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EIC network - free search for business partners in Russia and abroad. Searching for an investor and investments: where to find an investor? We are looking for investments in business projects

It is difficult for a novice entrepreneur to organize his own business, since starting even a small business requires significant financial investments. Where can I get this money? The fastest and most reasonable way is to attract an investor - a person who will contribute his capital in exchange for part of the profit or shares. An investor can become a partner of a company, and often an assistant in development, because he is no less interested in the business generating income than the owner.

Where can a businessman get money to develop his business?

Until the business begins to generate income, not a single day will pass - all this time the entrepreneur spends funds on rent, paperwork, payment of wages, purchase of equipment, consumables, products and for other purposes. You can get start-up capital from several sources:

Personal savings is a long, but most reliable way, in which you need to set aside a portion of your income every month;
Bank loan – they are reluctant to provide money to start a business, requiring collateral, so more often entrepreneurs take out consumer loans, but the amount is limited;
Borrowing money from relatives is a good method if you have a wealthy loved one who is ready to borrow a large amount;
Search for an investor - an individual, a company, an association of people, it can also be business angels - specialists in investing in start-up entrepreneurs;
Finding a partner - in this case, the business will have to be divided in proportion to the amount of investment; it is better to look for a financially literate person, not a beginner;
Starting a related business - for example, if you want to open a car service service, you can start with tire fitting, and when you have profit and experience, expand your business;
Receiving a subsidy from the state - provided by the employment center, district administration, business support department, but the amount of injection is small, reporting is required;
Crowdfunding is the collection of funds through a special platform from ordinary people, but for this you need to propose an unusual business idea, interest the audience, and conduct an advertising campaign.

Experts and experienced businessmen are sure: borrowing money or resorting to credit is not the best idea for an entrepreneur. It is better to use your savings or attract investors by concluding a cooperation agreement with them.

Step-by-step instructions on how to attract an investor?

Beginner entrepreneurs don’t understand how to find an investor for a small business from scratch? To attract capital to develop your business, you need to draw up a well-thought-out business plan, choose a convenient form of cooperation, find professionals, negotiate and conclude a cooperation agreement.

How to prepare a business project?

A business plan is the business card of an entrepreneur; it is this project that potential investors will study when assessing the attractiveness of financial investments. Please note that the investor is not interested in how original the idea is, what prospects it promises for you personally, he wants to know what profit he can get. The business project must contain:

a brief and detailed description of the idea and the plan for its implementation;
calculation of starting capital;
analysis of real benefits for the investor - also with calculations and reasonable conclusions;
the payback period during which the income will be received;
investment prospects.

If a business plan is drawn up by a beginner, he may make typical mistakes due to inexperience, which will scare off investors; sometimes it is better to invite specialists to prepare documents or ask for help from businessmen you know.

How to choose the appropriate form of cooperation?

The form of cooperation is chosen by the businessman together with the investor, but first it is worth calculating the benefits of each model and determining the most effective way of interaction. An investor can earn income in several ways:

percentage of the deposited amount, as with lending;
part of the profit from the implementation of the idea;
share in the business – re-registration of ownership rights will be required;
finished products or services - relevant for investors involved in a related industry, for example, if a businessman opens a company for the delivery of motor oils, and the investor has his own auto parts store.

During the negotiations, the investor may insist on a different scheme of cooperation; it is often more profitable for the entrepreneur to make concessions than to lose the opportunity to receive funds.

How to turn to experienced businessmen for help?

It is difficult to independently develop your business and look for investors without experience. It is better to ask for help from other businessmen who will provide assistance if cooperation is possible between you on favorable terms in the future. Who to contact? For example:

if you produce food products, contact store owners;
if you plan to carry out transportation - to businessmen who rent out cars or need regular cargo delivery;
if you want to open a flower kiosk, go to flower suppliers;
you are going to sell farm products to the owners of private household plots.

Experienced businessmen will advise you on the pitfalls and features of the chosen industry, help you study this issue more closely and prepare a detailed business project.

How to negotiate?

