Sources of Venture Funding
- The "Fs" ... founders, family, friends, fanatics, fools ... the starting point for most independent ventures ... generally low to moderate sophistication, low to moderate investment ...
- Bootstrapping ...
- Customers ...
- Suppliers ...
- The "Strangers with Candy" ... angels, investment clubs ... wide range of investment interest and sophistication, generally low to moderate investment ...
- The "Vulture Capitalists" (VCs) ... venture capital firms ... usually focused on a specific industry ... moderate to high sophistication ... a mistaken target for many new ventures, very few new ventures are funded directly by VCs ...
- The "Big Ugly Monsters" (BUMs) ... corporate venture capital ... usually focused on specific industries and proven ventures ... may fund internally-developed ventures ... often part of a angel/VC network of investors ...
- Corporations ...
- Bank loans ...