Raising Private Capital: A Road Map for Entrepreneurs

Author: Gerry M. Balboni

Start up, development stage, and “expansion stage” companies often need external financing and often face difficulties in obtaining capital. Banks, insurance companies, and other sources of debt and equity capital generally may not make loans or equity investments in these companies, and in almost all cases, the public capital markets are closed to these companies. Nonetheless, these companies can, and in many cases do, obtain capital from sources such as personal funds or credit of the founders and management (including personal credit cards), their relatives, and friends, wealthy individuals with a penchant for investing in development and early stage enterprises, and venture capital funds.