As a startup studio managing 20-50 team members, juggling multiple ventures, nurturing investor relationships, and tracking the progress of various startups can quickly become complex.

A powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help you stay organized by centralizing all your contacts, streamlining communication, tracking deal flow, and providing insights into each venture's growth.

What you'll learn

With the right CRM, your mid-sized startup studio can manage your portfolio more efficiently, optimize operations across all team members, and drive success across your startups.
In this blog post, we'll explore the best CRM options for startup studios like yours with 20-50 people, focusing on tools that help you scale and manage multiple projects with ease while ensuring seamless collaboration across your entire team.

Why you need a CRM

With a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it as a busy startup studio with 20-50 team members, a CRM is crucial to streamline your workflow, ensure team coordination, and help you drive growth across multiple ventures simultaneously.

Challenges without a CRM

Below are some common challenges faced by startup studios with 20-50 people that you might already be experiencing without a reliable CRM in your tech stack.

• Disorganization: Without a centralized system, vital information becomes scattered across 20-50 team members, resulting in confusion and inefficiencies that multiply with team size.
• Missed Opportunities: Lack of a structured follow-up process leads to missed leads and potential partnerships slipping through the cracks, especially when multiple team members are handling different ventures.
• Inefficient Processes: Manual tracking and communication across a mid-sized team wastes valuable time and resources, slowing down progress on multiple startup projects.
• Lack of Insight: Without detailed analytics accessible to your 20-50 team members, it's challenging to understand performance metrics and make data-driven decisions across ventures.
• Inconsistent Communication: Disjointed communication channels across a larger team lead to misunderstandings and lack of coordination among team members working on different startups.

Benefits of a CRM

As a startup studio with 20-50 team members operating on limited funding – it might be a deterrent having to think about investing in something. But, a good CRM can have a direct impact across your whole business and entire team.

• Centralized information: A CRM consolidates all data in one place, making it easy for your entire 20-50 person team to access and manage venture information.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automated processes save time for all team members, allowing your startup studio to focus on strategic tasks across multiple ventures.
• Improved customer relationships: Detailed customer profiles enable personalized interactions across your team, boosting satisfaction and loyalty for all your startups.
• Better decision-making: Access to comprehensive analytics helps your 20-50 person team make informed, strategic decisions across multiple ventures.
• Increased sales: Streamlined sales processes and effective follow-ups across all team members lead to higher conversion rates for your startup portfolio.
• Consistent communication: Integrated communication tools ensure that all 20-50 team members are on the same page, fostering collaboration and clarity across ventures.
  

How to boost your startup studio's efficiency with a CRM

1. Map your process

Understanding and documenting your startup studio's workflow across 20-50 team members is crucial. Start by identifying each stage of your process, from ideation and validation to scaling and exit. Use your CRM to create custom pipelines that reflect these stages and ensure all team members can track progress seamlessly. This not only brings clarity but also helps in identifying bottlenecks early across your multi-venture operations.

2. Lead qualification

Effective lead qualification can significantly improve your startup studio's success rate across all ventures. Use your CRM to set up criteria for assessing and qualifying leads, investors, candidates, customers, and investment opportunities that your 20-50 person team can consistently apply. Automate scoring based on engagement levels, demographic information, and other relevant metrics. This ensures that your entire team focuses on high-potential opportunities.

3. Outreach and follow-up

Automated outreach and follow-up campaigns can save time and increase conversion rates for your 20-50 person team. Use your CRM to schedule and send personalized email and LinkedIn campaigns to leads, investors, candidates, customers, and investment opportunities. Track engagement metrics across all team members to refine your approach and ensure timely follow-ups, keeping your pipeline active and engaged across all ventures.

4. Nurture existing business relationships across your leads, investors, candidates, customers and investment opportunities

Building strong relationships is key to long-term success for startup studios with 20-50 team members. Use your CRM to implement nurturing strategies such as upselling and cross-selling to existing leads, investors, candidates, customers, and investment opportunities. Segment your contacts and tailor your communication to their specific needs and interests, ensuring they feel valued and understood by your entire team.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM platform

If you're looking into CRMs for the first time for your 20-50 person startup studio, we've rounded up a few important tips below to help you with your decision making process.

1. Define your requirements

To select the best CRM for your 20-50 person startup studio, begin by identifying the key features that align with your business needs. Do you need robust project management tools, seamless team collaboration across multiple ventures, or detailed analytics accessible to all team members? Pinpointing these requirements will help narrow down your options and ensure the CRM you choose supports your unique workflow and growth objectives across your entire team.

