1/30/2006

"Show Some Pain - Investors Love Pain"

"While the path to funding is different for every company, knowing what angels and venture capitalists (VCs) look for and how the process works can significantly increase an entrepreneur’s chances for success. Here are 10 tips to consider:

#1 - Understand that Size Matters: Investors look for big, bold market opportunities...
#2 - Show Some Pain: Investors love pain. Entrepreneurs targeting markets that are experiencing excruciating pain coupled with an elegant, scaleable solution will almost always have a rapt audience with investors.
#3 - Validate Early...
#4 - Hock Some Assets: To be taken seriously, an entrepreneur must put some skin in the game...
#5 - Assemble an A-Team...
#6 - Don’t Cut Corners...A reputable attorney with a firm specializing in serving new ventures will not only provide invaluable strategic guidance, but also make vital introductions that could expedite the fundraising process...
#7 - Think like a Boy Scout: Be prepared!...
#8 - Respect the Pecking Order: When targeting VCs, an entrepreneur should try to pitch first to local, top-tier firms...
#9 – Get Introduced...
10 - Mitigate Deal-Breaking Objections...

Read more in this Local Tech Wire article.