Investing in Venture Capital
Venture Capital is a form of private equity financing that helps companies grow. It is provided by venture capital funds or firms to early stage and emerging companies. These companies are screened for growth potential and are generally in the early stages of development. As such, they can benefit from a variety of different financial resources, including equity. The primary reason for venture capital investments is to support a company’s growth. In other words, it allows for a more targeted approach to investing.
Many VC firms are limited partners, which are typically institutional investors. High net worth individuals can invest directly in venture capital funds. To become an accredited investor, an individual must have a net worth of $1 million and earned income of at least $200,000 in the past two years. Some firms also allow high net worth individuals to invest directly in companies. A financial advisor can help determine your eligibility to participate in a venture capital fund. However, many individuals are still shy of putting their money into such an investment.
The first stage of financing, sometimes called the emerging stage, occurs as the company begins to enter the market and is already beginning to generate revenue. The funds will be used for increased marketing, product manufacturing, and sales. In this stage, most companies require larger sums of capital because they need to launch and gain traction in the market. As such, funding amounts in the first stage tend to be higher than in any other stage of the company’s development.
Funds can last anywhere from several months to several years. A typical venture capital fund has a 10-year lifetime, and all of the funds that are closed will be invested. Some funds have partial closes, and some will have a longer lifetime. For these reasons, the term “vintage year” is used to stratify VC funds. You should consider this when investing in a fund. You never know when the market might collapse.
In 1978, the first major fundraising year for venture capital was the first year that the industry received significant funding. The US Labor Department had previously banned many investments in privately held companies due to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. However, the ERISA restrictions were relaxed by the US Labor Department in 1979. As a result, the US labor department had to provide a new source of capital for the venture capital industry. The NASDAQ composite index peaked at 5,048 in March 2000, and the NASDAQ Composite index reached its highest level ever in the history of the industry.
Early stage companies raise their first round of funding from venture capital firms. This is called the “emerging stage,” and the funds usually go toward product manufacturing, sales, and increased marketing. The first round is typically the biggest, but the company may need to raise several rounds of funding before it can see any profits. This is the time to seek outside financing. When the market is stable, a venture fund will invest up to $750 million in a business.
