Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Funding, Preparation, Finding a VC Firm

Read our Terms of Service before reprinting this article. The submitter specified above has claimed the rights to this article.Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBA

Obtaining venture capital is substantially different from raising debt or applying for a loan from a direct lender, like a bank. It takes time, effort and energy to create a compelling sales package that venture capital groups will review, find interesting, and work to fund.

Lenders have a legal right to interest on a loan and repayment of the capital, irrespective of the success or failure of a business. Venture capital elects to be invested in exchange for an equity stake in the business. As a shareholder, the venture group’s return is dependent on the growth and profitability of the business, which is based on success achievement. This return is generally earned when the venture capitalist "exits" by selling its shares when the business is sold or divested to another owner.

Funding

Whereas a lender is legally entitled to interest on his loan and can take legally take collateral to satisfy debts, venture capitalists own equity in the company and therefore can often be the last in line if the business fails to generate enough capital to pay the investment back.

A lender earns returns from interest on the funds injected. Equity holders earn returns from profits and company growth. The venture capitalist earns the majority of their returns when they dispose of their stock--- which explains why they may study up to 400 different potential investments before they select one in which they want to invest.

The challenge is for you to develop a business case for your project that makes it the one in 400 potential investments they simply must make.

Since VC firms can logically expect to hold an investment for as long as seven years, they are interested in ventures which offer potentially incredibly high growth rates to make up for the long waiting period. In comparison, a home is seldom held for more than seven years and that is considered to be a very illiquid investment.

Companies that seek venture capital typically have high up-front set-up costs.

Because startup companies rarely demonstrate strong cash flow and generally can offer few assets to serve as collateral, VC investors may represent the only source of high levels of funding. This “only source” position can make VC money very expensive to the business owner, requiring them to give up far more of their equity than they would normally like to surrender.

Preparation

A VC firm’s ultimate goal for a company is usually to take it to the public markets (Stock exchanges) whereby a share stock that they may have acquired for a dollar is sold on a stock exchange for $20 or more. As a venture capitalist, for example, Mitt Romney acquired a net worth of $250 million before his run for the US presidency in 2012.

Business owners who want to take their businesses public know this is the high road of wealth creation. These business owners will start a company, make it very profitable, and eventually take it to the stock market to sell off shares they acquired for one cent for $20 or more. Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs, and all of the Walton family plus and a large number of The Forbes 400 Richest Americans amassed billions in wealth through IPO stock sales.

To prepare for such possibilities venture capitalists assist in four defined stages of a company’s development. Let’s look at each of these four and apply some ideas to each stage:

1. Idea generation: An idea that can be used for business purposes. If you have an idea, how you apply the various attributes of business to that idea can make an immense difference in the mid-term and long term success of the venture.

2. Start-up: “A startup company or startup is a company or temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.

3. Ramp up: Ramp up is a term used in economics and business to describe an increase in firm production ahead of anticipated increases in product demand. Alternatively, ramp up describes the period between product development, and maximum capacity utilization, characterized by product and process experimentation and improvements.

4. Exit: In VC terms, the Exit is the selling off of the VC’s equity to achieve profits or to mitigate losses.

Finding a Venture Capital Firm

There are no public exchanges listing VC stock for private companies therefore companies desiring VC investors usually meet in methods such as:

‧ VC sponsored investors conferences and seminars. These have become big business in recent years, where a group will put together ten or twenty representatives of venture capital firms, who come together, meet with potential referrals—as well as potential investors---and begin the “courtship ritual.”

‧ Internet searches or online listing companies. One prime example of this is the website www.GainStreamGroup.com. Gain Stream Group has compiled, contacts, determines the legitimacy of, and then makes venture capital groups and contacts available to those searching for specific types of lenders. The advantage of a Gain Stream Group over purchasing or just using a blanket list of lenders is that Gain Stream Group looks at the stage your business is in, helps assess the area of lending that would be most helpful, and targets the lenders contact info that you receive to a class and type of lender that would be best able to meet your lending needs.

‧ Referrals from business associates. Often, you will meet and become acquainted with others in your specific industry, and these contacts may be quite helpful in putting together a list of lenders who may have financed their projects along the way.

It is very important to verify that the VC firm you are interested in working with is a legitimate firm and not a group of criminals attempting to steal your business idea or in some way defraud you of funds.