The first meeting with an investor is always a presentation of the project, presentation of the business plan and coverage of the main issues that may arise. You need to carefully prepare for the meeting so that the investor understands several points:

you have financial literacy;
have excellent command of the topic;
offer a fresh and interesting idea;
the investor will be able to make a profitable investment;
there is no doubt about the honesty of the businessman and the reality of the project;
what risks exist in this industry.

During negotiations, the emphasis should be placed not on how new the business will be, but on outlining the benefits of investing.

How to conclude a cooperation agreement with an investor?

When an investor is found, the project is presented, consent is obtained, all that remains is to prepare an agreement on the investment of capital. In this matter, it is better to involve a lawyer and check that the document contains the following:

terms of investment;
payment method;
the amount the investor contributes;
rights and obligations of the parties;
procedure for action in case of violations.

The money received from the investor must be used only for business development - this is directly stated in the contract.

How to interest investors in a business plan?

collect information about the investor, eliminating possible misunderstandings;
carefully calculate the amount of investment that is needed;
do not delay the implementation of the project;
outline specific goals;
analyze the market, competitors, and the situation in the industry so that the investor understands that you have worked on this topic well;
do not hide important information and facts from the investor.

Of course, a businessman wants to present his project in the most favorable light, so data is often embellished and calculations turn out to be overly optimistic. An experienced investor will definitely ask about the fate of the project in the event of negative developments; you need to be prepared for this question.

Finding an investor is not so easy, because the number of business projects created every day is only growing, and the level of competition for raised funds is increasing. To find an investor, you need to approach your search wisely, following these tips:

Start your search as early as possible, as this process can take several months. You need to look for an investor after you have calculated the prospects of the business and assessed the benefits of implementing the idea. The main mistake of newcomers: they use their funds for development, and when the capital runs out, business goes into decline, they begin to look for injections from outside, but such a project most often turns out to be uninteresting for investors;
Contact someone who can really help. If the investor is large, it is not worth going to him, offering to invest in a small business, but if it is a small company, then it simply will not have enough capital to invest;
Name the specific amount that is needed - there is no need to indicate a range, for example, from 500 to 900 thousand rubles, the number should be accurate, and the spread should be minimal.

An experienced investor knows that it is better to invest in projects with balanced income and risk. The goals of an entrepreneur must be specific, and the idea itself must be relevant, allowing for profit in the future.

How to find an investor - review of specialized sites

In the era of Internet development, it is impossible to imagine searching for investors without the use of remote technologies. For this purpose, there are special platforms where businessmen can “meet” and come to an agreement with potential investors. The following platforms are popular in Russia:

Boomstarter is a crowdfunding platform focused on raising finance for the implementation of creative projects;
Planeta.ru – allows you to find an investor and implement socially significant, creative ideas; about 800 thousand people are registered on the portal;
Nachinanie.ru is a platform for collective financing of projects - religious, educational, socially significant;
Eastwestgroup – here the investor search services are paid, but the assessment of a business project is carried out free of charge, the company has been professionally attracting investments for over 10 years;
Start2Up is a message board for investors and aspiring entrepreneurs; projects in the fields of the Internet, education, art, and culture are popular.

Finding an investor to develop your business is not an easy task, but it is a feasible task with the right approach. The main thing is to propose a relevant idea, draw up a well-thought-out business plan, and accurately calculate the benefits of investments. A potential investor will be interested in an honest project with low risks, a sufficient amount of income during the implementation process, and also with a financially literate owner.

Beginning entrepreneurs often face a lack of funds, without which it is impossible to implement a promising business idea. In this case, you have to look for an investor who will agree to invest money in your business. This is a difficult process that requires persistence, patience and self-confidence. You will learn how to find an investor from scratch for a small business in this article.

How to attract an investor?

Any investor strives to increase his capital. The interest on deposits offered by banks and other financial institutions does not suit people who want their money to work and make a profit, since such dividends barely cover the level of inflation. Therefore, investors are looking for businesses in which they can invest capital and thereby provide decent passive income. If you are interested in how to find an investor for a small business, first of all you need to perceive him as a potential partner, since you are investing an idea into the business, and the investor is investing his money. Accordingly, this should be beneficial for both parties.

