Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Do You Want Venture Capitalist Looking Over Your Shoulder?

By Patrick Gibson

After years of thinking about it, you have formed a company. Things are going well. In fact, they are going so well that this could be really big. You are going to need serious cash, which makes venture capital funding an interesting proposition.

Venture capital money actually comes in the form of an investment fund. Unlike mutual funds, these are high risk funds that swing for the fences. Investors are restricted to very wealthy indivuals, companies and so on.

When I suggest these funds swing for the fences, I mean it. The investors know most of the companies invested in will fail. Still, it only takes one to go public and produce a profit so large it boggles the mind.

Although venture capitalists are agressive investors, they are not idiots. They understand risk. To minimize against it, they will invest in ten to 15 companies instead of just one. Your goal is to be one of those companies.

The specifics of snaring venture capital are a key part of the process, but we are going to look at something different in this article. Specifically, we are going to discuss the nuts and bolts of how venture capital actually works with a business.

The venture capital firm typically will be looking for a turn around time on its investments of three to seven years. This means it is looking for companies that should go public in this range.

Another item to keep in mind is the actual money distribution. It is not given to you in a lump sum. Instead, you will receive it as progress is made in a number of different funding rounds.

The seed money round is the initial stage of funding. It is usually a sizeable amount designed to take care of your immediate needs and get things moving. Following this, two to three more funding rounds may occur as things proceed.

Obviously, the venture capital firm is watching things progress carefully. If it feels the company is losing its way, the firm may withhold further funding or demand changes to the board of directors and officers.

At this point, you might be wondering were the firm got all of this levage. Sadly, you gave it to them the minute you took that check. How? In exchance, the VC firm received a sizeable chunk of ownership of the business.

Venture capital is often viewed as a catch 22 for most small companies. On the pro side, the money allows the company to really make a concerted effort to be successful. The old adage that you need money to make money is very true.

On the con side, the venture capitalists are going to watch their investment closely. That can cause a lot of pressure. More than a few small business owners have grown disillusioned because of this.

So what should you do? Well, it is up to you. Venture capital is a high risk, high reward game. If you want to play with the big boys, it is a necessity. If you are uncomfortable with such pressure to perform, pass it by. - 15254

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