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Heidi Roizen is a managing director for Mobius Venture Capital. She joined the fund in April 1999. Ms. Roizen serves as a director of AuctionDrop, Ecast, InStoreCard, MessageCast, Perpetual Entertainment, Planitax, and Reactrix. She is also a board member of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Her notable prior board service includes Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001. Prior to joining Mobius Venture Capital, Ms. Roizen was a consultant to numerous technology companies, including Microsoft, Intel and Compaq. From 1996 to 1997, she was vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations for Apple Computer. Before joining Apple Computer, Ms. Roizen served for 13 years as CEO of T/Maker Company, a successful software developer and publisher. She is a past president of the Software Publishers Association and has served as a public governor of the Pacific Exchange. Ms. Roizen has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the microcomputer industry by MicroTimes, Personal Computing Magazine and Upside Magazine. Ms. Roizen has a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Finding venture capital is a matter of securing the right fit between founder and funder, writes the author. Affinity with a investor helps, such as pursuing groups that finance the type of company that yours is, such as a minority- or female-led firm; also necessary is a plan outlining your company's financial prospects and a pitch for convincing investors that you can execute, the author notes.
You would have to do your best Rip Van Winkle imitation to not realize volatile economic times from an economic, political and technological perspective over the last few years, according to the author, who offers some observations and predictions on the U.S. economy.
Securing funding for a business, be it a startup or a growing company, involves establishing a reputation and building relationships, writes the author. Funding options multiply once the good word is out about an enterprise, she notes. Included are tips for getting loans and other financing for both new and established concerns.
An entrepreneur preparing to secure funding from private investors called "angels" describes in this advice-packed article her systematic plan for approaching a milieu about which she knew very little. Tips include checking for resources online and crafting a presentation that gets across the company's unique offering while adhering to the formalities demanded by investors.
For entrepreneurs, the importance of cash flow cannot be overstated. Simply put, no cash, no business. Perhaps it's a good time to re-examine a few concepts about accounting and finance.
Vinod grew up dreaming of being an entrepreneur. He was raised in an Indian Army household with no business or technology connections. When, at age 16, he first heard about Intel, he dreamt of starting his own technology company. Upon graduating with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he tried to start a soy milk company to service the many people in India who did not have refrigerators. He then came to the US and got his Masters in Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University. His startup dreams attracted him to Silicon Valley where he got an MBA at Stanford University in 1980. In 1982, Khosla started Sun Microsystems to build workstations for software developers. At Sun he pioneered "open systems" and RISC processors. Sun was funded by long time friend and board member John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In 1986 he switched sides and joined Kleiner Perkins where he was a general partner. There, he worked with Nexgen/AMD, Juniper, Excite, and many other ventures. In 2004, Khosla formed Khosla Ventures. Khosla Ventures offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in both traditional venture areas like the Internet, computing, mobile, and silicon technology arenas but also supports breakthrough scientific work in clean technology areas such as bio-refineries for energy and bioplastics, solar, battery and other environmentally friendly technologies.
Young entrepreneurs with few contacts need to get real about raising money in a tough economy, and pursue avenues such as their own bank accounts, loans from parents and credit cards, writes the author. Another tactic is keeping costs low so that you need less money in the first place.
Entrepreneurs seeking venture capital - a major source of funding for growth - need to approach these investors as both sellers of their company's future and buyers of financing services, writes a venture capitalist and former entrepreneur, who provides a targeted plan for addressing each.
There is no doubt that it is a nearly impossible time for entrepreneurs to raise venture capital. Only the best of the best new companies are attracting such funding, according to the author. Entrepreneurs need to prepare themselves when approaching venture capitalists. Increasingly, several must have factors have become an essential part of the necessary preparation.
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