How small and large IR teams can manage investor meetings differently

In our newly released report on IR meetings in the first half of 2025, we analyzed over 11,000 investor meetings and 330,000 transactions from more than 250 IR teams across Europe.

The findings reveal the different realities faced by IR teams at smaller companies (market cap less than €500 mn ($588 mn) compared to larger companies (market cap more than €2 bn). As a result, the strategies required for IR teams to succeed can vary significantly depending on company size and current meeting activity.

Our findings on IR meetings summarized

• Meeting activity: Larger companies averaged 3.5 times as many investor meetings and roadshows as smaller companies in the first half of 2025, likely due to a combination of bigger IR teams and stronger investor interest.
• Meeting attendees: The profile of meeting participants evolves as market cap increases. There is a clear pattern: the larger the company, the greater the proportion of meetings IR teams hold with current shareholders, fund managers and international investors.
• Ownership impact of meetings: Larger companies had a higher success rate in terms of buy transactions per meeting and per investor met. However, the relative impact of each trade is often greater for smaller companies. The average buy size after a meeting for a small-cap company reached 0.48 percent of capital, showing that every single meeting can significantly influence ownership.

Key takeaways

Drawing on this data and our expertise in IR software and analytics, we’ve identified many takeaways. Here are some of the key strategies we recommend based on company size to improve the way IR manages investor meetings.

For larger companies’ IR teams

It’s rarely about increasing meeting volume; it’s about meeting the right investors. Use smart investor targeting and track ownership changes to identify and adjust your efforts on those with the greatest impact.

With this volume of meetings, automation and measurability are essential. Choose an investor CRM that not only tracks interactions, but also integrates ownership data. This ensures you get useful insights from the amount of data you have available.

With about 50 percent of meetings involving current owners, ensure your team is always well-prepared with context such as previous transactions, discussions and questions.

For smaller companies’ IR teams

Smaller IR teams often face the challenges of increasing the number of investor meetings and maximising the impact of each one, all while working with fewer resources.

With a higher proportion of meetings involving investors who have never owned your company, and a growing focus on attracting foreign capital, data-driven investor targeting is critical. Every outreach and meeting should be backed by insights that signal genuine investment potential.

We often hear that IR’s value needs to be proven internally at smaller companies. With such large transaction sizes relative to market cap, an investor CRM that measures meeting outcomes and capital changes can demonstrate IR’s contribution to management and the board. This can lead to more resources, which makes it possible to increase both meeting activity and impact.

Read Modular Finance’s full report on IR meetings here

Matt Sayer is general manager, UK for Modular Finance