An Investor Should Know How Venture Capitalism Works
Venture capitalism is a system wherein a person or a company often referred to as venture capitalists invest money in a company or business exchange for a stake in the business or a share in the earnings, present and future, of the company.
Venture capitalists are frequently the ones that provide funding for companies that are in need of seed money to start up their business. Often, they support businesses that have a high potential for growth and those that they feel will return their investments multiple-folds. Companies that have innovative ideas and products are primary targets of venture capitalists. They are also partial to industries that are into innovations like Information Technology, Biotechnology and the medical fields.
Other venture capitalists focus on providing capitals for already established companies who are seeking to expand their operations while some rescue companies that are in trouble and those that badly need restructuring. There are also venture capitalists that go into buyouts and company takeovers but of course, these are just a few.
Often, venture capitalists do not just provide money but also the know-how. They help fledgling companies start by offering their managerial, executive and marketing expertise. They can also provide the contacts in the industry as well as other business requirements.
Venture capitalism starts with the business plan submissions, which the company seeking seed money can pass or the venture capitalist company can submit. The business plan should more or less include a description of the size of the target market, the people that will work behind the team, the technology and the product that the company will be offering, and the financial projections.
It is also important to include a summary of the business concept at the beginning. Remember that these venture capitalists do not have the time to read through the rest of the proposal. Your summary will determine if they will be interested or not in your business.
After submitting your business plan, wait for three weeks and then follow up with the venture capitalist. If you are lucky to make the cut, you will be scheduled a face to face meeting with the venture capitalist, where you can present your case in the flesh. This might help them make their decision.
On the average, venture capitalists receive about 200 business plans in a month. Only about five percent will be invited for a face to face meeting; so make the most out of your meeting and present a case that they can't possibly ignore!
There are two types of people in the world. These are the rich who have money and those that don't. When the person has money, there will be no problems going on a shopping spree in New York or hop on board a plane to see paradise in the Bahamas. The average Joe can also do that but will have to same that amount over a few months or even years.
If the rich individual doesn't do anything to preserve the wealth, this will soon disappear. This is the reason that being a venture capital investor seems to be a good idea. A venture capital investor is an individual who would like to help fund an entrepreneur. There are two kinds namely the person who will wait to receive such a proposal while the other is out there hoping to see something interesting.
In the end, the venture capital investor will be reviewing the business plan to make sure it is sound and also meet the entrepreneur in person to clarify some issues. There are some people who might take advantage of the individual so a background check will be done even before the meeting takes place. The venture capital investor who is well aware of the trends for example in the information technology will not want to do business in a field that is unknown to that individual.
This means the person will only gamble on a high-risk investment in the preferred comfort zone. This approach is advantageous to the entrepreneur because the years of experience in that field can be useful in the partnership. What does a capital venture investor get from all of this? In exchange for the money being shelled by the individual, there are also a certain number of shares that will be given to get a seat among the board of directors.
This will ensure that the investor can play an active role in the direction of the business to be able to safeguard the money that was invested into the project. As the company grows, the money invested by the investor will be returned and the profits will be shared increasing the current wealth of the person.
Being a venture capitalist is a win-win situation for the individual and the entrepreneur. After all, two heads are better than one in making the day-to-day decisions so the company will become profitable in the long run.
