Friday, May 2, 2008

Bootstrapping vs. VC & Angel Funding

What should one do with their start up business?

You may be able to boot strap unless you need a large team of product developers. Boot strapping is a more likely prospect if your products are complete or near so or you can build the product yourself.

The attractiveness of the business to outside investors will depend on:

1) Size and growth rate of your target market

2) Your differentiation & competitive advantage

3) How big can the company become? Many angels & VC's will want a business that is worth $50m to $100m at exit

4) Can it deliver the returns required for the risk involved? Many VC's and Angels will seek 5x to 10x their money in 5 to 6 years. To deliver that you need a pretty large market and to grow pretty rapidly and to have a clear exit strategy.

If you have a strong track record, it will help you to attract investors.

If not, you'd benefit from having some advisors/directors or a CEO who has strong track record.

The best teams usually win! Good luck to all you entrepreneurs out there!

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