Sponsoring organizations with the best of intentions are creating an expanding calendar of investor showcase events for companies seeking growth capital.
Should you sign up?
Can a company use a rock star performance approach to get the cash you need to fund its future?
Can you use an investor showcase event to give a carefully honed elevator pitch, crafted with the help of the showcase venue’s selected team, to inspire the right investor give you the cash you need?
My experience says no.
This is not a beauty contest. Equity investor selection is like a marriage. What does it take for a good marriage? Dialogue; communication; synergy. The key is feedback and interaction which allows you to evolve your view of your own company, the market in which your company must succeed, and the investor’s contribution.
You only get one chance to make a first impression. Do you really want to participate in an investor showcase where a standardized impression leaves little room for that special spark?
What is the alternative? Think of a product “beta test” approach. It’s iterative. The key is to select your best customer prospect—because feedback is only as good as the source. Next engage in dialogue to learn how to optimize a win win –the best product sale creates a relationship. The same is true of an investor; a relationship which respects the company’s role to design a vision leveraged by the investor’s resources to fuel that vision because the investor believes you are the best opportunity for getting a great ROI on their investment.
If you want equity capital that will allow you generate the highest ROE (return on your energy and investor’s equity- which is your equity as well) then you want to carefully select investors whose feedback you will value. Meet them face to face, learn from their insights and refine your own thinking about the right investor for you. Why miss the opportunity to get a PhD in your own company from the University of the Marketplace? Date until you are confident you have identified the right investor for you. A great marriage is bliss, the alternative is ……
Stefania Aulicino is founder president of CapitalLInkUSA. For 19 years Stefania has helped business builders uncover the right capital for their optimum growth strategy so you get cash and keep control to build the business you really want. www.CapitalLinkUSA.com
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