Working with Investors
Size Up Your Investors Before Accepting Their Money
Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors.
Don’t Get Hung Up On Valuation
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from deals where the entrepreneur insists on a start-up premoney valuation that is so high, no angel could expect to make a return upon the investment, even with a reasonable sales price for the company down the road.
Turn the Table: What’s an Angel Look Like?
Angel investors, particularly those in organized angel groups, are typically former entrepreneurs who have had successful liquidity events in their pasts, or executives of companies who’ve retired with the funds from their stock options.
Find Your Champion
If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision.
Don’t Forget Grants If You Need Early Seed Money
In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors.
The Correct Answer to “How Will You Use My Money?”
Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.”
Both Sides Must Be Fair in a Term Sheet Negotiation
After being an active angel investor for about fifteen years, I realized that many of the discussions I was involved in were virtually identical to ones I’d had many times before.
Congress Turning to Angel Investors to Spur Economic Growth
Congress is looking to encourage more angel investors to put more of their money behind companies as a way to reignite the American economy. Small businesses and startups drive U.S. economic growth, which is why lawmakers are looking into legislation that can support this initiative.
Equity Financing: Great for Rapid Growth Startups
We’ve spoken of financing a young company through friends and family, known as “inside angels.” There are three classes of equity investors for early stage businesses that we have not yet considered. Often grouped into formal organizations, these investors are sophisticated, helpful, and connected.
4 Strategies to Attract Investors to a Small Business
By getting others to back a small business financially, the company will have a much better chance of being prosperous over the long haul. The good news is that there are several options aspiring entrepreneurs and established small business owners can use to attract others to a company for the purpose of helping to fund it.
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