Finding investors for a business: 4 basic steps for searching + 9 sources of start-up capital.

Finding investors for business with the presence of brilliant ideas, a lot of energy and a great desire to develop, it will not require much work.

It is carried out at the initial stage of implementation of a new business project, when the problem of a lack of funds arises.

In this article we will tell you in more detail which investors will help make your dream come true.

How to find an investor for a business and how to interest him?

Every person strives to replenish his “wallet” by any means possible, especially when it comes to an investor.

Who has almost all his finances in work, thereby regularly replenishing his owner’s bank account, provided that he does not have to do anything for this.

Typically, people use this type of saving and increasing funds after they are faced with the interest that banks give for keeping it on deposit.

After all, such income barely compensates for the level of inflation.

An investor should be treated as a full partner.

On the one hand, an idea is invested in cooperation, and on the other, money.

Therefore, such a process is mutually beneficial for everyone.

Experts say that a successful search for investors for a business depends on a professionally prepared and presented presentation that can convince the investor of the profitability of the investment.

There are several points to keep in mind for investors:

• creativity and uniqueness of the future business;
• deposit amount;
• payback period for a new idea;
• detailed calculation of income.

If weighty arguments are found according to the above criteria, then we can assume that the person will unconditionally agree to cooperate.

Finding an investor to invest in a business: 4 basic steps

Action #1: Develop a Plan

Develop a plan that will subsequently be presented to the investor.

The presented presentation must convince the potential investor of the profitability and quick payback of the project.

An example of information that a business plan for an investor should contain:

A business plan for this purpose is somewhat different from the standard one.

First of all, volume.

It is believed that a document longer than 15-20 pages will “work” much less effectively than its “brother.”

Also, the difference is that this is a guide, like a step-by-step instruction for the entrepreneur himself.

But the plan prepared for investors is a marketing tool.

It should not just describe the business, but present it attractively.

For this purpose, applications, graphs, plates, and diagrams are actively used.

It is better to entrust the creation of such a document to specialized intermediary companies.

Action #2: What type of investor is needed?

Decide what kind of investor is needed to develop the idea.

For example, you can find a depositor who will provide funds for the purchase of necessary equipment for a business or expansion of an enterprise at a specified interest rate.

Or find an investor who will sponsor the business and become a co-owner in the future.

You should determine the direction in finding a investor and the specifics of your cooperation.

Action No. 3: Help from experienced businessmen

“The main thing is not the effect, but the effectiveness of actions.”
Farhad Akhmedov

Seek advice and guidance from experienced businessmen who have been working in this direction for many years.

They will help point out possible risks or simply suggest how to find an investor for a business. .

Action #4: Specialized services

Post the project and a brief description on specialized startup databases and forums for searching for business investors.

After this, after some time, maybe you will receive a call from an investor about interest in investing money in a start-up business.

We present the most popular specialized services for posting an idea and finding an investor:

1. https://www.investclub.ru/view.php?id=10639 – the site will help you find an investor for any type of business activity.

https://starttrack.ru/ – StartTrack 725 helps to conclude deals between the founder and a person who is ready to invest money in the project being presented.

To date, there are 800 investors on the site and 40 projects are on display.

The portal contains 4,325 projects, of which 1,423 need investment.

https://www.napartner.ru/ is the very first startup exchange on the Russian market.

The innovative ideas website features 1,239 investors, 9,983 “innovators” and 500 business ideas.

There is also a section where you can purchase an already completed business.

https://www.askcap.ru/ is one of the largest investor search databases in the country.

The website contains profiles of 6,512 ideas, the lion's share of which are available for consideration only after authorization on the portal.

Technology parks, incubators, accelerators, and venture funds cooperate with Askcap.

https://angel.co/ – this service is the progenitor of the above investor search sites.

The portal contains 1,600 startups and 421 investors from the Russian Federation.

Where to look for investors for a business?

Before looking for an investor for a business, you need to contact specialists in the economic sector who will calculate and draw up a detailed action plan.

Friends and loved ones

Finding an investor for a business is not an easy task.

It would be wise to involve all relatives and friends in such a process.

This is the most advantageous method that will reduce the expected risks to a minimum.

In addition, if the implementation of an idea requires small investments, you can interest your comrades in the profitability of the project and offer to invest their hard-earned money in promoting the business.

Naturally, at a certain monthly percentage.

Businessmen with experience

It is either big, there are businessmen who are firmly on the trading “platform” and want the already earned finances not just to sit in the bank, but to generate additional income every month.

You should warm up the person to the new idea and offer to make a contribution on terms beneficial to both parties.

Or, if the investor wishes, make him a partner.

