[TampaDeveloper]

Can anybody provide me with guidance on finding an investor for a software product I am developing?

Thanks!

[micahgartman]

http://www.guykawasaki.com/
mg

[f1000]

Originally Posted by TampaDeveloper

Can anybody provide me with guidance on finding an investor for a software product I am developing?

Thanks!

Write a business plan. At the very least, prepare an executive summary.

[TampaDeveloper]

Originally Posted by micahgartman

http://www.guykawasaki.com/
mg

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you.

[Mastrap]

If at all possible find a different way to finance your idea. With Venture (Vulture) Capital you'll be lucky if you own 5-10% of your company once they're done with you. I looked into it in great detail when I started my own business and in the end decided to finance it myself. This means working two jobs, but it also means that the reward for my idea is mine (and my partners) alone.

[osxisfun]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

If at all possible find a different way to finance your idea. With Venture (Vulture) Capital you'll be lucky if you own 5-10% of your company once they're done with you. I looked into it in great detail when I started my own business and in the end decided to finance it myself. This means working two jobs, but it also means that the reward for my idea is mine (and my partners) alone.

[cpt kangarooski]

If you have to ask us, you're not going to get VC money.

Generally, businesses that are going to grow extremely rapidly, and will probably IPO within a few years are the candidates for VC. The stages they go through are self-financing/friends/family for the first few tens of thousands of dollars at least, then angels, then VC.

Small businesses, those that don't have a realistic hope of making millions in revenues in a few years, generally stay in that first round, and had better damn well be profitable within a year or so, or else they're probably going to fail, as most do.

As for VC taking equity in the company, well duh. Who is going to give you millions of dollars, when you're expected to burn through it in months, without demanding a large share of the stock in return? They're in it to make money, not give it away for fun.