Important NoticeDISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.Dr. Brent Lundell owns http://www.gainstreamgroup.com/, a venture capital sourcing and consulting company, and is a partner in The Guinn Consultancy Group, Inc. The Guinn Consultancy Group provides a wide array of business services, including seminars, webinars, and venture capital sourcing services.

Venture Capital Firms and Funds Submitted by: Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBAVenture Capitalists What is a venture capitalist. A venture capitalist is an individual who makes investments in businesses before the firm goes public. In addition to bringing money to the business venture, capitalists usually bring managerial and business-specific talent to the business, and will take assume equity and generally a board seat in return for investment in the business. What is a venture capital fund...

VC Fund Types, Players, Structure Submitted by: Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBATypes of Venture Capital Funds Let?s do a quick review of the types of venture capital funds. VC firms differ in their investment approaches. Some companies ? Invest for a quick turnaround, by going public?selling within the public equities markets ? Invest for the long-term, planning for slower growth, but strong tax benefits ? Invest in new ideas ? Invest only in their areas of expertise ? Invest anywhere in the world, as long as potential profits are strong ? Invest in fledgling and start-up companies ? Invest in established and profitable companies that need expansion assistance ? Invest only in certain, defined industries ? Invest only locally or regionally ? Invest only nationally ? Invest only internationally Venture Capital Firm Players Venture capitalists (VCs) usually come from a finance or an operational experience background...

Venture Capital Basics, Part 1 Submitted by: Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBAVenture capital, a subset of private equity investing, usually represents money provided by investors to small or start-up companies with perceived long-term growth potential. Venture capital can be injected into a company at any time the company wants to expand, sell-out, or merge with another company. Often VC money is invested after the start up (called the ?Seed?) phase of a business and is usually a precursor to generating a return through an IPO or trade sale of the company...

A Short History of Venture Capital Submitted by: Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBAIn the first half of the 20th century (1900-1950)-- with very few exceptions-- venture capital investments were made by very wealthy families like the Rockefellers (Standard Oil), the Vanderbilt family (shipping lines and railroads), and the Warburg family (financial dynasty including banking, and the US Federal Reserve). Among the many businesses these families funded one must include both Eastern Airlines and Douglas Aircraft...

More History: VC View on Investing, Due Diligence, And Investor Involvement Submitted by: Dr. Brent Lundell, PhD, MBAAlthough Ronald Reagan expanded the economy through governmental defense spending from the middle to the end of the 1980s, venture capital profits declined through the mid-1990s and a new wealth generator for venture capitalists replaced funding start-up companies?. the Leveraged Buyout. For definition, a leveraged buyout (LBO) is the purchase of a company with a combination of debt and the target company?s assets, which might include airplanes, real property, and/or cash flow...

Know What Car Insurance Information That You Should Know Buying auto insurance can be a big decision, but it doesn't have to be a choice that leaves you in confusion over what you have just purchased. This article can help you to navigate the difficult wording and terms that insurance companies seem to love to create, just to confuse you. If you have developed a history of trouble-free driving over the course of several years, inquire with your car insurance company about a no-claim discount...

The Appeal of Penny Stocks Traders use the term penny stocks to describe shares that sell for less than $5. 00 apiece. Also known as micro-cap stocks, penny stock generally have a capitalization of between $50 million and $300 million. Stocks with capitalization below $50 million dollar are Nano-cap stocks. Penny stocks are much riskier than traditional stocks, they are subject to less rigorous filing and listing standards, and they are prone to volatile price swings...

The Easy Way to Buy and Sell Penny Stocks Stocks that trade at low price, usually under $5. 00 a share, off the major stock exchanges are known as penny stocks. Companies that offer penny stocks tend to be small, highly volatile companies that may lack the liquidity needed to trade on either the New York stock exchange or the NASDQ. Penny stocks are traded "over the counter", and there's no need to engage the sometimes pricey service of a brick and mortar investment broker...

Tips on Purchasing Penny Stocks Savvy online investors are always on the lookout for hot penny stocks. Penny stocks, also known as micro- cap stocks are relatively inexpensive stocks bough off market, or over the counter. Penny stocks generally trade at less than $5. 00 a share by new or growth companies, or companies facing capitalization, liquidity, or debt challenges. Since penny stocks are not traded on the major, national markets, like New York Stock Exchange or the NASDQ, most penny stock investors trade them on-line without the help and expertise of a traditional broker or brokerage house...