But the latter option can fetter and limit the actions of the business founder himself.

This step should only be taken in extreme cases.

Funds

One way to find an investor for a business is through investment funds or funds founded to support start-up entrepreneurs.

But to do this, you need to provide compelling arguments that your project is vital to society.

You should know that often when contacting this organization, a businessman must already have some initial capital and be willing to invest in his business.

That is, this method is more suitable for existing enterprises that want to expand their trading area and product range.

To receive assistance, you must also provide a plan and analysis of the existing company.

Do not forget to monitor the work of investment funds, which may hold competitions and select promising works.

Who knows, maybe you'll be lucky.

Let's look at the most popular funds that have helped many budding entrepreneurs:

https://www.runacap.com/

The founder of the fund is Russian businessman Sergei Belousov.

He introduced brands such as Rolsen to the world and is the creator of Parallels (a platform for hosting cloud services).

If you manage to cooperate with this company, then there is no doubt about its profitability.

After moving from Murmansk to Moscow, Igor Matsanyuk founded a foundation specialized in games, services and applications for phones.

If an entrepreneur has a creative idea related to computer technology, then this fund is just for him.

1. https://www.kiteventures.com/ is another fund for business development.

Business incubators

There are already more than a hundred business incubators in the Russian Federation.

These are structures that are created to help start-up companies get started.

Business incubators offer their residents:

• renting premises at a reduced price (and in some cases – free of charge);
• meeting rooms;
• support in establishing contact with investors and buyers;
• consultations in consulting and information matters.

The key difference between a business incubator and other forms of investor assistance is the participation of people who mentor aspiring entrepreneurs.

They function not just as “finance providers”, but also as development partners and business mentors.

If you need support from experienced businessmen, contact the following business incubators:

• https://www.osp.ru/news/2010/0913/13003512/
• https://inc.hse.ru/
• https://www.inmsu.ru/ru/
• https://www.rea.ru/ru/org/managements/orgnirupr/Pages/bi.aspx
• https://www.ranepa.ru/kto-ya-2/student-bakalavriata/studencheskaya-zhizn-v-akademii/biznes-inkubator
• https://rb.ru/incubator/incube/
• https://theoryandpractice.ru/organizations/3940-biznes-inkubator-incube-ankh

Bank as an investor

When there is not even the slightest idea or all of the above options have been considered, then a bank loan is one of the options for obtaining the desired amount.

But getting it is not so easy.

Banks often make excessive demands on the borrower, which the latter cannot always cope with.

To apply for a loan, the bank provides:

• guarantor
• deposit amount,
• package of relevant documents.

If bank requirements are not met, then you can be left without a business, and even with a huge debt.

A bank loan is ideal for starting a small business that does not require major capital investments.

Finding investors for a business is quite a labor-intensive task that requires enormous patience and perseverance.

It is necessary to carefully consider each of the available options and calculate possible financial losses.

If all this is done, then there is a huge chance of finding a profitable investor.

Investors among foreign businessmen

If all possible methods have been tried, but you still can’t find an investor, then you should turn to foreign entrepreneurs for help.

In the case of foreign investors, you can forget about your previous triumphs.

Such people look exclusively at real achievements in business.

Also, only those projects that can bring multi-million dollar profits (preferably in US currency) are usually considered.

A business idea does not necessarily have to be in a technological direction.

Any ideas that multiply the investor’s capital many times over are considered.

Foreign investors will never invest their capital in a project based only on the ambitions of the creator of the idea.

Exclusively the numbers and facts from the prepared business plan will be strong arguments for concluding cooperation.

You can look for foreign investors for your business idea on the following sites:

• https://investgo24.com/ is an international portal that will help you find investments for your idea.
• https://start2up.ru/ - will help you find a person who is ready to invest money in a business, not only in the regions of Russia, but also abroad.
• https://www.magnat.su/ – using this site you can find not only foreign partners, but also put your own business up for sale.

By franchise

Finding investors for a business using this method guarantees rapid development and a start to enter the market platform under the auspices of a well-known brand.

Banks are happy to provide finance for the development of a franchise business.

This is one of the few cases when the latter without any problems provides the necessary funds to open a company.

And that's not all: a deferred payment period of six months is provided.

With the help of this, a novice businessman will be able to direct his strength and energy to promoting his brainchild.

Thereby speeding up the process of repaying the debt to the bank.

To obtain this type of loan, you must appoint one guarantor, and the bank is guaranteed to approve the application.

How does this method work?

Let's say a novice businessman has a promising and creative idea related to the engineering industry.

The founder contacts the authorized company (eg Porsche).

He demonstrates a presentation of his idea to its representative.