Key features of a CRM for startup studios

• Automated Processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows across your 20-50 person team.
• Contact Enrichment: Automatically finds Leads, Investors, Candidates, Customers, Investment opportunities email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency for your entire team.
• Structured Pipeline: Tracks Leads, Investors, Candidates, Customers, Investment opportunities through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness for all 20-50 team members.
• Email Sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences that your entire team can utilize.
• LinkedIn Connection: Seamlessly imports Leads, Investors, Candidates, Customers, Investment opportunities from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM for all team members.
• Reporting & Forecasting: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning across your 20-50 person startup studio.

2. Budget considerations

It might be obvious but it's worth saying: balancing cost and return on investment is crucial for startup studios with 20-50 team members. While some CRMs offer extensive features, they can be pricey when multiplied across your entire team. Look for platforms that provide the essential tools you need at a price point that fits your budget for 20-50 users. Many CRMs offer tiered pricing, so consider starting with a plan that scales efficiently with your team size.

3. Selection process

Choosing the right CRM vendor involves thorough research for your 20-50 person team. Start by reading reviews and testimonials from other startup founders with similar team sizes. Request demos and trials to experience the platform firsthand with multiple team members. Evaluate the customer support and training resources available, as these can be critical during the onboarding process for your entire team and beyond.

4. Get a demo

Once you have a shortlist of potential CRMs, conduct a trial to compare their functionalities with your 20-50 person team. Pay attention to user experience, integration capabilities, and scalability for your team size. Discuss with your team to gather their feedback and ensure the chosen CRM meets everyone's needs across all ventures. Making an informed decision will set your startup studio on the path to efficient management and growth. To see if folk is the right fit for your 20-50 person startup studio, get a demo of Folk today.

👉🏼 Try folk now to organize contact workflows and never miss follow-ups across your portfolio

3 tips for implementing a CRM

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM can be daunting for a 20-50 person startup studio, but importing your existing data is a vital step. Start by exporting your current data as a CSV file. This ensures a smooth transition and keeps your operations running seamlessly across all team members and ventures.

2. Create your first pipeline

Once your data is imported, the next step is to create your first pipeline that works for your 20-50 person team. For startup studios, this could mean setting up stages that reflect your project lifecycle, from ideation to launch. Tailor the statuses to match your specific workflow, such as "Concept Development," "Prototype," "Funding," and "Launch." This customization will help your entire team track progress and manage multiple projects more effectively.

3. Onboard your team effectively

Successful CRM implementation hinges on adoption across your 20-50 person team. Conduct training sessions to familiarize all team members with the new system. Highlight the benefits and show them how the CRM can streamline their tasks, improve collaboration across ventures, and enhance overall productivity. Providing ongoing support and resources will ensure your entire team feels confident and comfortable using the new CRM.

The 5 best CRMs for startup studios

1. folk

folk is the ideal modern CRM platform for startup studios with 20-50 team members, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and seamless integrations designed specifically for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships across multiple ventures efficiently.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach across your 20-50 person team without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Instagram, and more to track contacts within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication across all team members.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync for Gmail and Outlook, access to templates, and tracking features, enabling your entire team to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist your 20-50 person team in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity across multiple ventures.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing your startup studio to centralize workflow and reduce manual data entry across all team members.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users in your 20-50 person team with quick onboarding and minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your startup studio's workflow by allowing your team to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in pipelines, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money for your entire team.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, including search lists from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator into folk in moments, perfect for your 20-50 person team's networking needs.
• ‍Fully customizable: Tailor it accordingly to your startup studio's needs using custom fields, pipelines, dashboards and workflows that work across your entire team.

• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing your 20-50 person startup studio to centralize workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: folk CRM includes advanced analytics and reporting—pipeline and deal-stage analytics, revenue forecasting with weighted probabilities, and performance breakdowns by owner, channel, industry, region, or any custom field.
  

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, monthly or annual subscription plans are perfect for startup studios with 20-50 team members.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month - ideal for growing startup studios.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month - perfect for 20-50 person teams with advanced needs.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month - tailored for larger startup studios with specific requirements.

2. HubSpot

Hubspot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations, though it can become expensive for 20-50 person teams.

