What is the most important factor in an investor's decision whether to invest?
I know there are several things to get across in an investor pitch, including problem, solution, size of market and team, but what is the most critical thing to emphasize? Is it the team or the market or something else?
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Jun 25, 2018
As an investment advisor, I see the most important decision whether to invest or not being whether the person can reasonably keep the money invested. If the person's finances are rocky, there's a good chance they could liquidate the investments. This would impose a likely loss consider the potential costs to liquidate (upfront sales fees, penalties, etc.) and market conditions. This we leave the investor with less money than they invested. Other than that, people work hard for their money. It should work hard for them, too.
Apr 24, 2018
Every investor will have their own criteria for investment, their own risk profile and their own target ROI. So there is no straight answer to this. When pitching an idea to an investor, you have to instill confidence in the investor that you can run the company and make it profitable. There also needs to be sound market analysis to back this.
Apr 17, 2018
There clearly needs to be a problem that you're solving, your solution needs to be defensible and feasible, the market needs to be growing. However, through my own startup experiences, it's all about the team ultimately.
Apr 10, 2018
Hi Carrie,
Investors are going to look to at the "whole package" when deciding if your business idea is worth the risk to invest. It is impossible for investors to make their decision on just one factor, but there are areas of the business you can focus on that are more important than the rest. The Business.com guide, Is Your Startup Ready for an Angel Investor? lists the 6 areas most important to investors.
1. A disruptive innovation
2. Shared risk
3. A business that can scale
4. A realistic business plan
5. Signs of success
6. A strong team of founders
If your business has addressed each area, then it is ready to take on an investor.
If your business is unprepared in one of the six areas, it is important not to rush to fix it. Finding the right investor to approach takes time and so should the preparation.
Good luck!
Sep 23, 2016
Carrie critical thing varies per investor.
Just think why you want to invest ?
Critics part is the security of why? For example one is investing to help someone than he will always be looking for the security of his investment amount not the return of a business.
Critical point depends on why you want to invest.
May 6, 2014
Carrie, I think you'll find the article under the following link extremely helpful: http://recode.net/2014/05/05/why-wont-anyone-give-me-money/.
Apr 9, 2014
Honestly I would say make sure you trust and feel comfortable with the person you are investing with. Do they answer your questions AND also explain them so you can understand. Do they make you feel like part of the process or are they just there to sign the app and get a check. Second deal with a local broker NOT some one captive to just one company with a biased opinion of everyone else. Go see a couple brokers and ask them where they keep their money.... THAT will certainly answer your questions :)
Jun 30, 2013
Apparently everyone else thinks that there's a ton of different "most important' factors when deciding to invest, but in my experience, it all comes down to profitability. If you're able to turn a profit, then the investor will turn a profit, which is the idea of investing. Nothing else matters when an investor is losing (or earning) money on the investment.
Everything else everyone has mentioned is just a factor in the overall analysis of the Risk of loss an investor is taking. If the risk of loss is too big, they won't invest. If the risk is low, and therefore probability of profitability high, then they will invest. The rest, like size, age, experience, are just an individual investors taste.
May 29, 2013
Carrie,
Sometimes its timing (you cant control), you may get rejected today just because there is another concept competing for the money and time of the decision makers. But I like Jaci's answer the best.
May 15, 2013
Hi Carrie,
Great question.
Investors need to answer one question, "Do I believe this person/team can accomplish the goals needed for me to make a profit in the timeframe I want?"
Right, isn't that what we're talking a about. So, everything the investors are told, showed, etc all goes to answering that question.
Yes, there are subordinate questions investors are asking:
Are these people open minded and teachable?
Will they take feedback and make needed adjustments?
Are they confident or arrogant?
Do I trust the people?
Do I believe their numbers?
Do I see a big enough market to support the numbers?
Do I see people spending their hard earned money on this product?
Do I see a problem that the market place is already looking to solve?
Do I think their systems and processes will handle growth?
Can this team create the systems and processes to handle the speed of growth?
Do I trust these people with my money?
So, the most important task is to ask these questions until you can truthfully answer them from the investors point-of-view.
Good luck, make it happen
Jeff Stahura
Keep Business Simple, To Keep Taking Action
May 15, 2013
There clearly needs to be a problem that you're solving, your solution needs to be defensible and feasible, the market needs to be growing. However, through my own startup experiences, it's all about the team ultimately. Not necessarily the team that you have now, but the team that you can assemble with input/help from the investors. If the investors don't have confidence that your team (or your team plus whomever the investors bring on board) can execute on your business plan and strategy, then there's likely no check.
May 12, 2013
Hey Carrie,
Wow. You have answers here that, when taken together, amount to: Everything Matters. The reality is there are a lot of pieces that need to come together to get an investor, Angel or VC, to commit. If you can avoid the red-flags that can kill a deal you'll be doing great. In other words, don't give them a reason to dismiss your opportunity; doubt is your enemy. Inspect everything for things that would make an investor nervous.
