Source of Funds

Where will the money come from?

How will we “harvest” the opportunity?

Dr. Ritesh dwivedi

How to Approach Investors
 Research potential investors
 Only approach appropriate investors
 Prepare a very good Business Plan
 Prepare and rehearse a very good presentation (no set
standard: 30 seconds / 40-45 mins)
 Be clear about what you need (how much, when,
what for) and have some idea about what you’re
prepared to offer (% of equity)
 Progress your venture as much as you can on your
own before approaching investors
How to Approach Investors
 Ask potential investors about their investment style
and expectations
 Spend time with investor’s other investee partners /
companies
 Negotiate hard
 Ensure your interests are aligned with those of your
investor. Agree a written business plan
 Hire professional help
Typical New Venture Funding
Sources

 Who are they?

 What drives their investment decision?
 What do they expect to get?
 Where does their money come from?
Typical New Venture Funding
Sources

 Research Institutions
 Self-financed
 Angel Investors
 Venture Capitalists
 Private Equity
 Public Equity
 Banks
Research Institutions

 Who are they?

Universities
Private laboratories
Government agencies
 What drives their investment decision?
The desire to enhance the body of knowledge in a
specific area of interest through research
Research Institutions
 What do they expect to get?
 The intellectual property that results from the research
 Patents
 Rights in property or process, even if not patented
 Where does their money come from?
 Endowments (sometimes with spending conditions)
 Grants
 General funding from government
 Student tuition
Self-financed
 From where?
 Family
 Friends
 The entrepreneur
 What drives their investment decision?
 Based on a belief in, or relationship with, the entrepreneur
 Based on a belief that the idea is at least feasible
Self-financed

 What do they expect to get?

Their original investment returned
Maybe interest
Less often equity
 Where does their money come from?
Usually funded from personal savings or new
borrowings (mortgage on real estate)
Angel Investors

 Who are they?

Wealthy individuals
Often successful entrepreneurs
 What drives their investment decision?
A belief that the entrepreneur has done her
homework
A belief that the idea holds great upside potential
Angel Investors

 What do they expect to get?

Equity
A large return on their investment
 Where does their money come from?
Usually funded from personal savings
Professional Investors
 They Include: Venture Capitalists, Private
Equity, Public Equity, Banks
 What are they looking for (maturity):
Significant shareholder value growth (“$”) for
expansion capital or reliable cash earnings
Consideration of: transparency, honesty, creativity,
responsibility, accountability, teamwork, etc.
Appropriate industry, investment size, stage of
company development – can vary depending on risk
tolerance and desired ROI.
Desirable Investment Opportunities
 Demonstrable need for business, product,
service and defensible market position
 Track record of execution capability
 Clearly defined business plan
 Appropriate equity participation
 Board representation, perhaps appointment of
CFO
 Visible exit strategy
Desirable Investment Opportunities

 When companies want to:

purchase new plant and equipment to expand
capacity
purchase new plant and equipment to enter new
business line
acquire competitor, customer or supplier
raise new working capital
Desirable Investment Opportunities

 When owners want/need to:

sell non-core/underperforming assets
raise capital for new investments
raise capital to restructure
Desirable Investment Opportunities

 When managers want to:

become independent/become owners
achieve satisfaction
make lots of money!
Pros and Cons

 Advantages:
allows companies to access situations otherwise
closed to “high risk” investments
someone to share the risk
ensures better analytical discipline
access to investor’s network of financiers,
customers, suppliers advisers
Pros and Cons

 Disadvantages:
high cost of funding if successful
partial loss of control
extra reporting requirements
Venture Capital Investors
 Who are they?
 Professionally managed investment vehicles
 Usually in the form of a limited partnership
 What drives their investment decision?
 A belief that the entrepreneur is very capable
 Management team
 Business model
 A belief that the idea and market conditions allow for
significant revenue and profit growth
Venture Capital Investors

 What do they expect to get?

Equity
Significant return on investment (~ 30% CAR)
A clearly pre-defined exit for 5 – 7 years later
 Where does their money come from?
Pension funds
Wealthy individuals
What is a Venture Capitalist?
 Investment fund for private equity
 Such as large pension funds that have long-term investment horizons
 Typically a VC fund lasts 10-12 years, before it is closed out
 Looking for larger returns than offered by world-wide stock
and bond markets
 Require fast growth
 Require large market opportunities
 Rewards must outweigh risks
 VCs may reject 99% of all proposals.
A Venture Capitalist?
 General George Doriot
 Founded American Research & Development in 1946
 Key investment principles:
1. New technology, new marketing concepts, and new product
application possibilities.
2. A significant, although not necessarily controlling, participation by
the investors in the company’s management.
3. Investment in ventures staffed by people of outstanding competence
and integrity.
4. Products or processes which have passed through at least the early
prototype stage and are adequately protected by patents, copyrights,
or trade secrets.
5. Situations which show promise to mature within a few years to the
point of an initial public offering or a sale of the entire company.
Think Big – Venture Capital
 Why do VC’s look for big opportunities to offset large risk.
 40% will fail.
 30% will become “living dead.”
 30% will become successes.
 Most important: The failures almost always happen more quickly than
the success!
 VC determine their exit strategy before they invest:
 Public offering
 Sale to a strategic partner
What Do VCs Offer?
 Investment money from pension funds or university
endowments
 Suitable management or technical expertise
 Help finding strategic partners or customers
 Strategy planning
 In return: a large percentage of ownership, plus seats
on the board
Private Equity Investors

 Who are they?

Professionally managed investment vehicles
Can be in the form of a limited partnership, also
mutual funds
 What drives their investment decision?
Track record of the business
A belief that market conditions allow for
expansion of the business
Private Equity Investors
 What do they expect to get?
 Equity
 Significant return on investment (up to 30% CAR)
 May or may not seek a pre-defined exit
 Where does their money come from?
 Pension funds
 Insurance companies
 Mutual funds
 University endowment funds
Public Equity Investors
 Who are they?
 Retail investors
 Individuals
 Institutional investors
 Pension funds, mutual funds, corporations
 What drives their investment decision?
 Retail investors
 Emotion, hot tips, their own analysis
 Institutional investors
 Investment policy (hurdle rates, sector & country allocations, etc.)
Public Equity Investors
 What do they expect to get?
 Shares
 Usually no role in management of the business
 Return on investment (??% CAR)
 Where does their money come from?
 Retail investors
 Personal savings or borrowings (mortgage on real estate, or margin
on brokerage account)
 Institutional investors
 Pension contributions, insurance premiums, etc.
Banks

 Who are they?

Lending institutions
 What drives their investment decision?
The creditworthiness of the borrower
Ability of the business to service the loan (make
payments of interest & principal)
Collateral (can be supplied by a third party)
Banks

 What do they expect to get?

Their original loan returned
Interest
 Where does their money come from?
Depositors
Funds often are applied to
different purposes
Source Purpose
Research Institutions Basic research, inventions

Self-Financed Initial start-up funds

Angel Investors Initial start-up funds

Venture Capitalists Just after start-up

Private Equity Longer-term growth of an established

company
Public Equity Capital investment requirements of an
established company, exit for VCs
Banks Financing for most operating needs