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You have a great product, service or even prototype, but get stuck at raising funds from investors. Finding an investor is more than just checking off boxes. It is about finding a click, sharing a vision, and being at the right place at the right time. It is about finding an investor that fits your company with more than just capital.
Imagine you have found what you believe could be the perfect investor. Possibly an angel investor or a venture capitalist within your industry. You did your well-crafted pitch, but there is no interest to talk further, why not? Simply because an investor seems perfect on paper does not mean that you are the perfect fit. Finding the right fit is partly a numbers game. It takes time to build a network with potential funders, getting to know them and the portfolio they try to build. A big time saver in this regard can be preparation, who do you spend time with, when and why? It starts with scoping out your options.
When scoping, it helps if you get direct feedback from the investors you are targeting, which you can do by simply getting in contact with them. Networking events in general can be a good place to start, but matchmaking events are even better. One of them is at CapitalFest in Amsterdam, on September 27, 2017. At this event you will get the opportunity to meet investors from a variety of industries (see the list here). To highlight a couple of interesting options:
Balderton: Looking for European technology businesses in their early stages. They look for anything from big data software companies to gaming companies as long as they have ambitious founders with unique approaches who are interested in scaling globally. They have a long term focus and invest between $1M to $20M. Their latest investment was in Labster, a pioneering education tech company, leading a funding round of $10M.
Hoxton Ventures: Looking for internet, mobile and software startups that either create a new industry category or transform a large, existing market. They invest early and aim to follow their investment years to come, but only invest in companies with potential to scale to a very large and global outcome. Their latest investment was in Yieldify, a marketing technology company.
Mainport Innovation Fund II: Looking for innovative technology companies within logistics, transport and aviation ready to scale. Their investment range is between €200,000 – €1,000,000. Their latest investment was in Synple, a logistics tech company, where they together with another investor made a joint investment of €1.1M.
As CapitalFest is a part of Amsterdam Capital Week, September 25-29, you might also find it interesting to see what investors are coming to the different events during this week.
Corporates should not be overlooked
It is not only angel investors or VCs who are interesting when you are seeking funding. And increasing amount of corporates are recognising the advantages in funding, or even collaborating with innovative companies within their scope of business.
BMW is an example of that. During StartupFest Europe, on September 26th, they are opening their doors to meeting innovative startups and selecting relevant ones to go into further discussions with, regardless of whether this results in collaboration or funding. Get in the Ring will also be represented at the event. Our Global Director, Jochem Cuppen, will join the jury, looking for the most promising startups. Read more about the event here.
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Getting your inspiration fix
If you already have secured funding or you do not exactly know what you are looking for, you might still find these investors, presenting on stage during CapitalFest, interesting:
Deep Nishar, Senior Managing Partner of SoftBank Vision Fund, has 20 years of experience with building and growing software and Internet businesses to become successful. He is currently responsible for managing the $100Bn SoftBank Vision fund.
Kees Koolen, founding partner of EQT Ventures, has been involved in several international business successes. With EQT Ventures, he is looking to invest in early growth innovative tech companies with global ambitions.
Reshma Sohoni, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Seedcamp, has a strong desire to help European entrepreneurs realize global success. Seedcamp, which she co-founded in 2007, has through the last decade invested in 250 companies.