Get Investor Ready

Startups, VCs Now Free To Advertise Their Fundraising Status

Bring on the fundraising billboards. New rules around startup fundraising and investing take hold today that allow companies and firms to actively appeal to the public for funds. The rules, part of the JOBS Act, lift the ban on general solicitation, or general advertising for certain private securities offerings. One Silicon Valley startup, TechShop — a workshop and fabrication studio popular among hardware makers and industrial...

Founders Fund, the venture capital firm started by Facebook investor Peter Thiel, is said ...

Founders Fund, the venture capital firm started by Facebook Inc. investor Peter Thiel, is raising as much as $600 million for its fourth fund, according to two people familiar with the matter. The San Francisco-based firm aims to close the fund this month and will use the capital to invest in early-stage technology companies and more mature startups, said the people, who declined to be named because the fundraising is private. Fou...

Angel groups invest $118M in New England in 2011

New England angel groups invested $118 million in 2011, 13.5 percent of the total angel investment across the country, a report released Thursday said. Investments in Internet companies accounted for 29 percent of New England’s angel investments, health care 16 percent and telecommunications 13 percent, according to the inaugural Halo Report, which was compiled by the Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank and CB Insights. ...

A successful elevator pitch must: Grab the attention; Lay out a solution; Adjust to the au...

The cliched idiom elevator pitch has survived the tech bubble because uniqueness is usually trumped by utility. The need for effective solutions is a crucial part of life and the cornerstone for commerce. Companies seek the most effective ways to attract more customers, while consumers are always on the hunt for an efficient solution for their needs. Consequently, an effective elevator pitch is crucial for companies in search of funding...

Constructing an Unforgettable Elevator Pitch

You step into an elevator and find yourself traveling up 15 floors with your dream client. Would you be able to secure a second meeting with a handshake before the elevator door opens or would your 60 second pitch leave the prospect uninterested or even annoyed? The term ‘elevator pitch’ was initially used to describe an entrepreneur’s strategy of jumping into the elevator with a potential investor and pitching his or her idea ...

10 Free PDF Business Plan Templates

Business plan templates come in all forms, shapes and sizes. The beauty of PDF business plan templates, however, is that users can create their own business plans while having a guide or reference point readily available in front of them. Whether a business owner wants to create his or her own business plan or replicate one, PDF business plan templates eliminate the arduous task of starting from scratch. Below are 10 PDF business plan t...

Business Angels: The Solution On Where to Find Funding

Where can you find business angels and what do they offer? In answering this question we must know what a business angel is. They are simply people who provide businesses, usually those starting,enough money to move up to the next level.

Their professions range from retirees and doctors to business owners and executives, one may just even be your neighbor. There are over a million such investors annually in the US pumping capit...

Are Super Angel Investors Right for You?

Super angels raise funds like venture capitalists but invest early like angels and in sums between the two, on average from $250,000 to $500,000.

So if typical angel funding isn’t quite enough for your startup, and venture capital seems eons away, super angels might be a good in-between option.

What to Expect

In a world where VC money is the holy grail (and equally as hard to find as the holy grail), super angels are...

40+ Startup Jargon Words You Need To Know To Raise Money

If your company is seeking venture capital (VC) investment, it is important that you not only have all the elements of a great pitch, but that the language you use is the same as that of the your potential investors. Of course, you will need to describe what your company does — your path and your plan for future growth. Nonetheless, a great pitch must recognize that the entrepreneurial start-up world is full of jargon: “After all we...

Getting the Most From Social Media Interns

Social media is often touted as a simple, free way for small businesses to brand themselves. But it can definitely take a full-time employee to man the Web and all its social media tools for your business. Cari Sommer, co-founder of Urban Interns, said hiring a social media intern or freelancer is the perfect way for small business owners to be cost-effective and still utilize all that social media has to offer, without adding stress to...

The 10 Commandments of Social Media for Brands

Fleeting as social media exchanges may seem, they can have a pronounced impact on business and their influence can echoe far beyond a simple post or retweet. While the anonymous, public and often informal nature of Internet dialogue often leads corporations to relax their guard, it’s important to note: Managing a brand’s social media presence is a tricky balancing act. The key to being successful? Keeping things polite and profes...

10 Marketing Tips for Startups ...

You’ve got a great idea and you’ve built an even better product. Now that the hard part’s over and your product is ticking along nicely, what’s next? It’s time to let people know about what you’ve done. The fact remains that if nobody’s using your product, it’s going to be pretty hard to move forward. But how do you do it? Blogs? Presenting at a conference? Throwing out press releases? The short answer is yes. To all ...

12 Ways to Determine Costs for Your Startup

If you’re starting a company of your own, what methods would you use to define how much your initial investment should be? You need to have an accurate estimate of start-up costs in order to reasonably predict your financial performance in the first few quarters. The cost requirements are different for different industries. Use these tips to start the number crunching for your business and come up with an accurate estimation for yo...

Can an entrepreneur start a business in a downturn?

Bangalore: "Starting a business during a recession! Are you crazy?" You may have to face this kind of question if you want to start up a new company in an economic downturn, as many people think starting a business during a recession is a mistake. On the face of it, it does sound utter insane, but there are opportunities to be exploited. If you look at the economic downturns throughout history, you'll find that most recessions after the...

Building A Startup That Makes It Past 5 Years

The U.S. economy badly needs entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, the rate of new startup growth has been in a decades-long slump. Worse, less than half of all startups make it in business for at least five years. There’s no doubt that the continued global economic slump has been a culprit, but it could also be attributed to a lack of education on the part of entrepreneurs themselves. The truth is, entrepreneurs need to be both encouraged...