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Are they looking for a lifestyle business while you want a quick exit so you can build another company?

While there will always be cases where early-stage investors cold-call cool companies whose sites they have happened across, and thereby discover the great success story of the next decade, such instances of serendipity are rare. Many investors will tell you that the majority of their investments are sourced from personal networks they have cultiva

Angel List and GUST, which represents eight hundred angel groups globally and acts as a “matchmaker” between entrepreneurs and investors. You also can search for LinkedIn Groups related to angel investing and early-stage venture capital for leads.

Well, when Mark Zuckerberg was raising money for Facebook, he couldn’t show profits or even sales, but what he did have was a pathway to customer acquisition. At the time a million people were subscribed to Facebook, and venture capitalist Peter Thiel told Mark, “I’ll give you $5 million if you can show me how you’re going to get ten million subscr

“Get the best deal you can get—but get the deal!”

Unspoken Question #1. “Do I think this will work for me?” This is a head thing. Investors need to see how your startup fits with the other companies in their portfolios. They also need to know they can bring value to the table beyond just money.

Clara Shih is a superb example. I met Clara about

Learn to raise capital by any means. That’s your primary job as an entrepreneur. —RICHARD BRANSON