You may receive more rejections than signed term sheets, but that is just part of the process. Your ability to bounce back from rejection will be key when you’re pitching your product story and securing funding for startup projects.
Startups don’t have the luxury of a large network or past successes to draw on when raising capital. But sometimes, all it takes is one investor out there who believes in your vision and wants what you want for yourself: success. If that sounds like someone you know, then keep reading!
Persistence and resilience are key traits of successful entrepreneurship. When pitching an idea, never give up if things feel bleak at first – many startups go through more rejections than signed term sheets because founders have learned not to let rejection.
When I was building my first company, we had a really great product. But then it turns out that people were investing because they liked us and wanted to help create some amazing technologies - not just the products themselves!
So what do you think we did? We talked about ourselves less and built relationships with investors more.
It's true: Relationships are key in any business environment. That is why when someone wants to connect with me nowadays, instead of sending over their pitch deck as an attachment or requesting for a phone call like most entrepreneurs would usually do; They send something else...
When entrepreneurs want to raise capital, they often forget that investors are looking for more than just a pretty product. They also need evidence of the entrepreneur’s ability to execute their vision successfully and efficiently.
One tried-and-true way is through contacting them through networks – as relationships can play an important role in helping you meet the right people who might invest in your idea or company.
Right people who are likely to say yes
You want to focus on what you’re going for. You don’t have time or money to waste, so it’s important that your target list is well thought out and efficient.
If you were looking for investors, then success as a founder would come from finding the right people who are likely to say yes instead of wasting years talking with everyone just in case they happen not one but two investing companies that do invest in startups whose investments match up best with their own values.
Success as a founder and startup is all about focus and efficiency. This is especially true for raising funding, which can be difficult to do in the early stages of development.
You may still need to speak with 200 or 300 investors before you get your first yeses; however being more targeted will help make sure it isn’t 1,000s across many months on meetings with each one of them. So having tight lists saves an enormous amount of time wasting our precious money!
Why are you raising money?
An entrepreneur’s question is always, “Why am I doing this?” But before asking that question, ask yourself a few more: Why now?, What should it do for me and my investors? Is the timing right – will there be enough demand to make an offering successful in your niche market or country of operation?
Do we have the resources (time) required to execute on our plan without putting other important aspects of running our business at risk by focusing all efforts on fundraising alone.
If not then what can we change about how much time/money etc.? When considering who might invest with us, think through whether their interests align well with ours; if they don’t see eye-to-eye philosophically but offer.
I'm raising money because my company needs the capital to take it from a start-up, and turn us into an established business.
There are many reasons why I am doing this now; some of these include that I need funding for hiring purposes as well as expansion and marketing plans in order to make our product more accessible across different regions.
To properly pitch myself to potential investors with any success, I will require powerful tools like persuasive presentations so they can get excited about what we have been working on all along.
Get in touch with investors instantly
www.investorscsv.tech saves you hundreds of hours by aggregating data on over 50,000+ angels and venture capitalists in one place with their contact information included! This is the largest investor database online for your convenience.
Get funded!
You’re probably wondering why your startup has a hard time securing funding. We’re here to help! Follow these steps and get the ball rolling on getting funded for your venture:
Start by assessing what you need money for – do you want capital investments, or are some of the other needs more pressing?
Don’t worry if this isn’t clear at first; it’ll make sense as we go through each step together.
Next build an investment plan that covers how much money is needed, where there’s going to be cash flow from in terms of revenue/profits etc., timelines around milestones (e.g., when will my investors see their returns?), thoughts about exit scenarios such as liquidation events and acquisitions- think big picture!
The startup fundraising process can be difficult for many entrepreneurs. Follow these steps to unlock considerable funding from investors, maximize your investment potential and scale your business to all-new heights.
1. Outline your goals and objectives
The first step of the startup funding process is to outline your goals and objectives.
Typically, these are documented within a business plan or pitch deck that will serve as roadmap for how you scale fast, stay on track with achieving those goals, and achieve your desired outcome in the future.
Startup funding goals and objectives are the first step in a successful startup process.
This is usually documented within a business plan, but this can be later used as material for an investor pitch deck that outlines what you want to achieve with your company’s growth so it will appeal more strongly to potential investors.
2. Build an accurate budget
Building an accurate budget is one of the hardest things to do, especially for early-stage startups with limited historical data to forecast with.
To create a great marketing strategy and show investors that their money will be spent wisely take some time at home or in your office today to consider what you need such as: equipment, human resources, legal expenses and then draft up this startup expense list so we can come back together tomorrow morning.
Investing in startups is a difficult process that requires many steps and much time. To avoid wasting your time, be sure to follow these tips when searching for an experienced startup investor:
Ask around among friends or people you know who might have some insights into investments
often times they’ll refer someone because of their own positive experiences with them as investors, advisors or mentors.
Participate on online community boards
boards like Reddit’s Entrepreneur forum where knowledgeable entrepreneurs provide advice about raising capital from venture capitalists while maintaining the integrity of one’s idea
Use databases
such as investorscsv when looking at who is investing where — this database includes over 50K companies so you’ll be able to find what’s current in no time flat!
3. Pitch
After you’ve found the right startup investor, it’s time to perfect your pitch and persuade them that investing in your business is worth their while.
Find all of the documents related to your company — such as a business plan or an investor presentation deck—and show investors why they should choose you over other startups vying for funding.
Paint a compelling brand narrative by highlighting what makes this investment worthwhile now and how things could go wrong if someone else were chosen instead. Why do we need investments like yours? What would happen if we didn’t get one?
If you’re looking to secure the funding of a startup investor, it’s important that your pitch be perfect.
Why? To do this, gather all your documents – business plans and investor decks- then show investors why their money is best put towards supporting your company for three reasons: our product fills an urgent need in today’s market; we are capitalizing on trends which will only grow with time; finally, like any good investment opportunity there is always risk involved but ours comes without tangible downside because if they don’t choose us someone else surely will.