Whether you’re a startup founder or looking for some extra juice for your business, you’d probably think getting investment is difficult. That’s the global general perception.
But that’s not the reality of the market. Money has never been more easily accessible and abundant. You can get a million dollars for beer just by holding up a sign, or 8 million dollars in pre-seed (yes, pre-seed). I once got a 25K$ commit from an angel investor on the spot during the first call, just by showing him the business plan and figma designs.
You can “easily” get the investment you need, that is if you can ensure the infamous ROI. And how do you do that? Well, I’m glad you… well I, asked:
1) The Team
You need to have a robust, diversified and serious team. That should include:
- Relevance: The team needs to have business, tech and industry knowledge and experience.
- Credibility: Impressive achievements/credentials, or anything that makes them stand out.
- A clear Business Plan: This is a business and techno-functional vision of how to succeed with the idea, including a business model, sales strategy, founding team roles and responsibilities, operational structure, solution architecture, technical scalability, financial projections, etc. (and yes this comes under the team as the founders will produce and lead this).
2) The Idea
It is and will always be one of the few things which do not die. An idea can be a very bright beacon, a leader in its own right, and a bringer of infinite opportunities. It needs to be:
- Original: As Marilyn Manson said “Everything has been said before. There’s nothing left to say, anymore”. But when you prove him wrong, you’ll find yourself rewarded.
- Business-viable: There needs to be market and competitors research done, a clear pain-point and a clear value add, simulation of business scenarios, and a tangible business-model (which will all surely change over time).
- Scalable: Is this going to end up being a mom-and-pop shop down the corner, or a megabrand around every corner? What’s the scalability speed and breath.
3) The Connections
This one is not as critical as the above, but would sure help. If you have connections and relationships with key industry players who can invest or recommend you to people who can invest, it’ll make the uphill climb much easier.
If you have all of the above, or at least the first two, no investor in his right mind will shoot you down. You would be a perfect, lucrative and well-rounded investment, with ROI written all over you.
So when you keep telling yourself that investment is hard to come by, you should simply revisit the above points with relevance to your startup; because it’s not true, it’s all in your head.