Fundraising
Presenting Information While Pitching To Investors |
For Events Listed I found an equity partner through my Linked In connections. I found a graphic designer based in the UK, who after I pitched the concept to him, was willing to invest close to $150,000 worth of design and marketing services into the opportunity in return for shares.
If I was raising cash for a website venture or an event I would not kick off the project until the investment is confirmed and paid. That’s because getting a ‘yes’ from investors is just the first part - if you have them interested in hearing more, then you need to have a thoroughly sketched out plan to present to them. Every little detail or decision needs to have a business-case behind it.
You will probably need an Information memorandum that outlines everything you must disclose about the investment opportunity. Basically its just a way of bundling information together in a way that can easily be read by investors. This information is vital for sealing the deals, so its a good idea to spend a good amount of time figuring this part out. Its more or else the same for all kinds of businesses.
You can decide the flow and structure of the information, but be sure to add an executive summary at the front. When pitching, a lot of fresh startups forget to add sections for outlining their goals and objectives. Investors need to know about your plans regarding these aspects as much as you do, so do add them.
Its a good idea to formulate the company structure before deciding your equity and share distributing strategies. Based on this you will be in a better position when pitching and discussing the investment opportunity with prospective stakeholders.
Next, your corporate governance strategy also tells a lot about how well and deep you have digged the opportunity. It also demonstrates your openness to sharing your venture with different people in order to come out successful. Businesses are hardly a one-man show and need complementary skillsets and mindsets to make it successful.
Your initial team of key personal and human assets deserve a mention in this information kit as well. Its a way of showing your strengths as well as an idea on how the investment will be spent to finish the product. Startups require a lot of selfless dedication from the initial team, so make sure you get the right one on-board. Everyone should ideally have unique qualities that they bring to the table.
In Events Listed case, I have already spent a good amount of time researching this opportunity. So, its relatively simple for me to estimate the investment opportunity and market size. The latest websites and trends in social media make it easier for internet-based businesses to calculate and gauge the market. There are also different tools like Google Alerts and Analytics that can help you in your research process…
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Raising Capital |
OK when it comes to raising capital for a business opportunity, I look at it like this.
Investors won’t offer fair prices until the risk is diminished to a point that the opportunity is about to take off. You have an application or product that has a competitive advantage, huge growth potential, some big and very happy early clients & most importantly you have proven the concept, you have proven the revenue projections through consistent sales and your competition cannot touch you because they are years behind.
In short that’s when you don’t need money so desperately. Before that you’d ask an angel investor to invest their money in your vision. All the bells and whistles aside here, no matter how the deal is pitched an angel investor will want a fair slice of the pie for taking the risk in doing so. Perhaps seasoned entrepreneurs with a few big wins on their plate might not have that much trouble securing funds - but then people who are serious and who believe in themselves unreservedly for the same reason an angel investor would (because they have done it before) would want to fund the early phases themselves anyway, to retain as much of the pie as possible.
Now, if such a person did not have access to the capital required to achieve this then I would be asking why, why don’t they have capital to invest in their own vision and ability, why should anyone else if they cant show past successes has placed them in a position where they can invest in themselves.
So raising capital is complicated, a good association to join is Tiecon.com is a good association to join and their annual conferences are amazing. I’ve been a member for a few years now and have made some great contacts amongst VC’s, angel investors and other great technical entrepreneurs through it.
My rule of the thumb: I don’t attempt to raise capital until I get the startup through phase 1 myself - minimizing the risks and putting myself in a better position to negotiate…
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