Inside Secrets to Venture Capital

by Brian E. Hill and Dee Power

Book Overview

The inside story on finding the capital your business needs togrow

When it comes to finding capital--and the right investors for yourbusiness--entrepreneurs need all the help they can get. Brian Hilland Dee Power spent three years surveying 250 venture capital firmsto find out what venture capitalists look for when putting theirmoney in young businesses. Their results will give you all thetools you need to make smart decisions and avoid pitfalls...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471414069
• ISBN13: 9780471414063
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Well written, well thought out, well researched

Hill and Power have written an informative and insightful book on venture capital in a well organized format. Over 30 venture capitalists were interviewed on varying topics from the most critical mistakes entrepeneurs make in their business plan to tips on negotiating. Hundreds more were surveyed. Inside Secrets to Venture Capital doesn't rely on just one person's opinions or knowledge. The chapters are easy to read without relying on jargon, buzz words and technical terms. If you're an entrepreneur looking for venture capital, you've got to read this book.

Authors thoughtfully and thoroughly guide entrepreneurs

John Sizer, Partner In Charge, Assurance and Advisory Services, Deloitte & Touche"It's not what you're selling, but whom you're selling. The secrets are out. In "Inside Secrets to Venture Capital" the authors thoughtfully and thoroughly guide entrepreneurs down the road less traveled--the road toward funding. This book gives any entrepreneur willing to pay close attention a definite edge up on the competition."

Concise but thorough explanation of venture capital

"Easy to read and a concise but thorough explanation of venture capital and the paths and processes that lead to it. Entrepreneurs looking for anything other than a standard bank loan will be better prepared for their search if they understand the subjects dealt with in "Inside Secrets to Venture Capital."Lee Mercer, President, National Association of Small Business Investment Companies

Valuable handbook and reference guide

Raising capital is a mystifying process for most entrepreneurs. They get very little feedback from potential investors on the quality of their business plans, the packaging of their deals, the presentation of their opportunities, and the underlying strength of their business strategies and value propositions. This situation is complicated by differing scope and levels of advice between professional service providers, such as accountants, attorneys, and management consultants. Entrepreneurs waste valuable time trying to raise capital ineffectively, and as a consequence, their businesses suffer.Inside Secrets to Venture Capital takes the mystery out of the process. It is a valuable handbook and reference guide to entrepreneurs, professional service providers and investors. In a clear and logical format, the book addresses the issues to consider when raising venture capital, and then describes the process in detail. The book is rich in case studies from entrepreneurs, professional service providers and investors on their actual experiences. Most importantly, the book contains feedback from actual investors on what works for them and what doesn't.Inside Secrets to Venture Capital is a necessity for anybody in the field of raising capital."

Useful, practical information

Over the past few years, it seems that every time we turned around, we heard of yet another small stat-up company getting funded by single, double, or even triple digits. Now that the stream of capital has slowed, companies of all sizes are facing the reality that raising capital is a long, time-consuming, and often painstaking task.Hill and Power's book assimilates some of the literal wealth of information accumulated over the past years for the benefit of businesspeople today. Instead of reading another article or book about the *amount* of money companies have received, or about the lifestyles of VCs, entrepreneurs can get down-to-earth advice and suggestions on what works and what doesn't work. The authors have interviewed "real-life" entrepreneurs and found out where they succeeded and where they didn't. Entrepreneurs face a tough enough challenge in actually raising the money - getting some early grounding from a book like this can help keep them grounded.Similarly, input directly from VCs takes much of the mystery out of the VC world. The input is straight, direct, and lets entrepreneurs know just what is expected.Good reading for businesspeople thinking of raising capital or in the process at the moment.