Key features

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for attracting leads and investors across multiple ventures.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, crucial for managing investment opportunities and customer relationships across your startup portfolio.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, enhancing customer support and retention for all your startups.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, streamlining workflows for leads, candidates, and customers across your 20-50 person team.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency and focus on high-potential investors and customers across your venture portfolio.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: The intuitive interface makes it manageable for startup studio teams to handle leads, investors, and customers efficiently.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, though limited for growing 20-50 person teams.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: Integrates smoothly with marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for managing all contacts across ventures.
• Automation capabilities: Provides automation tools for tasks like email marketing and lead nurturing, though can be complex to set up for larger teams.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Allows users to create customized dashboards and reports, though advanced features are locked behind higher tiers.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing becomes extremely expensive for 20-50 person startup studios, with professional plans starting at $450 per month per user, making it prohibitively costly for mid-sized teams.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have severe limitations that don't support the needs of growing 20-50 person teams.
• Complexity in advanced features: Advanced features have a steep learning curve and may require extensive training for your entire team.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality is heavily restricted in lower plans, which is problematic for startup studios managing multiple ventures.
• Limited reporting capabilities in lower tiers: Essential reporting and analytics features are locked behind expensive plans, limiting insights for budget-conscious startup studios.
  

Price and plans

Prices and plans are as follows for HubSpot's CRM Suite on an annual subscription.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month (extremely expensive for 20-50 person teams).
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month (prohibitively expensive for startup studios).

3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM for small to medium businesses, offering lead management, automation, email integration, and customizable pipelines, though it lacks some advanced features needed by 20-50 person startup studios.

Key features

• Lead and deal management: Centralized tools to manage leads, investors, candidates, and customers, though less comprehensive than folk for startup studio needs.
• Sales automation: Automate repetitive tasks such as lead routing and follow-ups, though with fewer AI-powered capabilities than more modern solutions.
• Email integration: Sync emails and use templates, though without the advanced social media integration offered by leading platforms.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Real-time data analytics and custom reporting, though basic features are limited in lower tiers for 20-50 person teams.
• Customization and security: Customize pipelines and fields, though less flexible than more modern CRM solutions designed for startup studios.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Intuitive interface makes it manageable for startup teams to navigate their pipelines effectively.
• Sales pipeline focus: Specifically designed for sales pipeline management with visual approach for tracking deals.
• Customization: Reasonable customization options, though not as extensive as modern alternatives like folk.
• Affordability: Competitive pricing for basic features, though costs increase significantly with necessary add-ons for 20-50 person teams.
• Automation features: Basic automation tools, though less sophisticated than AI-powered solutions available in more modern CRMs.

Cons

• Basic Reporting in Lower Tiers: Reporting and analytics features are severely limited in basic plans, requiring expensive upgrades for 20-50 person teams to get meaningful insights.
• Price increases with add-ons: Costs increase rapidly with additional features or integrations, making it expensive for growing startup studios with multiple needs.
• Limited project management features: Primarily sales-focused, lacking robust project management features essential for startup studios managing multiple ventures simultaneously.
  
  

Price and plans

An annual subscription plan basis is as follows.

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month.
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month.
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

4. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with sales focus, featuring journey orchestration, sales process management and workflow automation, though it can be complex for 20-50 person teams to implement and manage effectively.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management and deal tracking, though with less intuitive interface than modern alternatives.
• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information and tracks interactions, though without the seamless LinkedIn integration of leading solutions.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows dashboard customization, though with steeper learning curve for 20-50 person teams.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine processes, though setup can be complex and time-consuming for startup studio teams.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with various channels, though less streamlined than all-in-one solutions designed for modern teams.

Pros

• Affordability: Competitive pricing for basic features, though advanced functionality requires higher tiers.
• Customization: Extensive customization options, though complexity can be overwhelming for 20-50 person teams without dedicated IT resources.
• Integration with Zoho Suite: Good integration within Zoho ecosystem, though limited flexibility with third-party tools commonly used by startup studios.
• Multi-channel communication: Supports various communication channels, though setup and management can be cumbersome for larger teams.
• AI-powered features: Zia AI assistant provides insights, though less sophisticated than modern AI-powered CRM solutions.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: Extensive customization options are overwhelming for new users, requiring significant time investment that 20-50 person startup studios often can't afford.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration is complex and time-consuming, particularly challenging for teams without dedicated technical expertise.
• Performance issues: Frequent reports of slow performance with large datasets, which can hinder productivity for busy startup studios managing multiple ventures.
• Limited third-party integrations: While integrating well within Zoho suite, integration with popular third-party applications used by startup studios is limited and requires additional effort.
• Data migration challenges: Migrating data from existing systems is difficult and time-consuming, often requiring manual adjustments that burden growing teams.
  