Experts believe that finding an investor for a small business is not difficult. The most important thing is a competent presentation of the idea, which can convince him that this type of investment will significantly increase his capital.

In an investment question, the following questions need to be addressed:

Demand and uniqueness of the product;
Investment size;
Payback period of the enterprise;
Calculation of future profits and guarantees.

If you can find convincing arguments for all of these positions, the investor will be convinced that your idea will indeed bring good profit and ensure its financing.

Where to start your search?

Step #1. Make a clear plan that you will present to potential investors. With its help, you must convince the person that your strategy will allow you to make a good profit. The document must contain a complete description of the company, its prospects, and place in the market. Also, do not forget to attach a calculation of the initial investment and the approximate payback period;
Step #2. Decide on the type of investor. For example, you are interested in how to find an investor who will allocate funds to achieve certain goals - to purchase equipment or expand production at a certain interest rate. Or maybe an investor will suit you who will give you money, but will ask for a share in the business in exchange. Choose the most acceptable form of cooperation for you and indicate it in the plan;
Step #3. Seek help from experienced businessmen who have been working in your chosen field for a long time. They can give you sound advice on attracting investors to your business;
Step #4. Find specialized sites on the Internet where aspiring entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to present their project to business angels. You place your request for financing an enterprise, after which investors contact the author of the idea that interests them.

Where to look?

Before finding an investor for a business, you need to carefully prepare and make a detailed description of the future enterprise. It is advisable to involve experienced economists in this matter who will help you draw up an action plan. It should outline the production technology, the level of competition in the market, marketing research, and markets for finished products. You also need to attach financial calculations and detail the payback period and future profits.

Now let's try to figure out where to find an investor for a small business. There are several options to help you resolve this issue:

Relatives and friends. Since finding an investor to invest in a business idea is not so easy, try to involve your friends and relatives in this business. This is an ideal option that allows you to minimize all risks. If the implementation of your project does not require large start-up capital, you can invite your friends to invest their savings in the business for a certain percentage of the profit;
Businessmen. In any city there are experienced entrepreneurs who have made a fortune and want to invest their capital in some profitable business. Try to get a long-term loan from them on favorable terms or offer equity participation in the business. The second option will significantly limit your freedom of action, so think carefully before taking such a step;
Funds. Another option for finding an investor for a business from scratch is investment funds, as well as funds that assist small businesses. But in order to receive money from such an organization, you need to prove that your project is viable. In addition, an aspiring entrepreneur must have his own start-up capital, which he plans to invest in a new enterprise. This option is more suitable for businessmen who want to find an investor in an existing business. To get a positive answer, you need to draw up an enterprise development plan and conduct a thorough analysis of your company’s work. It is also necessary to constantly monitor the performance of public investment funds. They often hold various competitions that allow them to select the most promising projects;
Venture investing has become widespread in many developed countries. If you want to find investors for business development in this way, you should remember that these organizations invest money only in promising risky projects in the field of science, innovation or IT technology. Sometimes venture funds finance the service and trade sectors. But at the same time, they expect a share in your business and stable profits. As a rule, such funds finance the enterprise for several years and then sell their share to the owner;
Business incubators. This is a special platform that is intended for the implementation of various projects. To find an investor for a business in Ukraine in this way, you need to provide a competent plan and pass an interview or win a competition;
Banks. If you don't know where to find an investor for your business, try getting a loan from a bank. But, unfortunately, getting the required amount is not so easy, since credit institutions usually impose serious requirements on borrowers. You will need a guarantor, collateral and a package of documents. If you do not comply with the bank's requirements, you may not receive a loan. This option is more suitable for implementation.

If you want to find money for your business, be patient. All candidates must be carefully considered and possible risks taken into account. In this case, you can choose a reliable investor who will help you open a profitable enterprise.

Foreign investors

Some entrepreneurs who cannot find money to implement their idea in our country are trying to attract foreign capital to the project. Let's figure out where to find a foreign investor for a small business?

