The 30 innovators Who Changed the Startup World

Editorial
e’re living in a fearless innovative new world of
Wdemocracy in startup funding and the question is no
longer, Can you raise funds? It's, Should you raise funds?
Is it the right move for your company and, if it is, then where do you
start?
For a long time now, venture capital has been at the center of the
startup universe. It’s not hard to see why people feel like they have to
raise money to move forward. Today, startup media is wall-to-wall
coverage of who’s getting funded and who’s doing these spectacular
multi-billion dollar rises. Venture capital is one way to fund a
company. It’s one way. Not the way. There are all kinds of ways to
build a company, from small business loans to friends and family
raises to good old-fashioned sweat equity.
Fundraising:
The Center of
Startup Universe
Startups are a gamble. Everyone knows that. But when playing the
fundraising game, your job is to make investors feel like yours is the
safest bet they can make. Never forget that fundraising is a two-way
exchange. If you want to get value, you have to give value back.
Investors are looking for something from you. Make sure you show
them that you have something to offer – and you're ready to deliver.
Once you decide you need capital for your company, getting that
capital becomes your job. And, like any job, you get out of fundraising
what you put in. So make sure you’re ready to put in your absolute
best.
No amount of capital is worth giving up on your vision, or taking your
company in a direction that you’re not passionate about. So before
anybody signs on the dotted line, make sure you and your would-be
investors have compatible visions about where your company is
headed.
Startup fundraising is not any magic, and it’s not a rocket science. It
takes time, it takes effort, and it could be the best decision you ever
make or the worst. So if you’re thinking about fundraising, think
really, really hard.
Abhinav Chandrayan