Talent beats Money for Startups

Our recent poll on LinkedIn (you can still vote up and until the 14th of July) shows that 70% of respondees believe talent is more important that money.

Why do they think this?

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Business Angels; its not about the product!

A shocking result of the recent Startup Genome report was the finding that startup success is not all about the product!

Shock! Horror! Then why are the business angel and entrepreneur pitch events all about the product?

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Business Angels: 4 ways to increase investment success

Due Diligence is often seen as not possible or relevant for an early-stage investment. Yet many business angels lose money on the majority of their investments

Can due diligence help?

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Board meetings in an era of rapid execution

Guest writer Nic Brisbourne from The Equity Kicker blog and DFJ Esprit, Venture Capitalists, reviews some new ideas about how to run board meetings in startup and fast growth companies.

One of the ideas is to run weekly blog updates on the key metrics and not wait for monthly meetings. Would it work? It will if there is commitment says Nic. Read on for more…..

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Secret of startup success: Does your startup learn?

The Startup Genome report has some surprising findings.

For instance, it all depends on the team and its ability to learn.

Also, the report states that customer acquisition is the priority at all stages (and never product).

Surprised? Then read on…

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Understanding the Business Angel Investment Stage

Many inexprerienced entrepreneurs are unaware that Business Angels will only be with you for a short while!

That is, their role is usually to provide gap funding between friends and families and the professional Venture Capitalists.

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Should anyone be allowed to pitch to Business Angels?

It costs money to get money.

So, should we worry about the vulnerable entrepreneur who might pay his money to pitch to business angels even though his chances of raising funds are slim?

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The big Team problem for Business Angels

Business Angels come from all sorts of back grounds.

Many are successful, some very successful.

However, does that mean that they will always pick a good investment? No…

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Boom! Is Russia’s Business Angel Market Ready to Explode?

Dogged by corruption and instability, Russia was once regarded as a difficult place to do business, but there are signs that times and attitudes may be about to change for the business angel market within the boundaries of this former Communist superpower.

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Getting a Good Deal from Business Angels

Much is written about how to attract business angels to invest in your business, but where is the advice for entrepreneurs on how to negotiate a good deal?

A visit to my local electrical store the other day got me thinking about how satisfying it can be to get a good deal, but also how difficult it can be to avoid some of the pitfalls while negotiating it.

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Renting office space for growth businessess – the options

Whether you’ve already got a business up and running or are planning on starting one up in the near future, then office space is always an issue that you’ll need to deal with.

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Business Angels Blooming

Retail outlets are closing up shop in the UK. UK banks are struggling to make sense of early stage or high risk investments – as they always have, and this is happening across the world.

At the same time Regional Development agencies are being closed and dismantled in the UK and the ‘free to present’ opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet business angels are due to be shut or ‘transferred’ in the next few months.

So, in this grim climate, can it really be said that the business angel investment sector is blooming?

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Angels Den Founder Bill Morrow on ‘Crowdfunding’

Crowdfunding, a model that raises funding for start-ups by harnessing the power of the Internet investor crowd has grown from similar models that already exist in the US, but Crowdcube is the first website of its kind to be launched with UK businesses in mind – will it provide all the answers for entrepreneurs who need investment?

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A Budget for Business Angels and some (but not all) Entrepreneurs…

There were some joyous early reactions to today’s budget particularly on the lunchtime news when Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meadon among others got excited by the Chancellor’s tax windfall for VCs and how she could now take more risks with early stage companies… but exactly how much risk will business angels and VCs now take?

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Will it be a Budget for Business Angels or Entrepreneurs?

The government are hoping to close up any loopholes that allow wealthy investors to take advantage of tax breaks while also launching the most pro-growth Budget for a generation – can they pull it off?

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Business Angels and Startups Going Global!

The entire landscape of early stage funding is in a state of flux – new innovations in funding models are emerging to threaten the traditional status quo  and the world has become a smaller place for those adventurous entrepreneurs willing to take a risk internationally.

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The Metrics of Fundraising from Business Angels

One way or another, right or wrong, there will probably be a cost to you to gain access to the angel investment you seek for your business – or as someone once said to me, “It costs money to get money.”

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Inflation – Should Business Angels and Entrepreneurs Worry?

The short answer is yes and no it’s really down to how well prepared they are. Here’s why inflation can be both good and bad news for entrepreneurs and angel investors…

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3 (Very Different) Approaches to Angel Investing

Even though only 3% of businesses actually consider equity funding from business angels in the UK, three  different models of funding have emerged to try and bridge the gap between start-up entrepreneurs and business angels.

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