And if a company is interested in this innovation, it can give its patronage to the project in the form of financial assistance or allow the use of the official logo of the company.

When a new firm has such a patron behind it, banks consider it reliable enough to provide the necessary loan.

You will also learn from the video who an investor is and how to look for one:

Finding an investor for a business- this is not an easy matter.

Of course, you can do without outside help if you save the necessary amount and open a small grocery store.

But if the founder has a different task, then the search should be carried out in all possible places with the involvement of a large number of people.

You can also shift this task onto someone else’s shoulders and contact a specialized company that can find an investor to implement the project.

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Starting a business in many cases requires attracting significant investments. Appropriate capital can play a decisive role in the timely introduction of a startup to a promising market, improving its recognition in the segment, expanding its geography, and modernizing production. Where can you really find an investor? How to build a trusting relationship with him?

For what purpose are they looking for an investor?

Before asking the question of where to find investors, you need to decide for what purpose the search for partners should be carried out. As a rule, this problem is solved by the owner of a commercial enterprise. He requires the assistance of the investor due to the availability of insufficient funds at his personal disposal in order to fully implement the business project. An investor may also be interested in providing the required amount of financing in order to subsequently benefit from the growth of the company’s turnover.

What are the mechanisms for building relationships with investors?

Also, before thinking about where to find investors, an entrepreneur needs to decide on the desired mechanisms for building relationships with a partner. There may be several of these.

First, the relationship between an entrepreneur and a partner who is willing to provide financing may constitute a direct investment. This mechanism involves providing the company with funds in exchange for the partner’s participation in the direct management of the organization and in determining the business development strategy.

Secondly, financing can be raised on portfolio investment terms. This mechanism assumes that a partner, by investing money in business development, simultaneously acquires a share in the ownership of the company. In the first case, the investor's benefit is to participate in the management of a potentially large enterprise and become an influential member of the business community. In the second, the partner, if the company grows, gets the opportunity to significantly increase his capital.

What types of investors are there?

Another nuance that an entrepreneur needs to study before deciding where to find investors is to consider the specifics of the activities of partners who are ready to invest in other businesses. Subjects that become participants in the relevant legal relations can be represented by: individuals, organizations. Both of them, in turn, are classified into venture investors and those who are ready to invest in fundamental projects. Investors can also be Russian and foreign.

Another criterion for classifying entities involved in legal relations with businesses on financing issues is the degree of state participation. There are government agencies, most often foundations, that assist businesses in raising funds or provide them. There are completely private companies.

Crowdfunding

There is a special category of legal relations in the field of investment - crowdfunding. This term corresponds to the mechanism of business means by a large number of people - individual social groups or representing society as a whole. As a rule, investors who provide funds to entrepreneurs through crowdfunding do not impose any obligations on them in terms of exchange for a share in the business or participation in the management of the company. This feature predetermines the great popularity of the corresponding legal relations. Many entrepreneurs, when thinking about where to find investors, first of all turn to crowdfunding.

What might interest an investor?

Let us now consider a number of practical nuances that characterize the relationship between entrepreneurs and partners in terms of business financing. So, before thinking about where to find an investor for a project, you should pay attention to such an aspect as the attractiveness of the business project - those indicators that a potential partner will pay attention to when deciding to invest money in the company. Which ones exactly?

First of all, this is the presence of a sufficiently large market for the sale of goods and services that the company produces. The second indicator is the dynamics of industry development. The investor is interested in ensuring that the product produced by the company is in demand on the market for a long time. If the dynamics of the development of the industry in which the enterprise operates is quite high, then the partner must make sure that the entrepreneur can ensure the timely release of goods that are not inferior to the products of competing enterprises.

Actually, the level of competition is also an important indicator for an investor. At the same time, high may be more preferable for some partners, while low for others. In the first case, the investor and entrepreneur can take advantage of the presence of a fairly stable demand for the product being produced and counteract competitors due to the higher quality or lower price of the products supplied to the market. Low competition is attractive from the point of view of the company's profitability. Of course, provided that there is demand for the goods produced by the company.

Another important criterion for an investor to make a positive decision regarding project financing is the validity of the business plan. The market may have the most favorable conditions, optimal levels of demand and competition, but if the entrepreneur does not provide a plan in accordance with which the company will take advantage of these advantages, the investor may question the prospects for financing the company.

The next factor in a partner making a positive decision on a project is the competence of the team with which the business owner works. Or his personal one. The market situation may be optimal, the business plan may be worked out in detail, but the implementation will not be at the highest level due to the fact that it will be carried out by untrained people.

