An investor portal is the website or app through which a private fund's investors see their holdings, receive capital calls and download their reports. A capital call is the moment a fund asks its investors for the money they promised, when it is ready to invest. The portal is a part of the fund's fund administration software.
Before anyone can invest, the fund must know who they are. In India, an investor in an alternative investment fund must complete KYC, the identity checks that the law requires. So the portal often begins with onboarding. The investor uploads a PAN card and an address proof, and identity verification software checks them. The investor then signs the fund's agreement electronically.
Imagine a doctor in Ahmedabad who has committed ₹1 crore to a private credit fund. The fund is ready to make a new loan, and it calls 20% of every investor's commitment. The portal shows the doctor a notice: ₹20 lakh is due within 10 days, with the fund's bank account details. It also sends her an email and an SMS. When her ₹20 lakh arrives, the fund's accounts team matches the payment to her notice, and the portal marks the call as paid. Her page now shows ₹20 lakh paid in and ₹80 lakh still to be called.
Over the following years, the portal shows how her investment is doing. Each quarter, it shows the value of her share of the fund and the money she has received back. It also holds her tax statements for each year.
Similar portals serve groups of individuals who invest in start-ups together. An angel investing syndicate uses one to collect each member's money for a single deal. Before investors commit to a fund at all, the fund often shares its documents with them in a virtual data room.