It is pointless to rely on your past victories in various competitions and festivals, since foreign investors are only interested in real financial achievements. You must offer them a project that, with additional funding, will bring in millions in profit, preferably in dollars. It doesn't have to be some kind of technological idea, but if it shows high profitability, you can safely count on the fact that investors will pay special attention to you. Believe me, no one will invest in your ambitions. Therefore, if you are not confident in your abilities, look for interesting ones, the implementation of which does not require large start-up capital. This is an ideal option to start with.

Video on the topic

By franchise

Now let's talk about how to find an investor for a franchise business. This investment tool has been tested by hundreds of entrepreneurs. The main advantages of a franchise are a quick start and entry into the market under the wing of a well-known brand. Borrowed funds for a franchise can be obtained from a bank. This is the only case when banks give money to start a business. In addition, they provide a deferred payment on the loan for 6 months. Thanks to this, the entrepreneur can direct all his efforts to business development and repay the loan from the profits received. To get such a loan, it is enough to have one guarantor.

Help from the state

If you want to implement it, you can try to seek help from the state. There are special programs that allow you to receive a grant to start your own business. This is targeted free assistance, which is quite enough to start a small enterprise. This option is perfect for beginners who are looking for ways to

The catalog contains the most current investment projects of 2019. Here you will find promising startups and existing business projects that will generate income.

In this section you can:

Find a business that is profitable to invest in
Learn about its specifics
Get advice from a broker on business investing

What information will you find in the company card?

Each company provided important information for a potential investor:

The concept and relevance of the company’s services
Stages of company development, work results
Financial indicators: current and potential income, amount of investment
Future plans
Differences from competitors
Strengths and challenges of the company
Investment conditions

Investments with Altera Invest

Need advice on what to invest money in 2019? Altera Invest has a professional team of business brokers. They will help you choose a company that will generate income.

An experienced broker will analyze information about the company and give investment advice. Lawyers will advise and help you prepare the documents correctly. Altera Invest will help minimize investment risks.

Starting a business in many cases requires attracting significant investments. Appropriate capital can play a decisive role in the timely introduction of a startup to a promising market, improving its recognition in the segment, expanding its geography, and modernizing production. Where can you really find an investor? How to build a trusting relationship with him?

For what purpose are they looking for an investor?

Before asking the question of where to find investors, you need to decide for what purpose the search for partners should be carried out. As a rule, this problem is solved by the owner of a commercial enterprise. He requires the assistance of the investor due to the presence of insufficient funds at his personal disposal in order to fully implement the business project. An investor may also be interested in providing the required amount of financing in order to subsequently benefit from the growth of the company’s turnover.

What are the mechanisms for building relationships with investors?

Also, before thinking about where to find investors, an entrepreneur needs to decide on the desired mechanisms for building relationships with a partner. There may be several of these.

First, the relationship between an entrepreneur and a partner who is willing to provide financing may constitute a direct investment. This mechanism involves providing the company with funds in exchange for the partner’s participation in the direct management of the organization and in determining the business development strategy.

Secondly, financing can be raised on portfolio investment terms. This mechanism assumes that a partner, by investing money in business development, simultaneously acquires a share in the ownership of the company. In the first case, the investor's benefit is to participate in the management of a potentially large enterprise and become an influential member of the business community. In the second, the partner, if the company grows, gets the opportunity to significantly increase his capital.

What types of investors are there?

Another nuance that an entrepreneur needs to study before deciding where to find investors is to consider the specifics of the activities of partners who are ready to invest in other businesses. Subjects that become participants in the relevant legal relations can be represented by: individuals, organizations. Both of them, in turn, are classified into venture investors and those who are ready to invest in fundamental projects. Investors can also be Russian and foreign.

Another criterion for classifying entities involved in legal relations with businesses on financing issues is the degree of state participation. There are government agencies, most often foundations, that assist businesses in raising funds or provide them. There are completely private companies.