These are the main factors that an entrepreneur should consider before thinking about where to find an investor for a project. If he successfully solved this problem, you can move on to considering specific mechanisms for finding a partner. Where to find an investor for a startup of a medium or large enterprise in Russia?

How to find an investor for a startup?

Let's start with the specifics of finding partners for a startup founder. The main value of the corresponding type of business is a promising idea. As a rule, it is characterized by originality and dissimilarity with most other concepts. Another significant criterion for assessing the prospects of a startup is the absence of existing businesses in the corresponding segment throughout the country or a particular region.

It happens that an entrepreneur who is solving the problem of where to find an investor in Moscow nevertheless decides to switch to one of the markets in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, since competitors may already be operating in the Russian capital. While in the regions similar businesses will not be very developed or will be completely absent as economic entities.

Above we examined the main mechanisms for attracting investment. If the question is about where to find an investor for a startup, then the optimal schemes in this case would be: attracting crowdfunding. The advantage of both mechanisms is the absence of large risks for the entrepreneur. True, in the case of venture projects, the business owner in most cases has to give up a share in the ownership of the company - the type of financing in question falls under the category of portfolio investments. However, in this case, the partner, as a rule, bears the bulk of the expenses necessary for the The advantages of crowdfunding are also obvious - this is the opportunity to attract a large amount of funds in the absence of obligations to investors in most cases.

Where can you find an investor who is ready to invest in a startup within the framework of one scheme or another?

If we talk about venture projects, there are a large number of specialized funds that are actively involved in the relevant legal relations. They exist both in the Russian Federation and abroad, and are represented by both public and private structures. Sometimes it is enough just to find a suitable venture project or venture fund, and then get acquainted with the proposals of the relevant companies regarding the prospects of partnership with private organizations.

How to find investors and where to look for them when it comes to crowdfunding? This format of legal relations is almost entirely online. There are a number of the largest ones - both Russian and foreign. Using them is quite simple, but it is important to create a competent description of the business project and tell potential investors about its advantages.

How to look for an investor for a small business?

Let's now consider where to find an investor for a small business. This format of the enterprise’s activity assumes that the company is not a startup, but an already functioning business with more or less acceptable turnover. Investments in this case are sought in order to expand or modernize production, conduct a large-scale marketing campaign in order to increase brand awareness in the region, country or abroad. As a rule, small businesses are financed with the participation of investors who specialize in building fundamental partnerships with private firms.

Venture investments allow for a scenario in which the partner, in principle, will not be able to return his own investments, since the business will be unprofitable. In turn, a fundamental partnership assumes that the investor will be able to at least ensure a zero return on his investments, and in the future, significantly increase capital through the growth of the enterprise.

Where to find an investor for a small business? Such problems, as a rule, are solved during personal meetings between entrepreneurs and potential partners who are ready to invest money in the development of the company. They can be held as part of specialized events - business conferences, round tables, presentations. It is possible for an entrepreneur and an investor to communicate in an informal setting, for example at a corporate party to which they were invited. Fundamental investing is a common type of activity among financial funds. Information about them can also be found in search engines.

How to find an investor for a medium or large enterprise?

Where can I find an investor for a business that is a medium or large enterprise? It is noteworthy that a large-scale established company, at least classified as a medium-sized business, as a rule, in itself is a desirable investment object for an experienced financier, since it is an operating profitable business. Therefore, it is possible that you may not have to look for a partner willing to invest money in the company if it meets the criteria of a large enterprise.

However, another question may well be relevant - where to find a private investor who would be a reliable partner, ready to build a constructive dialogue on business development issues. It is resolved, as a rule, in non-public ways - through communication with major financiers within private channels. But in some cases, it is possible to find an investor at large events, especially if we are talking, for example, about international exhibitions. The prospects for building relationships with partners largely depend on the area of ​​business.

Thus, solving the question “where to find an investor for construction” may differ significantly from such a task as finding a partner in the field of information technology. The construction business and IT are areas with different profitability and development dynamics. Each of them requires special investor competencies when assessing the prospects for investing in a particular company. But, of course, there are financiers who are equally well versed in both construction and information technology. Thus, the investment search strategy largely depends on the size of the company, as well as on the sector of the economy in which the company is represented. For startups, one approach will be more justified, and for small businesses, medium-sized and large firms, other strategies.

It will also be useful to consider a number of recommendations for entrepreneurs who decide to find an investor and establish a trusting relationship with him. Let's study those strategies that can be characterized as universal, sufficiently suitable for a business of any size - startup, small, medium or large enterprise.

