Aduro in Action - Twine Ventures

For Twine Ventures founder Leshika Samarasinghe, investment and partnership go hand-in-hand when it comes to supporting purpose-driven companies working in healthcare, climate, and financial empowerment. Leshika’s work has always been mission-oriented. With a background as an early member of the product team at Google, work at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, and running The Production Board, a sustainability and healthcare focused venture studio, Leshika brings extensive experience building mission-oriented companies and a diverse network of investors and advisors to Twine.

The firm engages with early-stage founders at the seed stage to accelerate their timeline to impact and has invested in over a dozen companies working in human, planetary, and financial health.

Why Aduro

Leshika first worked with Aduro during her time at The Production Board. When it came time to spin out her own seed fund, she knew she wanted to continue the relationship. “Aduro couples relationship-driven service with a turnkey platform perfect for a fund like Twine,” says Leshika. “Knowing I wouldn’t have as much of an administrative burden made the decision to be a solo GP even easier.” Aduro’s reputation of being the preferred choice for emerging managers was especially important to Twine.

Beyond Aduro’s platform and expertise, Twine and Aduro were aligned on fundamental values. It was clear to Leshika that Aduro leads with relationships and Twine’s work in early and seed-stage investing is all about people and relationships. “Being relationship-focused is core to how I do business,” says Leshika. “It makes sense to have my partners around the table share that same core value.”

The Aduro Difference

An administrator that functions like an extension of my team.

When it comes to day-to-day support, Aduro’s high-touch service makes all the difference for Twine. “It’s really meaningful that I can call my controller with any questions,” says Leshika. “As a solo GP, it means a lot to have an administrator who acts like an extension of my team.”

It’s not just the close relationship between Twine and their Aduro team that provides peace of mind; Aduro consistently creates efficiencies and streamlines processes. “As a solo GP, time is my scarcest resource,” explains Leshika. “I’m always looking for ways to spend more time with founders, more time investing, and more time creating value for my LPs. Aduro is one of those ways.” From the beginning, Aduro’s streamlined processes created efficiency for Twine by setting clear expectations and timelines for tax, audit, LP reporting, and facilitating seamless LP interactions.

Aduro makes even extensive processes feel low-lift, like when it came time to set up Twine’s line of credit. “They went above and beyond to efficiently gather all our documentation,” says Leshika.

Heading into Twine’s first audit, Leshika worried about how time-consuming the process would be. With the audit in Aduro’s hands, the process was seamless. Aduro front loaded the work, stuck to a schedule, and provided clarity on exactly what they needed. “In the end, the audit—a process I thought would be painful—was incredibly streamlined and went through the flying colors,” says Leshika.

Aduro works with Twine as a “thought partner” when thinking about capital calls and their cadence or setting up policies like cash management. When a crisis arises like the 2023 banking crisis, being able to call a person you know and trust makes all the difference. “Because Aduro works with so many Fund Managers, they’re able to share benchmarking and rapidly provide treasury management tools,” says Leshika. Emerging managers and established firms alike rely on Aduro for critical industry insights.

“Aduro provides that turnkey experience with bespoke support,” concludes Leshika. For Twine, the combination has delivered exceptional outcomes.