find funding Archives

How to Find the Perfect VC Partner, Even During Times of Uncertainty

While the pandemic has certainly had an impact on the startup space, speculations were off about one thing: venture capital. It didn’t dry up: Venture investors poured $150 billion into North American companies in 2020,...

byRay Meiring

July 22, 2022

Through Mentoring, Angel Investors Offer More Than Just Money

Captaining a new enterprise is like constructing a parachute after you’ve been thrown out of a plane: It’s difficult, it’s dangerous, you’re pressed for time and a wrong decision can be fatal. When faced with...

byRebecca Wessell

June 17, 2022

Free Business Funding: 5 Tips for Writing a Winning Small Business Grant Application

If you’ve researched grants for startup or existing businesses, you know how hard they are to find. Sure, you can find incubators, accelerators, loan programs, angel investors and venture capitalists, but the vast majority of...

byMarcia Layton Turner

June 6, 2022

Is Your Big Idea Investor-Worthy? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions Pre-Launch

Entrepreneurs certainly aren’t lacking for ideas — but that doesn’t mean every concept is worth pursuing. It’s not enough to separate the good ideas from the bad. It’s about identifying the great ones. Investors want to know...

byJanielle Denier

May 25, 2022

6 Successful Dealmakers Provide Top Tips on Raising Capital

Bootstrapping will only take your startup so far. Many businesses underestimate how much money they really need to keep going and growing, and they run out of runway. When raising capital, these investor-entrepreneurs and members...

byThe Oracles

May 9, 2022

From Concept to Delivery: Tips for Perfecting Your Investor Pitch

Raising money for a startup is a long process, but an important one. Securing funding may not be easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In order to successfully pitch investors, you’ll need to move...

byAndrew Witkin

May 5, 2022

Rewards-Based or Equity Crowdfunding: Which is Best for My Business?

One of the most popular methods of fundraising for a startup is the use of crowdfunding platforms. With crowdfunding, people choose to make a donation through an approved funding platform to help raise money for...

byMyCorporation

April 18, 2022

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...

byJeff Sloan

January 17, 2022

Top Small Business Grants for Women and Minorities

For an updated list of grant programs for women and minorities available in 2021, please click here. Funding a small business can be quite the undertaking, whether you’re starting a new venture for the first...

byMeredith Wood

November 28, 2021

4 Tips for Writing a Standout Business Plan Financing Request

One of the most important elements of a business plan is a financing request, or the amount of funding your business is requesting of potential investors. Many entrepreneurs may worry they are asking for too...

byMyCorporation

November 4, 2021

The 5 Things Investors Really Care About When Reviewing Your Business Plan

A business plan is an essential tool for startups and, when executed correctly, it serves two key purposes: It provides goals and a roadmap for you to follow in order to build a successful company....

byDave Lavinsky

November 3, 2021

What Does Michigan Venture Capital Look Like Today? These 3 Business Moguls Discuss

StartupNation founder and CEO, Jeff Sloan, shares a conversation with Ara Topouzian, executive director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association and RJ King, editor of DBusiness Magazine, on the status of venture capital in Michigan today. Related: WJR...

byStartupNation

July 27, 2021

E-Commerce Financing: Funding Your Online Business

It’s a Catch-22: you sell your products to make money, but you need money to buy those products to sell. What if you don’t have the working capital on hand to do so? That’s where...

byNav

May 17, 2021

An Inside Look at Michigan’s Prosperous Venture Capital Community

If you're a startup company looking for capital, today's show is for you! On this special edition of StartupNation Radio, Jeff shares a conversation with Ara Topouzian, executive director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association...

byStartupNation

May 15, 2021

Why Investing in Minority-Owned Startups is Key to Unlocking Innovation

Despite being a critical force in the future of the U.S. economy, people of color are disproportionately hurt by lack of access to capital. While diversity and inclusion initiatives are en vogue in Silicon Valley,...

byDiane Yoo

April 28, 2021

WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: Midwest Venture Showcase (Episode 215)

On this morning's WJR Business Beat, Jeff and Paul W. Smith discuss the 2021 Midwest Venture Showcase, a partnership between the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) and InvestMidwest, which will showcase 57 companies actively seeking funding to an...

byStartupNation

April 26, 2021

7 Exceptional Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out to Lenders

Searching for a small business loan can feel a little bit like hitting the dating scene. You’re researching lenders wondering, “Will they like me? Or will they reject me?” Working at Nav, where we’ve played...

byGerri Detweiler

April 26, 2021

Bloomscape and 2021 Midwest Venture Showcase: Successful Startups are Blooming in Our Region

Welcome back to another brand new episode of StartupNation Radio! Today, Jeff is joined by frequent co-host, Norm Pappas, president and CEO of Pappas Financial. First up, the two welcome Justin Mast, founder and CEO...

byStartupNation

April 24, 2021

Alternative Lending Options for Small Businesses in 2021

All businesses require funds to operate. Maybe when you first opened your doors, you used your own savings or received microloans from family or friends. But as businesses grow, it's sometimes necessary to obtain outside...

byRapid Finance

April 20, 2021

2021 Midwest Venture Showcase to Feature 57 Companies Actively Seeking Funding

The 2021 Midwest Venture Showcase, a partnership between the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) and InvestMidwest, will showcase 57 companies actively seeking funding to an audience of top-tier investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and business executives at...

byStartupNation

April 15, 2021