What to Look For When Buying Stocks Everyone has a system or a theory for picking successful stocks. When you buy stocks your are investing in the long term financial growth and success of the company, so there are a number of factors you should consider before you purchase stock. When you look at a company's prospectus or financial statement, pay attention to the following details, as they will help you form a comprehensive picture of the company's financial health and growth potential: ? Earnings: A company should have several consecutive successful years, which will be identified by a growth in their earnings...

What You Need to Know About Penny Stocks Most investors shy away from penny stocks, and most of the time, with good reason. Penny stocks are hard to research, exceptionally volatile, and can drain an account in a matter of minutes with a bad down turn. For those investors who like a little more risk and the possibility of an even bigger reward, investing in penny stocks can be the key to their financial security. Fining legitimate penny stocks, however, can be difficult, and many investors are left wondering where they can find new penny stocks...

What You Should Know About Investing Online Investing online is an easy and affordable way to manage your stock portfolio. In years past, investments were handled through brokers, who offered their clients expert advice and research and helped the clients create and manage a long-term wealth and a financial management strategy. When you are investing in stocks on the net, you can?t rely on the expert advice and counsel of a broker, you must do your own research and design a portfolio that will meet both your long and short term financial goals...

Our Software Suite Provides That Added Security For All Forex Investors to Watch Over Their Broker The increasingly popularity of foreign exchange trading, also known as Forex trading, has caused our company to stay in business. The Forex Market is the largest financial market in the world. It is important to stay current with all the financial news, so they can keep up with their investment portfolios. Most investors turn to Forex brokers. These brokers are people who tackle the global markets for the investor...

Investors Should Keep a Watchful Eye on Their Forex Brokers? Actions These days, foreign exchange trading (also known as Forex trading) has become rather popular. Forex trading is simply defined as buying and selling of foreign currencies on the Forex Market. The widespread approval is the result of the many benefits you can find as you trade this way. Some include the market hours that are 24 hours a day, five days a week. The market is the largest financial market in the world...

Metatrader 4 Tool Keeps Forex Brokers Clean Here's an interesting peccadillo for you to solve: what happens when your currency broker waits a bit too long to make a transaction that results in a loss for the trader, but which may, in the long run, may end up making the broker a little more on the back end. How can you find out if that happens. Same Tools If the foreign exchange trader (forex trader) and the foreign exchange broker (forex broker) are using the same basic suite of tools, you can look at some of the administrative features provided for traders to ensure that their orders are being placed in a timely manner (virtual dealer plugin)...

Trading Penny Stocks Penny stocks or micro-lode stocks, are stocks with trading values below $5. 00 a share and with market caps below $200 million. Penny stocks are generally issued by small companies, start up or growth companies, or companies with liquidity, capitalization, debt, equity, or sales and growth challenges. Since penny stocks are not as closely regulated by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) as other, major stocks, they tend to be more volatile and a riskier investment than other, more traditional stocks...

What to Consider When Investing in Stocks Selecting good stocks requires the investor to consider his or her long and short-term financial goals, research companies and their management practices, and create and implement a strategy to optimize their return on investment. Analysts have a number of theories and practices they use to make decisions on whether a stock is a ?buy?, a ?sell? or a ?hold?. While every analyst and broker takes a different position, they all look at the same financial information and data...

What to Know About Online Investing Ten years ago, online stock trading was nearly impossible. To buy or sell stocks, one needed to work through a brick and mortar broker, who often charged hefty fees for the privilege. Today, there are a number of discount and on-line brokerage firms. E Trade led the way by offering a broker free, although still expensive way to manage the stock market on your own. Since the introduction of on-line brokerages, buying, selling, and trading stocks has become easier and less expensive for both the consumer and the on-line firm...

How to Get the Best Deal on Car Insurance in Salt Lake City Submitted by: Elizabeth EisenhowerFinding the right car insurance for you in Salt Lake City is easy if you know how insurers calculate premiums. Several factors are taken into consideration, including your age, sex, occupation, and the size, type, and age of your car. There is no one custom policy that is suitable for everyone; in fact an auto insurance policy can be very unique to the individual. The right policy for someone else could be completely wrong for you...

