Financing: Where to Find It

 

The hunt for financing is on. Only a year ago, venture capitalists seemed willing to throw money at just about any dot-com business plan. But funding today is much harder to come by. Investors and lenders of all kinds are tightening standards, requirements, and criteria by which they judge business plans, entrepreneurs, and who gets the money.

In the March 2001 issue of Inc., Jill Andresky Fraser profiles several entrepreneurs looking for capital in her article The Money Hunt . Then she talks with a group of investors -- including VCs, angels, and bankers -- who recommend the best ways for each to find funding. To help you further in your search for funding, we've rounded up some additional resources that elaborate on the choices the investors outline. One of these options might just help you ride out this roller-coaster financing market.

Angel Investors

Guide to Angel Investors
Read this guide that provides selected resources from inc.com to help you court and work with angel investors.

Who exactly are angel investors?
Finance and capital mentor Guy Kawasaki defines angel investors, and when and how an entrepreneur should seek them out.

A Twist of Fate
Wetzel's Pretzels' owners Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps landed angel investors but not without learning a lesson or two about the delicate relationship between entrepreneurs and using other people's money.

How do you get investors to read a business plan?
Finding a go-between can help get your business plan in front of interested investors, according to Writing a Business Plan mentor Rhonda Abrams

Venture Capital

Guide to Getting Venture Capital
Want to get noticed by investors? In this inc.com guide, you'll find our best strategies for finding and raising venture capital.

Online Venture Capital Resources
We've assembled links to a number of Web sites where entrepreneurs can search for investors, track investments by leading firms across the country, or learn more about venture capital.

Research Venture Capital Firms
View this free database of VC firms, organized by the industries they invest in.

Capital Sources
Discover the most appropriate sources to target when embarking on your venture capital search.

What does it take to make a business plan attractive to venture capitalists?
Writing a Business Plan mentor Rhonda Abrams offers her advice on getting your business plan noticed by VCs.

New Rules of the Valley
Listen to an interview with Richard Tavener on the new rules of finding funding in Silicon Valley.

SBA Loans

Starting from Zero: Getting a Loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration
Considering an SBA loan? The SBA Loan Book, by Charles H. Green, offers advice and insights about the SBA loan process.

Get Help Securing a Loan
Landing your first business loan can be a frustrating process. Here's where you can get help.

Find Your Local SBA Office
Use this easy search to find a branch near you for government-funded advice and events.

Private Equity Financing

Raising Money through Equity Investments
Bringing investors into your business gets you more than just money -- you get new co-owners, too.

Selling Temporary Equity
Arranging a mandatory buyback of equity in your financing deal can help you reclaim full ownership of your company down the road.

What Clinches Financing Deals?
Investment bankers Thomas Shattan and Gregory Mendel of the Shattan Group give their view on how to get financing from private equity funds.

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