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MenuWhat is the best way for our company to raise funds? How much can we expect to raise?
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Once your profitable and have a concept that works - finding investors is not the problem, its getting rid of them. Who doesnt want to put money into something that has proven to work and make a return?
Seeding and funding is more for people trying to build a concept they think will work, and need investors to make it happen.
You guys are doing well, focus on increasing your revenue, monitization strategies and customer acquisitions.
Dont give away a bit of your company for more capital - unless you fear your company is about to close if you dont get funding - then push on - learn to do more with less just like you did to get to where you are today. Most services are BS when it comes to expansion and growth. So my advice is always avoid funding if you can -
the benefits
-You stay in complete control - no responsibility to investors, no debt, if you actually solve the revenue problems then you will be capital positive.
My recommendation is break down what excatly you want to do in terms of product developement and sales & marketing - come up with some budgets and what return you would expect - do this for two scenarios - one with no external funding and one with external funding - then get started with the no external funding
you will quickly see that had you got funding for sales and marketing you would be literally getting an investor to throw their money in bin on the condition you will go back to the first plan anyway just to pay back your investor.
Really hope this helps you out, all the best
In my mind Crowdfunding is the best way to raise funds without giving up anymore equity of your company. With a proven track record of sales and already ready and willing customers, you already have a tribe to promote to. Having already achieved success milestones shows potential backers that you are reliable and have what it takes to fulfill whatever it is you are raising money for.
If you are looking to raise a few hundred thousand or even a million you should plan on spending a minimum of $25,000 on campaign and have at least 12 fulltime members on team to create, launch, and run entire campaign.
I'm about to launch campaign in November and we will have tens of thousands into campaign, have 12 committed members and over 100 Ambassadors involved and our goal is to raise $1,000,000.
Crowdfunding get's more national media attention for your company, allows you to capture another market, and gives you a platform to market off of for life.
Hope this helps!
I believe you should try some crowdfunding sites and also since your business has generated quite some amount of revenue you should try pitching to some investors. All the best
Related Questions
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How much equity is typically taken by investors in a seed round?
From my experience I would not advise you to go with Venture Capital when you're a start-up as in the end they will most likely end up screwing you. A much better source for funding would be angel investors or friends/family. The question of how much equity should I give away differs for every start-up. I remember with my first company I gave away 30% because I wanted to get it off the ground. This was the best decision I ever made. Don't over valuate your company as having 70% of something is big is a whole lot better than having 100% of something small. You have to decide your companies value based on Assets/I.P(Intellectual Property)/Projections. I assume you have some follow up questions and I would love to help you so if you need any help feel free to call me. Kind Regards, GiulianoGS
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What happens to a convertible note if the company fails?
Convertible notes are by no means "earned." They are often easier to raise for early-stage companies who don't want to or can't raise an equity round. Equity rounds almost always require a simultaneous close of either the whole round or a defined "first close" representing a significant share of the raised amount. Where there are many participants in the round comprised mostly of small seed funds and/or angel investors, shepherding everyone to a closing date can be very difficult. If a company raises money on a note and the company fails, the investors are creditors, getting money back prior to any shareholder and any creditor that doesn't have security or statutory preference. In almost every case, convertible note holders in these situations would be lucky to get pennies back on the dollar. It would be highly unusual of / unheard of for a convertible note to come with personal guarantees. Happy to talk to you about the particulars of your situation and explain more to you based on what you're wanting to know.TW
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What roles should the CEO and CTO have in a VC meeting?
The more important first impressions to leave a VC with are: 1) That you both are credible and inspire confidence that you can execute the plan you're fundraising on. 2) That there is good chemistry and a great relationship between the two of you; 3) That you can adequately address the concerns/objections/questions the VC raises. The CEO is expected to do most of the talking because the CEO should be the best person in the company at articulating the vision and value of the product and company you're building. If your CTO is comfortable presenting part of the pitch, it would be ideal for the CTO to speak to the product slides. The most important thing is for the CTO not to be a "bump on the log" meaning that you don't want them sitting there for most of the presentation with nothing to say. If you feel that's the case, you really shouldn't bring your CTO. Most VC meetings will not get technical and under the hood. Each question answered should be answered by the person best qualified to speak to that question. You should make eye-contact with your partner and use subtle body language to find a way to cue the other person to speak to that question or simply offer "CTO, would you like to answer that?" Bottom line, make sure that the CTO can speak confidently enough about the product and vision, otherwise -unless specifically asked by the VC - come alone. Fundraising is a big distraction to building and a good VC will always respect that in a first meeting, the CTO can be excused from attending in priority of building product. Happy to talk to you both on a call about helping get you feeling a bit more confident and prepared before your meeting. I was formerly a VC associate for a $500m fund and have raised money from VCs as a serial entrepreneur.TW
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What exit strategies do angel investors want/prefer for a service business?
Keep in mind that investors invest for returns. Telling a prospective investor that you want his or her money to grow your business but don't plan on ever generating a liquidation event that pays him or her a dividend is not likely going to work; angel or not. You may be better served with debt financing where returns are generated in the form of interest payments not equity value growth. BUT, if equity financing is the plan, you're going to want to develop a strategic exit plan right from the start. That means identifying prospective buyers, strategic channels etc and characterizing the value drivers for each right up front. You'll find prospective buyers come in a number of forms; competitors, bigger versions of you, strategic partners, private equity, etc. Each will value your business in different amounts for for different reasons. Understanding this is vitally important for you to navigate to securing the right money, from the right sources, with the most favorable terms. Once you've qualified and quantified each of them, then determine what (specifically) you're going to need to do to align your business with those prospective buyers generating the highest returns. This will drive your business model and go to market strategy and define your 'use of funds' decisions. This in turn result in a better, more valuable business whether you exit or not. Do it this way and you'll have no trouble raising money from multiple sources. You can learn more about the advantage of starting with a Strategic Exit plan here: http://www.zerolimitsventures.com/cadredc Good luck. SteveSL
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VCs: What are some pitch deck pet peeves?
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