As far as what to focus on, I'd lead with those things in which you have the greatest strength. Once you've described the problem talk about your approach, leaning on your traction/IP/team depending on where you are strong. Traction is probably the most critical, particularly if you're an 'Internet' company. That you are being paid for your service is huge. So, focus more on your strengths but don't leave any space for doubt on the 'weaker' items.
May 12, 2013
There's not just one aspect, Carrie. There are many. What matters most will vary by investor, by industry, and by a variety of factors that neither of us will ever know about. If you are the one making the 'pitch,' you'd be wise to have a chunk of your own net worth invested already. You'd also be wise not to try to pay yourself much of a salary - 'sweat equity,' it's called.
You need to be seen as serious, trustworthy, knowledgeable, stable, and honest. If you fail on any one of those, no sensible investor will invest with you. If you can't tell the truth when telling the truth is painful, you're in the wrong line of work. In case someone asks--and if I were in your audience, I'd ask--you'd better be able to cite some real-life examples of when you did that.
A pitch asks people to invest risk capital. The greater the perceived risk, the higher the expected return they're going to demand for investing. If you don't already know that risk and valuation move in opposite directions, you need to know that. We see it every day in bond markets: risk (interest rates) move up (or down), and valuation (bond prices) move down (or up). Moreover, Morningstar's 'cost of capital' dataset, which goes back to 1926, shows very clearly that, on balance, smaller companies are far riskier than bigger one. The few exceptions that are out there prove the rule.
You'd also better be able to explain (a) the 'burning need' that your business will address, (b) why your business can do that better than any other business can, (c) who your competitors are (pay special attention to potential competitors), (d) how big the market for your company's product or service is ("I don't know" is unacceptable - you'd better have a heck of a good estimate AND be able to cite the sources and analytical techniques you used to develop that estimate), (e) how fast that market is growing, (f) what special knowledge and experience you bring to the party, and (g) who else is on your team and what they bring.
You'd also better have some very conservative financial forecasts, and not just the P&L. You need pro-forma P&Ls, pro-forma balance sheets, and pro-forma statements of cash flows. Be ready to defend your choices of accounting conventions; whatever they are, they had darned well better comport with GAAP. You'd be wise to have a CPA firm look over your projections and vet them; expect to pay for that. And for goodness sake, make sure there are no math errors in your forecast. I've seen those in pitches, and they're killers.
Finally, you will do yourself a big favor if you already have a Board, either of Directors (which means you will need 'D&O insurance') or of Advisers (a pro-forma Board of Directors. . .without the authority and legal exposure of an actual Board). Be sure to have some wise people in that group, and provide their backgrounds as part of your 'pitch document'.
Hope this helps.
May 11, 2013
Although my experience is varied, all of those items are very important, as well as timing and certainty of exit. If I had to pick one factor above all others, I feel that management is key. A mediocre idea or technology can still result in an outstanding company if really great management is involved, while a great idea or technology coupled with poor management almost always ends in disappointment.
May 10, 2013
I spent a few years covering startups as a business reporter. One question I always asked VCs was this: What really was the deciding factor for investing in a particular company?
The answer was always the same: An entrepreneur who was determined to succeed. (Most also agreed the majority of business plans they saw weren't worth the paper they were printed on.)
May 10, 2013
What counts the most is "confidence" - confidence that there's a chance to make a return on the investment. That's simple, but then things get fuzzy rapidly. First, there's "return." Most investors want a financial return, especially for larger investments, but some are looking more broadly (i.e., "to change the world"). You need to tailor your pitch to this. Further, there is a time value to returns and you need to fit the investor's timeframe. (For many VCs, the fund expires at a certain point and they need an exit before then.)
Then you get to "confidence there's a chance." There are many aspects here: market, value of problem solved, value capture (business model), intellectual property... and team. The first set can be summarized by effectively answering two questions: "Where's the money?" and "Who's going to make it?" (These I got from my strategy professor, Rebecca Henderson.)
Finally, there's the team. Investors evaluate a number of things here, all of which impact their assessment of what chances you have. First, do you have all the people you need to execute the current phase of the business? (Experience matters: investors prefer people who have made mistakes and learned to ones who will make mistakes on their dime.) Second, can you attract great people as you grow? And, last but perhaps most, is the team credible, smart, charismatic/evangelical, and committed enough?
It's that last thing that you can't plan to pitch - you either (know how to) click with the right investors or you don't. Therefore, it's always best if you've established the relationship... that you'll click... well ahead of the pitch.
May 9, 2013
I always thought that investors invest in the team and the story and the alignment between those two. Too many entrepreneurs try to sell investors on things they and their teams cannot accomplish without help.
Entrepreneurs want to invest where their money is the last piece of the puzzle.
May 9, 2013
Investors should know what your strategy is in a bull market, a bear market, and a flat market. Even a monkey can make money in a bull market. When interviewing potential advisors, ask how much their clients lost on average in 2008 and what they will do to prevent similar losses during the next downturn.