Friday 17 November 2017

Tips For Getting The Venture Capital Funding Your Business Needs For Sustained Growth

By Sarah McDonald


One of the main challenges that startups face is raising enough money to remain on course for growth. It is this shortfall that has led to the mushrooming of investment firms that offer venture capital funding. Convincing a firm to fund your business is not easy. However, there are many things you could do to increase your leverage on the negotiating table.

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.

The reason for this is because the firm you approach will most likely need the assurance that your business will not go down under. Investors are often apprehensive about investing in ventures that do not look promising due to the level of risk involved. Your business proposal is what will make the big difference during your pitch. In this case, facts and figures play a major role. The growth figures you throw around ought to be 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 kind of behavior was prevalent in the business community in the mid end of the twentieth century. These days, investors pay little attention to unsolicited pitches. What you should be focusing on is making a name for your business first. Once it shows promise of growth, investors will line up to get a share of it.

Your effort to get financing will not be fruitful if you do not do prior research. A vast majority of investment firms have a specialty in specific market sectors. This is usually aimed at restricting funding to startups that have aligned interests. Most of these firms post information on their preferred market sectors on 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.

What you need to look for is a partner. From your initial search, you should be able to come up with a list of a few firms that you may approach. Ensure you approach each of these firms at their own time. Finally, tailor your proposal to fit within what these firms deal with. For instance, a technology company may not get funding from a firm that funds agribusiness.




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