Crowdfunding

There is a special category of legal relations in the field of investment - crowdfunding. This term corresponds to the mechanism of business means by a large number of people - individual social groups or representing society as a whole. As a rule, investors who provide funds to entrepreneurs through crowdfunding do not impose any obligations on them in terms of exchange for a share in the business or participation in the management of the company. This feature predetermines the great popularity of the corresponding legal relations. Many entrepreneurs, when thinking about where to find investors, first of all turn to crowdfunding.

What might interest an investor?

Let us now consider a number of practical nuances that characterize the relationship between entrepreneurs and partners in terms of business financing. So, before thinking about where to find an investor for a project, you should pay attention to such an aspect as the attractiveness of the business project - those indicators that a potential partner will pay attention to when deciding to invest money in the company. Which ones exactly?

First of all, this is the presence of a sufficiently large market for the sale of goods and services that the company produces. The second indicator is the dynamics of industry development. The investor is interested in ensuring that the product produced by the company is in demand on the market for a long time. If the dynamics of the development of the industry in which the enterprise operates is quite high, then the partner must make sure that the entrepreneur can ensure the timely release of goods that are not inferior to the products of competing enterprises.

Actually, the level of competition is also an important indicator for an investor. At the same time, high may be more preferable for some partners, while low for others. In the first case, the investor and entrepreneur can take advantage of the presence of a fairly stable demand for the product being produced and counteract competitors due to the higher quality or lower price of the products supplied to the market. Low competition is attractive from the point of view of the company's profitability. Of course, provided that there is demand for the goods produced by the company.

Another important criterion for an investor to make a positive decision regarding project financing is the validity of the business plan. The market may have the most favorable conditions, optimal levels of demand and competition, but if the entrepreneur does not provide a plan in accordance with which the company will take advantage of these advantages, the investor may question the prospects for financing the company.

The next factor in a partner making a positive decision on a project is the competence of the team with which the business owner works. Or his personal one. The market situation may be optimal, the business plan may be worked out in detail, but the implementation will not be at the highest level due to the fact that it will be carried out by untrained people.

These are the main factors that an entrepreneur should consider before thinking about where to find an investor for a project. If he successfully solved this problem, you can move on to considering specific mechanisms for finding a partner. Where to find an investor for a startup of a medium or large enterprise in Russia?

How to find an investor for a startup?

Let's start with the specifics of finding partners for a startup founder. The main value of the corresponding type of business is a promising idea. As a rule, it is characterized by originality and dissimilarity with most other concepts. Another significant criterion for assessing the prospects of a startup is the absence of existing businesses in the corresponding segment throughout the country or a particular region.

It happens that an entrepreneur who is solving the problem of where to find an investor in Moscow nevertheless decides to switch to one of the markets in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, since competitors may already be operating in the Russian capital. While in the regions similar businesses will not be very developed or will be completely absent as economic entities.

Above we examined the main mechanisms for attracting investment. If the question is about where to find an investor for a startup, then the optimal schemes in this case would be: attracting crowdfunding. The advantage of both mechanisms is the absence of large risks for the entrepreneur. True, in the case of venture projects, the business owner in most cases has to give up a share in the ownership of the company - the type of financing in question falls under the category of portfolio investments. However, in this case, the partner, as a rule, bears the bulk of the expenses necessary for the The advantages of crowdfunding are also obvious - this is the opportunity to attract a large amount of funds in the absence of obligations to investors in most cases.

Where can you find an investor who is ready to invest in a startup within the framework of one scheme or another?

If we talk about venture projects, there are a large number of specialized funds that are actively involved in the relevant legal relations. They exist both in the Russian Federation and abroad, and are represented by both public and private structures. Sometimes it is enough just to find a suitable venture project or venture fund, and then get acquainted with the proposals of the relevant companies regarding the prospects of partnership with private organizations.

How to find investors and where to look for them when it comes to crowdfunding? This format of legal relations is almost entirely online. There are a number of the largest ones - both Russian and foreign. Using them is quite simple, but it is important to create a competent description of the business project and tell potential investors about its advantages.

How to look for an investor for a small business?

