Browsing Tag
angel investors
23 posts
From Our Founder: Legislation Makes Equity Crowdfunding the Go-To Source for Startup Funding
Venture capital funding, while essential to the startup growth ecosystem, is a funding source that makes its way into only a small percentage of companies seeking critical startup and growth funding. The companies that get venture capital fill a narrow band that meet certain strict criteria, leaving many other highly meritorious and worthy companies out...
5 Types of Investors for Startups
“The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.” -Adam Grant, organizational psychologist Investors are unique players in the growth process of a business. The level and quality of their involvement can ultimately help determine a company’s success or failure. It is imperative for budding entrepreneurs to take the time to learn about...
How Venture Capitalist Diane Yoo Chooses Her Startup Investments
With so many entrepreneurs and startup ventures seeking investment opportunities, it’s crucial that venture capitalists (VCs) create a list of criteria they want their potential investments to meet. Of course, every VC dreams of investing in a business that can grow into a billion-dollar unicorn company, but these instances are few and far between. As...
Is Your Business Scalable? Why the Answer Matters to Potential Investors
Financing a small business initiative by offering investors a percentage of ownership equity in your business is called equity financing. When angel investors or an equity firm invest in a company, they don’t do it for a loan payment. They do it for a percentage of ownership, or equity. And, instead of periodic payments, the...
WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: Information Regarding Angel Investing (Episode 284)
On today's Business Beat, Jeff speaks with Marcia Dawood, chair of the Angel Capital Association Board of Directors, regarding the advantages of angel funding to finance and launch a business. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about the advantages of working with angel investors: Tune in to News/Talk 760 AM WJR...
Ask the Experts: Armando Ojeda, Angela Barbash, and Marcia Dawood on StartupNation Radio
On this week's episode of StartupNation Radio, Jeff speaks with StartupNation's subject matter experts from SCORE Mentors: Armando Ojeda, Angela Barbash, and Marcia Dawood. Tune in to the full StartupNation Radio show with Ojeda, Barbash and Dawood to learn about the SCORE Mentors program and hear about each mentor's unique experiences: This episode is co-hosted...
Female Founders, Get Funding Now with These 4 Alternatives to VC
In 2019, venture capital investment into U.S. startups nearly doubled from $88 billion to $144 billion. So, while it comes as no surprise that 2019 was also a record year for female founders securing these dollars, many would be shocked to learn this funding amounted to a mere 3.4% at its all-time high. It would...
WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: Angel Funding Booming in Michigan Despite Pandemic (Episode 117)
Despite the chaos of the pandemic, deal flow has remained fairly steady for existing angel groups in the area, with several new funds emerging, too. Angel funding is funding provided by wealthy individuals into a company directly, as opposed to funding coming from institutional investors. In 2019, there were 1,322 individuals who invested a combined...
WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: IPO Marketing Slowing (Episode 53)
We've highlighted on previous Business Beat segments how early stage funding from angels and venture capitalists, for example, is slowing amid the COVID-19 crisis. But now we've got news that the Initial Public Offering marketplace is beginning to show signs of slowing, as well. On this morning's WJR Business Beat, Jeff breaks down some recent statistics...
6 Tips to Improve Your Odds When Facing Investors
It takes money to make money. But how do you get startup funds to get your business off the ground? How do you fund your expansion into new products or increase market reach? External funds provide outsiders the opportunity to invest cash in your company in exchange for equity, or partial ownership of that business....
7 Alternatives to VC Funding That Women Entrepreneurs Need to Know About
News, television and other media have pushed venture capital from specialized financing vehicle to the mainstream. It would be easy to assume, then, that venture capital is a good fit for every startup, but that’s not the case at all. In particular, venture capital is often not a good fit for startups. Taking venture capital...
3 Things Entrepreneurs Must Do to Increase Their Startup’s Chance of Survival
Entrepreneurship is often idealized — you can “be your own boss,” attain “financial freedom” and work a “four hour workweek” — right? Well, yes, those things are possible, especially in the long run. At least in the beginning, startup founders often enjoy an incredible amount of control over their day-to-day. And yes, entrepreneurship can lead...
The 3 Stories You Need to Tell During a Capital Raise
What’s the best way to really get someone to listen and draw them in? Storytelling has been the medium of choice for communicators and entrepreneurs since the beginning of time. To connect with another person, you need to meet them where they are, find common ground and give them someone (or something) to root for....
8 Funding Alternatives to Consider for Your Startup
When it comes to funding your startup, you may not know exactly where to start. While you could certainly seek out a small business loan, microloan or other program designed to get you the capital you need, there are other viable funding alternatives to get your business up and running. Should you be looking for funding,...
Angel Investors Share Tips for Successful Business Pitches
As any entrepreneur knows, having support from angel investors in the early days can make all the difference when it comes to the success, or failure, of a startup company. It’s a boost just to know that someone has faith in you, as a person, and your idea – but real cash means you can...
Things Investors Say When Really What They Mean is, “No”
One lesson I learned the hard way as a founder is that investors never like to say “no.” They especially don’t like to say “yes,” but “no” is almost as difficult to get out of them. Why? Well, because they never want to completely close the door on what could eventually be a massive missed...
Financing Options for a Small Business
Finding the Right Funding Financing your business is one of the first critical decisions you'll make. A while back, we were approached by "Brian," an Entrepreneur who started a company with a combination of funds from his personal savings account and credit cards. He was looking for a venture capital investment, but part way into his...
Financing Options for a Small Business
Finding the Right Funding Financing your business is one of the first critical decisions you'll make. A while back, we were approached by "Brian," an Entrepreneur who started a company with a combination of funds from his personal savings account and credit cards. He was looking for a venture capital investment, but part way into his...
Startup Funding – A Closer Look at the Key Options
Gaining access to initial funding and maintaining a workable cash flow situation are two of the biggest challenges that newly established and fledgling businesses face. There are of course no guarantees of sustainable success even when a new company is able to generate investor interest and raise the cash they need to get started. Here...
What does it really take to attract investors to your startup?
Especially for the first-time entrepreneurs out there, a lot of times there tends to be some misconceptions about what it takes to land seed funding for your startup. Presupposing that your founding team does not include guys with massively successful startup pasts (such as founding a YouTube or even a Mint.com), the investor dance can...