Fund-raising has never been an easy task. However, many entrepreneurs rely on the possibility of attracting venture or angel financing at the very early stage to get the projects off the ground. But is that a realistic assumption to be put into a business plan? What is the likelihood of conducting the first two or three years of coding (for tech start-ups) or R&D (for any other innovative projects) at the investors cost? Let’s outline typical stages in a successful company’s financing. We’ll start with the first and finish with the last. Although there are rare exceptions to this sequence, in most cases it looks like this.
1. Seed Round.
This is the starting point of any business: you only have your idea and the first rough profitability estimations. Every entrepreneur at this stage recognizes the Idea as his/her top value asset. And this is natural as the Idea will be providing the guiding light and most of the motivation before actual sales take place. Every book of Entrepreneurship advises you to think big at this stage. Even if all you do is opening a bakery at the corner, you should be aiming at changing this world for good. But it usually takes a year or two of hard work and bitter frustration before there is something at your disposal that can be sold. And chances are that the world will disapprove your Big Idea and youll have to start it all over.
So what kind of investment are you possibly able to attract at this stage? The answer is the “3Fs”, otherwise known as Family, Friends, and Fools. You should be prepared to invest your own capital (including the money you make with your day job) and search for business partners among the people you know. If you are lucky, you will make great team that contributes all the knowledge, skills, resources and (yes!) capital to turn the Idea into actual business.
The seed round is important not only because this is how you raise your initial capital. You also validate your idea and make serious correction to the business plan. You start understanding the needs of your target customers and learn how your future project or service will change their lives for better.
1a. Crowd Financing.
This is a relatively new and by all means trending way to succeed at the seed stage. There are multiple web-based services that aim at connecting entrepreneurs and investors. Most of them charge either membership fees or success fees, but there are websites that you can use for free. I will review most popular and/or most interesting business matching sites in one of the upcoming articles.
2. Angel Round.
The launch and the first sales are the critical landmark to prove your business concept. When there are people out there willing to pay for your product or service, you know you are on the right way. Now you have a tangible proof of what has been the Idea. Your team matures and is getting ready to face new business challenge and open new market horizons So you need additional funding (more often than not its volume exceeds initial capital) and start introducing your business to might-be angel investors in a solid and confident way as you present not some projected but real sales numbers.
3. Venture Capital Round.
When your business is growing, possible revenues are running long before the market average and the potential for an IPO or acquisition is more than decent, VCs step in. Dont think about venture firms as ambivalent money sacks they are searching for potential market break-through businesses actively as investing at, lets say, 10X, 20X, 50X IRR is their business specialization. Usually you start negotiating in a few years before an actual IPO or acquisition might take place. As the cooperation proceeds, VCs assist and consult you in preparing your company for this important step. Often this preparation includes replacing management with C-level officers who are known to and respected by your industry and/or Wall Street.
4. The IPO or Acquisition.
This is the big pay-off at the end of years of hard work. It means liquid stock are selling at, hopefully, high P/E multiple or your business is acquired by a large strategic player from Fortune 1000 list. Of course this is not the only possible exit scenario as you might choose not to exit the game. Your business might become your lifetime passion and you might be one of those brilliant start up entrepreneurs who are also the best CEO of their companies.
Business development and financing is an interconnected process. And in order to succeed you should follow the inner logic of the process and apply the funding strategies which are adequate to your current position.
