial Discovery' to 'Due Diligence'
- Automation created deals upon outreach responses
- Minimized manual work for the investment team
HubSpot's sales sequences automated tailored email outreach, with templates customized by sector and region.
- Sector-specific email templates
- Region-targeted outreach sequences
- Automated follow-ups and LinkedIn introductions
Email marketing migrated from Mailchimp to HubSpot, consolidating contacts and campaigns with social media integration.
- Consolidated under 5,000 contacts
- LinkedIn and Facebook integration
- Event management with automated reminders
HubSpot's reporting tracked outreach activity per team member and campaign performance with improved filtering options.
- Filters by sector, subsector, and deal owner
- Automated lists based on region and industry
- Real-time company views with simple yes/no toggles
All company and contact data migrated from Affinity to HubSpot via a coded API, preserving object relationships and activity logs.
- Migrated 8,000 contacts
- Preserved email, call, and activity logs
- Maintained bounce and unsubscribe data
A hierarchy-driven permission structure was implemented, offering enterprise-level control while maintaining accessibility.
- Sensitive data restricted to key personnel
- Essential data accessible to broader team
- Enterprise-level control on professional subscriptions
A tracking code was added to Pemba's website, enabling analytics for ads, email targeting, and visitor behavior.
- Enhanced ad targeting capabilities
- Email campaign performance tracking
- Visitor behavior analysis
Views were tailored for stakeholders based on list enrollment, region, and other criteria, simplifying access to relevant companies and deals.
- Stakeholder-specific dashboards
- Region and sector-based filters
- Simplified navigation to relevant data
Outcome: A Streamlined, Data-Driven Operation
The HubSpot implementation delivered significant improvements to Pemba's investment operations, creating a foundation for scalable growth.
Pipeline Clarity
A unified pipeline replaced scattered lists, offering real-time deal visibility across all sectors.
Data Clarity
A centralized database eliminated contradictions and duplications, ensuring a single source of truth.
Time Savings
Automated email sequences and event management reduced manual effort, allowing focus on high-value tasks.
Enhanced Security
Proper permission structures ensured appropriate access while protecting sensitive information.
Marketing Effectiveness
Centralised campaigns and social media tracking enhanced engagement, with streamlined RSVPs via landing pages.
Future-Ready Platform
The scalable HubSpot implementation positioned Pemba for continued growth with expandable capabilities.
Strategic Insights
Robust reporting
provided actionable data on sales and marketing, aiding decision-making.
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