If you’re in the business of running a startup company and have found that your funding efforts have been unsuccessful so far, don’t give up! There are a lot of possible reasons why you may not have received funding from an investor thus far. But the good news is that there are plenty of strategies for overcoming these challenges. In this post, we’ll share some insider knowledge from Abavideonews on how to help you avoid these mistakes and get your startup funded.
You might not know just by looking at them, but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes when it comes to seed investing than many people realize. Successful entrepreneurs are able to learn from prior failures, and the companies that they’ve funded have some very interesting stories behind them. These tales can often serve as a window into what mistakes to avoid when you’re meeting with potential funders.
Here are the top 10 reasons why your startup didn’t get funded. Learn from these examples, and make sure that this doesn’t happen to you!
1. Your pitch just didn’t catch their attention
Investors don’t have time to look at every single pitch that they receive, so your idea has got to really stand out if you want them to take notice and invest in your company. It’s important to remember that you’re competing with a lot of other businesses for the attention of an investor, and if you don’t captivate them immediately, the odds are that your pitch will be forgotten, and they’ll move on to your competitor.
2. Your product is too similar to something else that they’ve already funded
If you’ve got a great idea for a product or service, it’s always going to attract the interest of an investor. However, if you can’t differentiate yourself from the competition in your specific market segment well enough, then the investor is still likely to feel like they’ve seen this product before in your competitors’ offerings. If your product is too similar to something that’s already been funded before, this can be a major setback for your company.
3. You’re asking for too much money
It’s important to understand the market opportunity that you’re trying to take advantage of and make sure that you’re asking for enough money to fund it so that you don’t end up taking on too much risk. If you’re not confident in your own ability to make sales progress, then aim for a budget that will allow you to be profitable as soon as possible.
4. Your pitch didn’t give them enough information
There are a lot of important details about your company and your plan that you will need to share with your potential investor. It’s always best to leave out only the things that are absolutely necessary, but it can still be difficult for some founders to do this. If this happens when you’re in the midst of pitching your company, then it might be difficult for you to come up with a suitable response and get back on track with your presentation.
5. You haven’t asked the right questions
You don’t want investors to just give you money on a whim. You also want to make sure that they’re committed to producing a serious return on their investment. But you won’t be in a position to ask the right questions if you don’t have enough knowledge of the market and industry that you’re trying to break into. Make sure that you do your research beforehand, so that you can develop a strong sense of what your specific funding needs are likely going to be, as well as how much funding would allow you to get the job done.
6. The competition is too great
If somebody is able to do something faster, cheaper and better than what your business can offer, then there’s no way around the fact that this person holds an unfair advantage over your business in the marketplace. If you’ve got a competitor that’s able to offer a better product at a lower price, then you’ll have a lot of difficulty trying to persuade an investor that your company is going to be able to compete with them, especially in the short-term.
7. You haven’t got enough traction
Another key aspect of convincing an investor that you’re worth investing in is your ability to show them that there’s already demand for your product or service, and that there will likely be more demand in the future. You can start by getting some beta users for your product or service and see how well they like using it before determining how much funding you need.
8. You don’t have enough experience
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone that you’re going to need to be able to demonstrate some level of expertise in the field that you want to enter. If you’ve got a lot of experience in a related field, then this will definitely help your case with investors. But if your skills aren’t directly relevant, then it can be difficult to establish credibility with potential funders.
9. Your idea doesn’t solve a problem in the market
The product or service that you’re trying to sell needs to solve a problem for people or businesses (or both). It’s important that you’re able to show investors that there is a high demand for the product or service that you’re trying to offer, so that they are willing to fund your venture. If there isn’t a large enough need in your market, then it can be difficult for potential funders to see the value of your idea and/or see the profit margins that will be possible for them.
10. You rushed the pitch
Many times, entrepreneurs skip over fine details in their pitches at the last minute, because they’re worried about time constraints or are just too eager to get funding. It’s important that you take some time to consider every aspect of your presentation and plan before meeting with potential funders.
