Posts Tagged ‘Angel Investors’
3 Flexible Funding Options for Small Businesses
One of the most significant challenges any startup or small business faces in its early phases is gaining the necessary funding to allow it to function. Every business needs money to survive, and luckily there are many external sources from which funding can be acquired. These sources are all different, and different businesses need differing…
Read MoreDoes Your Business Need Money? Read This!
The subject of raising money is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). For you…
Read MoreAngel Investment Red Flags
Last week at an angel investment meeting one of our group members asked whether anybody had a list of red flag problems that would immediately eliminate a startup from consideration by angel investors. That seemed like a good idea to me then. And over the weekend somebody asked a similar question in Quora: what are some…
Read More10 Tried-and-True Strategies for Funding New Ventures
One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” I always answer that there isn’t any magic, and contrary to the popular myth, nobody is waiting in the wings to throw money at you, just because you have a new…
Read MoreHow to Match Your Startup Stage to Investor Interest
Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential…
Read MoreAngel Investment vs. Bootstrap: Startup Sweet Spot
Successful angel investment is a win-win for both sides, the startup founders and the investors. And I mean win-win right at the beginning, at the time of the investment, not the obvious win-win later when years have gone by and the business succeeds and investors exit. The win-win sweet spot exists from the beginning, when…
Read More10 Things Angel Investors Ask About Startups
Recently the angel investment group I’m a member of (Willamette Angel Conference) finished our eighth year of choosing a startup to invest in. Our investment runs $100K to $500K, roughly. It’s announced every year on the second Thursday in May. Our annual angel investors process Every year we review 40 or so submissions from startups. We…
Read More10 Reasons Angel Investors Don’t Like Your Plan
Once again, for the eighth year in a row, I’m involved as an angel investor with the Willamette Angel Conference and screening investments. We’ll announce a decision in May, and between now and then, we’re looking at startups. About a fourth of them get what we call due diligence, and about half of those become finalists,…
Read MoreHow Well Versed Are You in Startup Investor Jargon?
Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. I’m not recommending that you saturate your discussions with lingo, but responding with a blank stare once-too-often won’t convince anyone that you can build the next world-changing business or…
Read More8 Ways to Get Off the Ground with Angel Investors
Angel investors are still the lifeblood of early-stage startups, despite the surge of activity in crowdfunding and an increasing early interest from venture capitalists. According to the Angel Capital Association, at least 300,000 people have made angel investments in the last two years, totaling $24 billion in the U.S. alone. These are all accredited investors who…
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