Price and plans

Free plan limited to three users, insufficient for 20-50 person teams. After that, an annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Professional: $35 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user, per month.

5. Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is a user-friendly customer relationship management platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses, though it lacks the advanced features and scalability needed for 20-50 person startup studios managing multiple ventures.

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Key features

• 1 sales pipeline: Single pipeline management, which may be limiting for startup studios managing multiple ventures simultaneously.
• 30,000 contacts: Contact storage capacity, though without the contact enrichment features that modern CRMs provide automatically.
• Workflow automation: Basic automation for repetitive tasks, though less sophisticated than AI-powered solutions available for growing teams.
• Key integrations: Limited integrations with G Suite and Microsoft 365, lacking the comprehensive connectivity needed for 20-50 person teams.
• Task management: Basic task management functionality, though insufficient for complex project coordination across multiple startup ventures.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Clean and simple design, though perhaps too basic for the complex needs of 20-50 person startup studios.
• Contact and sales management: Basic tools for managing contacts and sales, though lacking advanced features for investor and candidate tracking.
• Customization options: Limited customization compared to more robust platforms designed for growing startup studios.
• Integration capabilities: Basic integrations, though far fewer options than comprehensive CRM solutions offer for modern teams.
• Affordability: Lower-tier pricing, though features are limited compared to more comprehensive solutions at similar price points.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks sophisticated analytics, AI-powered tools, and complex reporting capabilities essential for 20-50 person startup studios managing multiple ventures.
• Basic email marketing capabilities: Rudimentary email marketing features require third-party integrations, adding complexity and cost for growing teams.
• Limited customer support: Primarily email and help center support, insufficient for teams needing immediate assistance during critical operations.
• No built-in phone or SMS integration: Lacks modern communication features that startup studios need for comprehensive contact management.
• Scalability concerns: Not designed for rapidly growing businesses with complex CRM requirements, making it unsuitable for expanding 20-50 person startup studios.

Price and plans

• Starter plan: Starts from $21 per user, per month.
• Growth plan: Starts from $38 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $60 per user, per month.
• Ultimate plan: Starts from $75 per user, per month.

Conclusion

Choosing the right CRM for your 20-50 person startup studio is crucial for streamlining operations, enhancing efficiency, and driving growth across multiple ventures. While platforms like Hubspot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Capsule CRM each offer features for different needs and budgets, folk CRM stands out as the clear winner for startup studios with 20-50 team members. Folk offers the perfect balance of intuitive design, powerful AI-driven features, seamless LinkedIn integration, and affordable pricing that scales efficiently with your team size. Unlike other solutions that become prohibitively expensive (like HubSpot) or overly complex (like Zoho) for mid-sized teams, folk provides an all-in-one solution specifically designed for modern startup studios. Whether you prioritize contact enrichment, seamless integration, or robust automation, folk CRM aligns perfectly with the specific requirements of 20-50 person startup studios managing multiple ventures. Make the informed decision that will set your startup studio on the path to improved management and sustained growth. Try folk for free here.

👉🏼 Try folk now to centralize contacts and automate outreach across your startup studio

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

FAQ

Why is a CRM important for startup studios?

A CRM centralizes contacts and communications across ventures, tracks deal flow, automates follow‑ups, provides analytics, and keeps a 20–50 person team aligned. It reduces errors, speeds decisions, and improves investor and customer outcomes.

What features should a startup studio CRM have?

Look for customizable pipelines, contact enrichment, LinkedIn importing, email sequences, analytics/forecasting, role‑based permissions, and integrations (Gmail, Outlook, Zapier, Make). Ease of use and fast onboarding are critical.

How much does a CRM cost for 20–50 users?

Typical pricing ranges $20–$60 per user/month; advanced suites can cost more with add‑ons and higher tiers. Budget for 20–50 seats and growth. For balanced features and cost, plans like folk start at $20–$40 per user/month.

How do you implement a CRM in a startup studio?

Map your process, import data via CSV, build a first pipeline, set lead qualification, automate outreach and reminders, train the team, and review adoption and KPIs weekly. Pilot with a small group before rolling out to all 20–50 users.