Almost every company goes through it, except for the fortunate few. Some people have gone through it multiple times. While never easy, raising money for the second or third time (assuming success the first time!) is a picnic, compared to the first time. The questions that run through an entrepreneurs mind are nearly endless. Do I even need the money? Is my company fundable, regardless? How much do I need? How much should I try to raise? Whats the best time to start raising money? What type of investor should I approach, and what are their expectations? How should I go about approaching them?

What are the most important things that investors look for before investing in a start-up? What separates rejects from stars? Here are seven characteristics most venture capital investors look for in a promising venture.

A business plan’s contents are no secret. Many books, articles, and courses describe the major sections of a business plan. Although variations exist, there are key sections common to most outlines in business planning literature. Executive Summary An executive summary, generally one page to a few pages at most, covers all of the main points [...]

As the venture capitalists look at the long-term future of the company, they critically examine the company’s existing or planned products or services and the potential markets for them. Hence, a structured financial planning alone won’t ensure you a venture capital. You need to expand your product line or enter into a new market with additional funds to attract venture firms towards your company.

In this article we would like to touch on physicians and the need to market their medical practice. More and more physicians find themselves working harder then ever and seeing  a decline in their patient base. Many depend too much on their existing referral base, but in today’s economy some of the physicians have relocated, [...]

The unraveling sub-prime mortgage market has spewed its wreckage across a vast cross section of the financial markets. Investors and lenders continue to smart from massive losses on investments and loans tied to this market. As some scramble to assess the implications of the sub-prime meltdown, many investors and lenders have either abandoned higher risk asset classes or are approaching them with great caution.

Raising money to start a company or expand an existing one is a demanding process that few people know or understand until they have gone through it. This article walks you through the process and gives a few tips along the way

This essay discusses the strategic implications of funding your business using Venture Capital, Angel Investment Groups, or Bootstrapping, i.e., Self-Financing.

A business plan presents the story of how your business will launch and then operate. A budget detailing the startup expenses you will encounter must be included to show funders how their money will be spent. Here are tips on planning that budget. Expert Overview To start off, get a general sense of the cost [...]

Angel investors are starting to recover from the 2008-early 2009 “Great Recession.” This may create an extraordinary opportunity for angel investors to get in on the ground floor of companies that could fuel the recovery and skyrocket investor returns. Cautious signs of recovery seem to abound. Start-up companies can provide the kicker to investor portfolios that will more than compensate for the major market declines of the last 18 months.