Venture capital is often referred to as private equity, because it is typically funded by raising a small amount of capital from a number of sources. Venture capitalists are wealthy individuals who invest in new businesses. Typically, these investments result in high risk and very large potential rewards. They generally prefer to fund new companies in emerging industries rather than older established industries. Venture capital is an important part of the financing in many businesses, but there are many other types of capital available for a variety of purposes.
The amount of venture capital funds available to an individual investor is based upon many factors. An eight-year growth plan is one way to determine if a venture capital funding is likely to be successful. By comparing expected payback time against the investor’s investment growth target, the prospective fund manager can determine if the anticipated return on their investment is consistent with their plan. If not, then a funding solution may need to be adjusted.
The potential return of a venture capital investment for a given period of time is usually dependent upon the overall health of the company in question. It is also dependent upon the number of people who will become involved in the management of the new businesses. Many investors make their money back on their investment through the increased value of the businesses they own. Other investors make nothing back on their investments, while others earn a significant profit.
Venture capitalists typically prefer to invest in equity-type companies. This means that the businesses they acquire are primarily owned by one person. In contrast, businesses acquired through a leveraged debt instrument or through an investment vehicle such as preferred stock are more likely to be financed by vc or another type of vc partner. There are also some types of venture capital funds, which invest only in newer companies that have not yet proven themselves.
One of the advantages to investing in equity-type companies is that it is much easier to determine what the intrinsic value of the firm will be when it is purchased. The price per share of the corporation can be easily determined and therefore the value of the firm can be determined. However, the pricing of equity shares can be highly volatile. An investor who purchases a large number of shares at one time may not be able to resell those shares at a profitable price in the future. Also, if the market for the firm becomes saturated with equities, a great deal of the profits gained by the equity partners will be lost. For this reason, most venture capital firms prefer to fund early-stage firms in the early stages of development.
An advantage of working with an angel investor or venture capital firm is that it allows the entrepreneur to solicit investment offers from a variety of different partners. As an angel investor, the investor will provide seed money, Series A money or a commercialization loan in return for an interest in the business. This allows the entrepreneur to build relationships with different partners in the business world. These relationships are critical for building a successful company, as all of the investors in a successful company have a stake in the company through common ownership.
