Customer Reviews

Angel Capital: How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing (Wiley Finance)

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For the reader with a bright idea of a new company, but who lacks capital, this book is recommended. It has much practical advice for soliciting so-called angel capital. This is seed money, typically from $50 000 to a few hundred thousand dollars, that can be used to carefully finance a modest initial operation.

The text describes several organisations scattered throughout the US, that are venture forums. This is the preferred term for a group of well heeled individuals, and some venture capitalists, that regularly meet with prospective company founders. You, the founder, give a short presentation and they bombard you with questions about the viability of your idea.

Along these lines, the book helps you prepare your presentation. By giving questions that you should have some answers to, beforehand. These act as a preliminary assessment. Other aspects covered here include the crucial issue of valuation. How much is your idea worth, if it is to be instantiated in a company?

Despite the book's title, the text also explains other possible sources of funding, like asset-based loans or incubators. The only problem with the description of the latter is the absence of a warning that you could be selling yourself short. Some incubators ask for more than 20% of equity, in return for providing little more than office space for a couple of years. If your idea truly is good, an incubator could be a very bad deal.