Inside Secrets to Venture Capital

The inside story on finding the capital your business needs togrow

When it comes to finding capital--and the right investors for yourbusiness--entrepreneurs need all the help they can get. Brian Hilland Dee Power spent three years surveying 250 venture capital firmsto find out what venture capitalists look for when putting theirmoney in young businesses. Their results will give you all thetools you need to make smart decisions and avoid pitfalls andunnecessary risks, including:

* How to create and present a business plan to investors

* Profiles of venture capitalists in action

* Enlightening true tales in venture capital

* How to organize a quality management team to attractinvestors

* The truth about referrals

* Tips on valuing your company realistically

* Doing due diligence: scams, vultures, and bottom feeders

* Negotiating the best terms for you and your business

Inside Secrets to Venture Capital will show you what it takes toattract the investors and the money you need to grow. It'severything you need to know to play the venture capital game--andwin . . . Preface: Venture Capital: Make No Mystique About It.

What Is Venture Capital?

Where Is the Industry Going?

Your Search for Venture Capital.

Presenting a Business Plan to Investors.

What Do Venture Capitalists Think of the Business Plans TheyReceive?

The Capital Crapshoot.

Earthbound Angels.

Venture Capital Decision Making.

No, It's Not Location, Location, Location, But It IsManagement.

Finding Investors Where They Work and Play.

Getting to the Big Show: Venture Capital Conferences.

Do Referrals Open Doors?

Intermediaries and Other Wild Things.

So Many Venture Capitalists, So Little Time.

Confidentialty: Prudence or Paranoia?

The First Date: Meeting with Venture Capitalists.

Valuing Your Company: A Small Dose of Reality.

Due Diligence: A Two-Way Street.

Give a Little, Get a Lot: Negotiating.

Closing the Deal and Living Happily Ever After.

Putting It All Together.

Final Thoughts: You Can Get There from Here.

Words of Encouragement and Advice.

Index. BRIAN E. HILL holds a master's degree in business administration,with a specialization in finance. He worked in corporate planningwith several large organizations before founding Profit DynamicsInc., a research and management consulting firm, in 1987. This firmhas advised numerous small and mid-sized companies in the areas ofwriting business plans and finding capital. Clients have includedtechnology and Internet companies as well as manufacturing,distribution, and service businesses.
DEE POWER also has an MBA degree and is a founding partner ofProfit Dynamics Inc. She has eighteen years of experience inbusiness planning and in working with entrepreneurs. Dee and Briancan be reached through their Web site, www.capital-connection.com,a resource site for entrepreneurs looking for capital. No voodoo rituals . . . No mumbo jumbo . . . Just the facts on finding the investors and the capital your business needs to prosper

The entrepreneurial road is a tough one to follow—full of setbacks, unforeseen perils, and the fear of all-too-possible failure. Your business needs capital to grow, but finding that capital can be difficult and stressful. You need straightforward advice, sensible insight, and reassurance that the process can work for you.

For fifteen years Brian Hill and Dee Power have assisted small and mid-sized companies with strategies for finding capital. They understand the venture capital world and why it seems confusing, contrary, and frustrating. Entrepreneurs worry that they won’t be able to find the capital they need to prosper, that they will fall victim to an unfair deal with a shady partner, or that they will lose control of their business to their investors. This book addresses those concerns with straightforward advice and real answers.

The authors spent three years collecting data, opinions, and statistics from more than 250 venture capital firms, including some of the world’s largest. This book showcases those results in the actual words of the venture capitalists themselves. In Inside Secrets to Venture Capital you will find a wide range of opinions and a wealth of candid comments to help make sense of this sometimes maddening process.

You will find hundreds of tips, pieces of advice, and pitfalls to avoid, as well as comments and opinions from entrepreneurs who have successfully raised capital for their businesses. You will learn how to create and present a business plan to investors, how to organize a quality management team to attract investors, and how to do due diligence and avoid scams and rip-offs. Inside, you will find enlightening true adventures in venture capital, tips on valuing your company realistically, and advice on negotiating the best terms for your business.

So get inside the world of venture capital—and learn what it takes to attract the investors and the money you need to grow.

The inside story on finding the capital your business needs to grow

When it comes to finding capital—and the right investors for your business—entrepreneurs need all the help they can get. Brian Hill and Dee Power spent three years surveying 250 venture capital firms to find out what venture capitalists look for when putting their money in young businesses. Their results will give you all the tools you need to make smart decisions and avoid pitfalls and unnecessary risks, including:

• How to create and present a business plan to investors

• Profiles of venture capitalists in action

• Enlightening true tales in venture capital

• How to organize a quality management team to attract investors

• The truth about referrals

• Tips on valuing your company realistically

• Doing due diligence: scams, vultures, and bottom feeders

• Negotiating the best terms for you and your business

Inside Secrets to Venture Capital will show you what it takes to attract the investors and the money you need to grow. It’s everything you need to know to play the venture capital game—and win . . .