What can entrepreneurs do to guarantee funding?

  ”They can write themselves a check,” says Brad Feld, a venture capitalist at Foundry Group and prolific blogger. Feld also shares what first-time entrepreneurs should keep in mind when trying to raise funds. He also gives insights on how to increase the odds of success. One piece of advice from Feld is to “surround yourself with people who’ve done it before.” And, when talking to VCs, remember not to be arrogant but to be real about what “you don’t know.” 

Tags: Experts, Funding, Uncategorized by reena
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I spoke with Tim Draper, the Founder and Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a leading Venture Capitalist about fundraising tips and the process of getting funded.

While his firm is investing in areas such as Clean tech and Healthcare, Tim shares he is looking for ideas that are critical to a new industry or can turn an industry on its ear - example the media business which is now a typhoon of chaos and a good opportunity for new ventures.

He sheds light on the mysterious dark waters of fundraising (for the entrepreneur anyway) and admits that its a mystery to him too - how refreshing! Here’s the quick process overview:

1. Begins with the business plan which does need to cover some basics. Where does the team come from, their education, is this what they were “meant to do”, is the market well understood, and competition analyzed.

2. The First cut is whether it’s a big enough market - as in the total available market of over $1billion

3. The Next cut - what is the approach to this market and how to capture it

[Read more →]

Tags: Experts, Funding, Uncategorized by reena
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