Top 10 Reasons Investors May Invest in Your Startup

By Antonio A Arias

Raising capital is a work of art and science. You cannot do one without the other or neither one is more important than the other. It is logic and emotion combined. Other investors have their criteria, I have mine because I have gone through it myself at different stages in my career as a professional business manager in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur. If you are raising capital, it is imperative you understand the investment criteria of your investor targets.

1. Exit strategy –  you have exited before or you have a clear pathway to exit to return investors’ money with capital gains by a certain time.
2. Market Problem – you have a huge underserved market with a chronic pain.
3. Team – you have an extraordinary management team with the tract record and the killer instinct to win its sector.
4. Product – you have a solution(s) to relieve your customers’ pains; not a solution looking for a problem
5. Price – You have priced your product where the benefits far outweigh its cost.
6. Competition – your team and your product possess unmatched competitive edge.
7. Mission – you lead a mission driven company aligned with values striking a balance of social and financial returns.
8. Relationship – you build and nurture a longer term relationship with all stakeholders – customers, employees, investors, and partners.
9. Ownership – investors are aligned with your mission and proud to be part owners or passive partners of your business.
10. Accelerator – you graduated from an accelerator or incubator group, or have core advisors that are market leaders.

If you are an investor or an entrepreneur what is most important to you and why? Your comments are much appreciated.