Working with Investors
What’s the Difference Between Angel Investor and VC?
I see this confusion a lot: People use the terms “venture capital,” “venture capitalist,” and “VC” to apply to any outsider investing in a startup. However, it’s really useful to draw some distinctions in this area, between three important classifications: venture capital, angel investors, and anybody else.
3 Things You Need to Have When Raising Money
Each of us has a list of things we look for early on when identifying whether we want to go to the next step in analyzing a plan. Come to think of it, these are good for challenging any business plan.
The “Inciting Incident” and Investors
If you are a screenplay writer, you are familiar with the dogma of the inciting incident. In a movie, the inciting incident is the event at the beginning of the story which causes the hero’s life to be completely transformed and irrevocably changed, and which makes the whole story unfold.
How to Find a Venture Capital Firm Aligned with Your Values
You’ve got the ideas. You’ve got the plan. You’ve even got a potential staff. What you don’t have is the money. Pairing with a venture capital firm can be promising but precarious.
Where to Find the Most Angels to Fund Your Startup
Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas. That means they need to know you, or someone they trust who does know you.
How to Raise Capital by Thinking Like an Investor
One of the biggest reasons small businesses fail is that they run out of money before they can effectively compete in the market. That’s why it’s important to raise enough capital at the beginning.
8 Key Questions to Expect in Investor Due Diligence
If you really want to impress a startup founder as a potential employee, or you want to be a smart investor, you need to know the right questions to ask.
Could You Answer These Tough Investor Questions?
In my years of investing, I’ve developed a set of tough questions that are sure to elicit both information and a vibrant dialog—questions not on the usual checklists of angel groups or investors.
8 Startup Gaps That Will Frustrate Funding Efforts
Too many people still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and people will throw money at you. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.
Don’t Be Fooled by All the Hype for Crowd Funding
The new hot topic for entrepreneurs the last couple of years is crowdfunding, which is anticipated to at least supplement, if not replace, the slow and mysterious process of current Angel and venture capital investors. The problem is that crowdfunding means something different to everyone, and even I have been confused by the different ways the term gets used.