e-Book: Table of Content

1. Understanding the Venture Financing Process

1.1   Venture Capital Market: the Ocean of Opportunity

1.2   Venture Financing Chain

        1.2.1   Case in Point: A Financial Chronology of Amazon.com

1.3   What is Venture Capital?

        1.3.1   VC Basics

        1.3.2   Stages of Venture Capital Funding

        1.3.3   Realization of Financial Returns for VC Investor and Exit Strategies

        1.3.4   Language of the Venture Capital

        1.3.5   Private Placements

1.4   Guidelines for Getting (and Keeping) Funding in Today’s Markets

        1.4.1   How To "Sniff-Test" a Venture

        1.4.2   Alternative Financing: VC is Not the Only Way

        1.4.3   Venture Map to Financing

2.   Understanding Venture Capital Investors

2.1   Investment Evaluation Criteria

         2.1.1   Investment Selection Criteria: Ranking by Business Angels and VC Firms
2.2   Business Angels

         2.2.1   Types of Business Angels

         2.2.2   Syndicates of Business Angels

         2.2.3   Advantages and Disadvantages of Business Angels

         2.2.4   How To Reach Business Angels

         2.2.5   Angel Investors Funding Application Criteria

2.3   Venture Capital Firms

2.4   Corporate Investing in External Ventures

         2.4.1   Case Study: GE Equity

         2.4.2   Case Study: Nortel Telecom

3. Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Funds for a Start-up Venture

3.1 Bootstrapping

        3.1.1   Bootstrapping Options

3.2 Preparing for Venture Financing: 4 ½ Marketing Issues

        3.2.1   Business Planning Chart

        3.2.2   The Funding Round Chart

        3.2.3   Selecting the Type of Finance: Debt vs. Equity

        3.2.4   Preparing Your Venture Proposal

        3.2.5   Checking Out Potential Investors

        3.2.6   Sample Agreement: Venture Capital Finder's Fee

        3.2.7   Dealing with Banks: How To Obtain a Commercial Loan for Your Venture

3.3 Initial Introduction to VC Investors

        3.3.1   Milestone Chart

        3.3.2   Cash Flow Forecast

3.4 Venture Presentation

        3.4.1   How To Prepare an Effective Venture Fair Presentation: 8 Issues in 8 Minutes

        3.4.2   How To Make an Effective Venture Presentation

3.5 Business Plan

        3.5.1   What Every Investor Wants to Know

        3.5.2   How Investors Read a Business Plan

        3.5.3   Start-up Business Plan (a template)

        3.5.4   Sample Executive Summary: Strategic Incubator International

3.6 Due Diligence

3.7 Business Valuation

        3.7.1   Valuation of a Start-up Company

        3.7.2   Valuation Quantification Techniques

3.8 Structuring the Venture Capital Deal

        3.8.1   Typical Terms of Preferred Stock Issued to Venture Capitalists

        3.8.2   Key Terms for Most Seed Investments

        3.8.3   Private Placement Memorandum

        3.8.4   Equity Investor’s Compensation

        3.8.5   Private Placement of Convertible Preferred Stock: Sample Term Sheet

“You Have the Money, Now What?” - Making the Best of the VC Obtained