Top Picks
These are a few great starting points. Contact us for answers to more detailed VC questions.
Finding Funders
When looking for VC funding, it is imperative that you know which firms are interested in your type of project and geographic location. According to PitchBook, venture capital funding the past year was fairly evenly split between Seed, Early Stage VC, and Later Stage VC. Angel funding accounted for only ~5% of recorded transactions. Assessing at what stage of development your startup is at helps decide the kind of VC funding needed for a business. Use a tool like PitchBook or Capital IQ to find which firms are investing in your sector at your stage.
- Pitchbook use the Screener to find companies by location, industry, and financing stage to find funders interested in your area.
- Capital IQ go to the Screening tab and then under Targeting, use the Find Buyers or Investors tool to find VCs interested in your space, location, and stage.
- Workspace also had a VC deal screener. This is a good tool for larger data downloads.
Government Funding for Small Businesses
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a great starting point for government funding opportunities. Allows you to choose a specific SBA office in your area and see what services it offers. U.S. Small Business Innovation Research Program targets entrepreneurs and includes selected grant opportunities.
Investment Conferences and Fairs
Venture capital fairs or entrepreneurial conferences are sponsored by VC firms, small business associations, or related financial organizations, and give attendees a chance to gain valuable exposure to the industry players. Interactions are more informal than official "pitch" meetings, in part because it's usually not the firm's partners who attend, rather their analysts, who are junior members of staff.
Recommended Periodicals and News Sources Gathering tips from other entrepreneurs' experiences, without living through their actual highs and lows, is an excellent way to gauge what you specifically need to do in your equity search.
- Business 2.0 covers technological innovations and considers itself the "magazine of business in the Internet Age".
- Entrepreneur Magazine, as its title suggests, targets entrepreneurs. It's available via Business Source Complete and on the first floor of the library.
- Fast Company strives to provide a big picture of the New Economy.
Interested in learning more about finding VC firms? Entrepreneur magazine features their list of VC100 and Forbes has The Midas List. Keep up to date by following the news with these sources: New York Times’ DealBook; Wall Street Journal’s Venture Capital Dispatch; and Venture Beat’s VC topic. Try AngelList if you’re looking for funding. It’s a social networking site for funders and young businesses. You might also want to consider a start-up accelerator, such as Y Combinator. Ready to pitch? Entrepreneurship Pitch Workbook by Canaan Partners walks you through how to do it.