Thursday 16 November 2017

Secrets To Getting Venture Capital Funding For Your Growing Business

By Sarah McDonald


One of the key challenges faced by growing businesses is generating enough money to offset operational expenditure and make profit at the same time. Such challenges have seen the rise of investment firms that specialize in giving growing businesses venture capital funding. Getting an investment firm to invest in your business is not an easy thing to do. Luckily, there are some steps you could take to enhance your bargaining chip during your initial pitch.

First of all, you need to understand what venture capital firms really want. If you think scoring the financing you need is as easy as borrowing money from friends or relatives, then it is not for you. This type of financing is usually the hardest to get.

This is simply because the investor you approach first needs proof that your venture will not crumble even after getting its much needed funds. Investors usually grow cold feet once they get a whiff of failure in the ventures they are about to fund. The pitch you make is the main thing that will make a difference on the negotiating table. Make sure the figures you include in your proposal are backed by evidence.

One major mistake that majority of new entrants in business make is approaching multiple investors for financing. This is quite imprudent, especially bearing in mind the fact that the business world is fueled by greed. No investor will take you seriously once they establish you have approached many other investors with the same proposal.

This sort of behavior was at a peak in the business world in the mid 1980s. Nowadays, investors barely stop to hear or read unsolicited pitches. The sole thing you want to focus on is making your enterprise become a brand name before pitching. Once your brand starts to grow, investment firms will approach you instead.

In essence, research is the single most important thing you should be doing in your journey to find financing. Most firms specialize in certain market segments and make it known to the general public. This is aimed at warding off interest from startups that have misaligned interests. You should be able to get lots of information from simply looking at their websites.

The internet has got lots of other useful websites that you can use for your research. Some contain a lot of stuff about statistics, capital, book lists, regional funding associations and general advice. You can also make a targeted search for firms that specifically deal with your kind of business. During your research, you might want to avoid firms that do not seek to grow the startups under them but simply want to take over.

The relationship you should angle for is a partnership. From your research, you should get a shortlist of the great firms that are open to solicitation in your area. Make sure you set different times to engage the ones on your list. Lastly, amend your proposal to fall in line with what your investors are interested in. For example, an agribusiness firm may not get funding from a tech centered investment firm.




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