5 Tips on Finding Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Do some research. Identify the most likely candidates by asking your accountant, banker and lawyer.

Keep an open mind—potential investors may be anywhere. According to Success magazine, one entrepreneur found an angel investor among the motorcyclists he rides with on weekends.

Surf the Web. Good places to start are www.nvca.org., the Web site of the National Venture Capital Association and www.mavf.com., the site of Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, a venture-capital firm in Bethlehem, PA.

Make presentations at venture capital forums or fairs. Your local university business school or Small Business Administration office should have information on such events.

Check your library or the Web for such references as Pratt’s Guide to Venture Capital Sources and The Directory of Buyout Financing Sources, both published by Thomson Financial Securities Data at www.tfsd.com.