How to find an investor and establish a relationship with him: recommendations

Actually, it is useful to search for an investor in those social environments in which people engaged in activities close to the company’s profile communicate. Where finding a private investor for construction is not a problem, it can be quite difficult to establish interaction with a person who might be interested in the sales field. Effective investing is largely the result of high competence, most often achieved within the narrow specialization of the financier.

Investment experts advise company owners to first tell potential partners what other sources of financing are expected to be used and what their actual availability is. This approach will allow the investor to understand his own role in relations with the business and assess his readiness to comply with it. So, if the company also uses credit funds, then its owner can make it clear to the partner that he can count on a smaller share in the business than if the investor financed the project individually.

Another important nuance is the discussion of the conditions for changing the initially reached agreements. It may turn out that during the course of development the project will begin to show greater or less profitability (or dynamics of return on investment) than expected by the business owner or investor, as a result of which it may be preferable for them to change the order of their own participation in the company’s activities.

An entrepreneur should discuss with his partner the reporting procedure for certain business transactions and its composition. Some investors require the preparation of only accounting documentation of the appropriate type, while others prefer to also receive these nuances. It is useful to clarify these nuances at the very early stages of the partnership.

It is therefore important not only where to find a business investor, but also how to establish a long-term partnership with him. A high level of competence in entrepreneurship is always valued. Therefore, investors will also be interested in building an effective partnership. You need to be able to listen to him and take into account the interests he expresses.

Summary

So, we looked at the question of where to find a real private investor. Its successful resolution depends on the scope of the company’s activities, its scale, the level of competence of the entrepreneur and the specialists he attracts. An important role is played by other conditions of financing of the company, as well as the willingness of its owner, if necessary, to revise the agreements reached with the investor in order to build long-term partnerships.

This section is for those who are either ready to invest and are looking for an object for profitable investment, or, on the contrary, are interested in attracting Russian or foreign capital. Here you can find advertisements from private investors who are ready to invest money in business, as well as investment programs of investor companies offering, among other things, project financing. Direct and venture investment funds, major regional and industrial investors are invited to contribute to this section. Both small and large businesses will find a wide range of investment opportunities here.

It doesn’t matter who you are: a private equity fund, a venture fund, a private investor, a business angel, an investment bank or a management company, if you make direct investments and are ready to provide project financing, then this portal will be useful to you.

If you are interested in diversifying your investment portfolio, looking for new and profitable objects for investment, post information about yourself: investment priorities, volumes and directions of investment, principles for selecting investment projects and companies, ways to exit an investment project.

You can not only post information about yourself, but also subscribe to receive applications to attract investments. Just customize the search form in accordance with the criteria you are interested in and regularly receive investment applications in your mailbox. Do you want to be more active in your search for investment targets? Then refer to the section "Investment projects".

Often successful companies are created through the collaboration of several parties: one has an idea, the other has the resources to implement it. Thanks to the Internet, it has become easier for these parties to find each other. However, it is important not just to find a person with money, it is necessary to attract a good partner, cooperation with whom will become the basis for a successful startup and further advancement of the business. When considering investor proposals, try to think about which of them will be interested in your business. To do this, formulate the stage of development of your business: will it be its origin, formation, growth, maturity, or decline. Every company that is at various stages needs its own investor.

Features of the stages of company activity
At the inception stage, as a rule, an entrepreneur has nothing, only an idea, and sometimes a registered patent. There are also problems with the formation of the management team; business processes are not established. External investors are often relatives and friends, or they can be private individuals who have some experience in this area and are willing to take risks. On our website you can find such investor offers.

During its formation, the organization already has an established production of finished products, or already provides services, but its activities do not bring the desired income, and sometimes are even unprofitable. This stage is characterized by business processes that have not been fully developed; only the formation of a management team occurs. At this stage, it is necessary to pay attention to the financial and legal documentation of the company. An investor who is interested in it should easily understand the corporate structure of the organization and its financial position. It is good that the company does not participate in litigation, disputes with government services, etc. At the stage of expansion of activities, the volume of operations performed increases, and profits become stable. As a result, the company begins to occupy a stable position. The stage is characterized by well-established business processes, new markets and projects are opening. At these stages, banks, funds and other serious investors are involved in financing.

Advantages of our business portal
The business portal site is designed to assist its visitors in developing their business and increasing capital. In particular, this page presents various investor proposals. We recommend that you read them carefully and do not make hasty decisions. Try to learn as much as possible about your partner and assess his reliability. When drawing up contracts, read them carefully, let there be as few understatements as possible, and let all agreements be recorded in writing. On this page you can both find an investor and become one yourself by posting an investor proposal. Many of our visitors were able to find reliable business partners with whom they have been working for many years. Perhaps you will become one of their number.