Product Description

Launching a new business requires investment capital, but raising it is often seen as a hit-or-miss process. Written by a successful international venture capitalist, Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur offers valuable insight into the thought processes of professional investors. It reveals how venture capitalists structure financing for a company, what they look for in a business plan, how they value a business, and how they structure terms.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115821 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From the Back Cover

Obtain Funding from Venture Capitalists at the Best Terms Possible

Authoritative and comprehensive, Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur is an all-in-one sourcebook for entrepreneurs seeking venture capital from investors. This expert resource contains an unsurpassed analysis of the venture capital process, together with the guidance and strategies you need to make the best possible deal_and ensure the success of your business.

Written by a leading international venture capitalist and filled with case studies, charts, and exercises, Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur explains:

• How to develop a multistage financing map
• How to determine the amount of capital to raise and what to spend it on
• How to devise a business plan that entices investors
• How to spot the true meaning of terms in a term sheet
• How to negotiate the terms line-by-line
• How to split the rewards between founders and investors
• How to allocate control and align interests between founders/management and investors

About the Author

Dermot Berkery is a general partner with Delta Partners, a leading European venture capital company that invests in Ireland and the United Kingdom. He has led investments in early-stage companies in sectors such as software, electronics, mobile services, medical components, and security equipment. Mr. Berkery was formerly a Senior Manager with McKinsey & Co., where he served clients across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia, focusing mainly on financial services and energy. He also lectures on entrepreneurial finance at the MBA program at University College Dublin.

Customer Reviews

Trying to raise VC Funding?.....Your Survival Handbook has arrived!!!
Okay, first up, to state my allegiances, I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I'm an aspiring entrepreneur, holed up in an incubator center, I think I know my technology, my market and my cash flows, but I've been getting the hot flushes at the prospect of entering the arcane world of VC.
Will I do something dumb and give away my company to some VC who's smarter than me, will I ever raise money, how do I get impartial advice (in the VC world where everyone seems to have a vested interest).....

What I like about this book is that it gives a structured, and methodical roadmap, it's not burdened down by jargon, and I'm actually able to follow the approach and take real actions based on the guidance Berkery gives.
I've been able to set out the stepping stones for my company, and yes, we're starting to hit them.
I went back over our business plan having read the book, and made a few "minor adjustments", particularly based on the risk dynamics discussed in the book.

Clearly, this guy has been around the block in the VC world, and he's been pretty good about sharing the insider info with us.

Will we raise funding after following the advice in the book? Dunno, but I definitely feel like I'm in control of our process now, and am better armed to face the VC dragon.
I've been boring the other guys in the incubator alongside me about this book, they've pretty much all now got a copy and have been converted into Berkery disciples

Okay, that's the good bit, what's there not to like about the book?
Not a whole lot to tell the truth.

The title is a bit geeky, don't let it put you off.
........and, that picture of the author just gives me the shivers!!
He looks just like the type of guy who'd mercilessly take you apart each and every month over not hitting your targets!!!

The best book on VC funding out there
People will give you a lot of advice if you are about to seek Venture Capital financing - friends, fellow entrepreneurs and business school faculty. But if you are serious about raising finance to get your entrepreneurial venture off the ground, you must read this book first.

Not only is it exceptionally well written, but with supporting case studies it puts across all the terminology and financial wizardry in a way which you can easiy apply to your own situation. Structuring your growth path, how to make your business an appealing investor proposition, and how not to fall foul of the detailed terms - as the title suggests this is the VC fundraising book for the Serious Entrepreneur.

Essential
If you are looking to raise capital via venture funding... this is an essential pre-read.

Different information contained compared to most other books of this type and so I found it a fresh view.

Excellent!