Finding a Financial Advisor For International Tax Planning Submitted by: Giorgos GeorgiouInternational tax planning draws up the classic picture of notorious illegality and corporate hording of offshore money all to evade taxes. Although the reputation of offshore holdings is a negative one, it can positively affect the pocketbooks of individuals and businesses. Finding an efficient financial planner to help organize your plan for maximum profits and minimizing taxes is simple enough. First of all, be warned that financial planning is a highly unregulated endeavor in most nations...

More Related Article InformationArticle SectionFinances | Published: March 21, 2013MLA Style Citation:
APA Style Citation:
Chicago Style Citation:
Article Tags Defined
Definition of the Term: Business

1. incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect

?? 1 → His business with the cane was hilarious

2. the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

?? 1 → He's not in my line of business

3. the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects

?? 1 → Computers are now widely used in business

4. the volume of commercial activity

?? 2 → Show me where the business was today

1. a rightful concern or responsibility

?? 1 → It's none of your business

2. an immediate objective

?? 1 → Gossip was the main business of the evening

1. business concerns collectively

?? 1 → Government and business could not agree

2. a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

?? 1 → He bought his brother's business?? 2 → A small mom-and-pop business?? 3 → A racially integrated business concern

3. customers collectively

?? 1 → They have an upper class clientele
Definition of the Term: Capital

1. the upper part of a column that supports the entablature

1. one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis

?? 1 → Printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases?? 2 → Capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters

2. a book written by Karl Marx (1867) describing his economic theories

1. the federal government of the United States

2. a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product

?? 1 → The crime capital of Italy?? 2 → The drug capital of Columbia

1. wealth in the form of money or property owned by a person or business and human resources of economic value

2. assets available for use in the production of further assets

1. uppercase

?? 3 → Many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script

2. of primary important

?? 1 → Our capital concern was to avoid defeat
Definition of the Term: Equity

1. conformity with rules or standards

?? 1 → The judge recognized the fairness of my claim

1. the ownership interest of shareholders in a corporation

2. the difference between the market value of a property and the claims held against it

1. the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments

?? 1 → He worked for a brokerage house

2. become taut or tauter

?? 1 → Your muscles will firm when you exercise regularly

1. with resolute determination

1. strong and sure

?? 2 → Gave a strong pull on the rope

2. unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause

?? 3 → The true-hearted soldier...of Tippecanoe

3. securely fixed in place

?? 1 → The post was still firm after being hit by the car

4. pleasingly firm and fresh and making a crunching noise when chewed

?? 1 → Crisp carrot and celery sticks

5. not soft or yielding to pressure

?? 2 → The snow was firm underfoot

6. possessing the tone and resiliency of healthy tissue

7. marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

?? 4 → A man of unbendable perseverence

8. securely established

?? 2 → Holds a firm position as the country's leading poet

9. not subject to revision or change

10. not liable to fluctuate or especially to fall

11. (of especially a person's physical features) not shaking or trembling

?? 1 → His voice was firm and confident
Definition of the Term: Stream

1. the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression

1. a steady flow (usually from natural causes)

?? 1 → The raft floated downstream on the current

1. dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas

?? 1 → Two streams of development run through American history

1. a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

1. something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously

?? 1 → A stream of people emptied from the terminal?? 2 → The museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors

1. exude profusely

?? 1 → She was streaming with sweat

1. move in large numbers

?? 1 → People were pouring out of the theater?? 2 → Beggars pullulated in the plaza

2. flow freely and abundantly

?? 1 → Tears streamed down her face

3. to extend, wave or float outward, as if in the wind

?? 1 → Their manes streamed like stiff black pennants in the wind

1. rain heavily

?? 1 → Put on your rain coat-- it's pouring outside!?? 2 → It was streaming all day long
Definition of the Term: Venture

1. any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome

2. a commercial undertaking that risks a loss but promises a profit

1. an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits

?? 1 → He knew the stock was a speculation when he bought it

1. put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

?? 1 → I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again?? 2 → I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong

1. proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

?? 1 → We ventured into the world of high-tech and bought a supercomputer

2. put at risk

?? 1 → I will stake my good reputation for this

View the original article here

No comments:

Post a Comment