Let's now consider where to find an investor for a small business. This format of the enterprise’s activity assumes that the company is not a startup, but an already functioning business with more or less acceptable turnover. Investments in this case are sought in order to expand or modernize production, conduct a large-scale marketing campaign in order to increase brand awareness in the region, country or abroad. As a rule, small businesses are financed with the participation of investors who specialize in building fundamental partnerships with private firms.

Venture investments allow for a scenario in which the partner, in principle, will not be able to return his own investments, since the business will be unprofitable. In turn, a fundamental partnership assumes that the investor will be able to at least ensure a zero return on his investments, and in the future, significantly increase capital through the growth of the enterprise.

Where to find an investor for a small business? Such problems, as a rule, are solved during personal meetings between entrepreneurs and potential partners who are ready to invest money in the development of the company. They can be held as part of specialized events - business conferences, round tables, presentations. It is possible for an entrepreneur and an investor to communicate in an informal setting, for example at a corporate party to which they were invited. Fundamental investing is a common type of activity among financial funds. Information about them can also be found in search engines.

How to find an investor for a medium or large enterprise?

Where can I find an investor for a business that is a medium or large enterprise? It is noteworthy that a large-scale established company, at least classified as a medium-sized business, as a rule, in itself is a desirable investment object for an experienced financier, since it is an operating profitable business. Therefore, it is possible that you may not have to look for a partner willing to invest money in the company if it meets the criteria of a large enterprise.

However, another question may well be relevant - where to find a private investor who would be a reliable partner, ready to build a constructive dialogue on business development issues. It is resolved, as a rule, in non-public ways - through communication with major financiers within private channels. But in some cases, it is possible to find an investor at large events, especially if we are talking, for example, about international exhibitions. The prospects for building relationships with partners largely depend on the area of business.

Thus, solving the question “where to find an investor for construction” may differ significantly from such a task as finding a partner in the field of information technology. The construction business and IT are areas with different profitability and development dynamics. Each of them requires special investor competencies when assessing the prospects for investing in a particular company. But, of course, there are financiers who are equally well versed in both construction and information technology. Thus, the investment search strategy largely depends on the size of the company, as well as on the sector of the economy in which the company is represented. For startups, one approach will be more justified, and for small businesses, medium-sized and large firms, other strategies.

It will also be useful to consider a number of recommendations for entrepreneurs who decide to find an investor and establish a trusting relationship with him. Let's study those strategies that can be characterized as universal, sufficiently suitable for a business of any size - startup, small, medium or large enterprise.

How to find an investor and establish a relationship with him: recommendations

Actually, it is useful to search for an investor in those social environments in which people engaged in activities close to the company’s profile communicate. Where finding a private investor for construction is not a problem, it can be quite difficult to establish interaction with a person who might be interested in the sales field. Effective investing is largely the result of high competence, most often achieved within the narrow specialization of the financier.

Investment experts advise company owners to first tell potential partners what other sources of financing are expected to be used and what their actual availability is. This approach will allow the investor to understand his own role in relations with the business and assess his readiness to comply with it. So, if the company also uses credit funds, then its owner can make it clear to the partner that he can count on a smaller share in the business than if the investor financed the project individually.

Another important nuance is the discussion of the conditions for changing the initially reached agreements. It may turn out that during the course of development the project will begin to show greater or less profitability (or dynamics of return on investment) than expected by the business owner or investor, as a result of which it may be preferable for them to change the order of their own participation in the company’s activities.

An entrepreneur should discuss with his partner the reporting procedure for certain business transactions and its composition. Some investors require the preparation of only accounting documentation of the appropriate type, while others prefer to also receive these nuances. It is useful to clarify these nuances at the very early stages of the partnership.

It is therefore important not only where to find a business investor, but also how to establish a long-term partnership with him. A high level of competence in entrepreneurship is always valued. Therefore, investors will also be interested in building an effective partnership. You need to be able to listen to him and take into account the interests he expresses.

Summary

So, we looked at the question of where to find a real private investor. Its successful resolution depends on the scope of the company’s activities, its scale, the level of competence of the entrepreneur and the specialists he attracts. An important role is played by other conditions of financing of the company, as well as the willingness of its owner, if necessary, to revise the agreements reached with the investor in order to build long-term partnerships.