Fundraising - An overview
During the early stages of a startup, the management team may not be fully formed; products in the developmental phase or testing phase; patents may not have been granted and even the websites may be in the designing stage. In such cases, the entrepreneurs will usually start to seek startup funding through Accelerators, Angels and Venture Capitalists to grow their business. Startup funding covers incorporation, website designing and so on according to the needs. Securing capital investment which is also called fundraising could be a significant turning point for an entrepreneur. bigvakil will help you discover various startup fundraising ideas. Fundraising online and fundraising offline can fetch you more money depending on the fundraising ideas.
Fundraising stages of a startup
Fundraising happens in multiple stages:
Seed round or (commonly called seed funding): As the name suggests, the company gets “seeded” with the initial funds to conceptualize the business idea and to bring it to the market. At this stage, the business may not even have working prototypes set and could still be working towards developing the product.
Series A: Once the company develops the product or service and begins to gain traction, it starts looking out to venture capitalists for the next round of funding, to aid in its early stage of growth.
Series B: By this time, the business would have established a working business model and gained some credibility in the industry. Now, with the potential to grow further, additional capital would be required to expand operations and reach more customers.
Series C: This round of funding happens when the company has proved its mettle in the industry and is on the lookout for expansion of the customer base in new markets, targeting acquisitions, and looking at innovation on other types of products. This may also be the last stage in a company’s growth cycle after which it might go for an Initial Public Offer (IPO).
How bigvakil helps?
bigvakil helps ambitious entrepreneurs and early-stage companies with best-in-class fundraising service to scale up their business. Our experts can be instrumental in getting your business off the ground.
We have partnered with some of the leading, prominent Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in the Indian start-up ecosystem to better facilitate deal closure for you. We provide you with various online business fundraising ideas which can help you to develop your business in an efficient way.
After taking into account the stage and sector of your business funding, we connect you to investors who are the right fit for your company and also follow up with them moving forward.
We assist you with:
Mentorship
You will be mentored by entrepreneurs who have achieved stellar results with funding rounds. They work with you in enhancing your pitching skills and you will get:
- Specially curated content on how to approach fundraising
- Assistance from financial experts and Chartered Accountants in arriving at projections, valuing your company, understanding your financials, financial planning, etc
- Guidance from legal experts - we'll help you understand investment terminology, term sheet negotiation, your rights and obligations, and so on
- Dedicated compliance team - we also ensure that your compliances are in place by conducting free basic diligence
Investment Pitch Deck
Pitch Deck is essentially a brief presentation that provides investors information about your business model, products/services, monetization strategy, and your company’s market position. Most Venture Capitalists, private equity firms, banks and other financial institutions demand a business plan before further process. It needs to be visually attractive with minimal text and at the same time self-explanatory, effectively communicating your business’ potential.
Some of the components that go into a well-designed business funding plan (or pitch deck) are:
Elevator Pitch - A brief paragraph on the problem you are trying to solve.
Solution - The answer to the problem you are trying to solve.
Market Analysis - Insights into the market and a dense analysis of the competition.
USP - Evidence that your business differs from other businesses and why it will succeed.
Business Model - Where you believe you add value and what customers will end up paying for.
Go-to-market strategy - How you reach customers and convince them. How, over time, this strategy will evolve.
Current Traction - What has already been achieved by the business?
Founding Team - Background on each founding member and other key players.
Vakilsearch has tied up with some of the most experienced investment professionals to craft your business plan so that you can succinctly convey the potential of your business to investors.
After finalizing your deck, we will also conduct a free legal diligence to further assess your investment readiness.
INVESTOR CONNECT
Once you're investment ready, we facilitate connections to our network of Investor Partners, who may choose to invest in your business. We match you with the right investors for your sector and space and provide assured responses on a timely basis. To better facilitate deal closure for our clients, we've partnered with the most active and prominent Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists like kStart, The Chennai Angels, Advant Edge, Astarc Ventures, etc. in the Indian start-up ecosystem.
Documents required for Fundraising
In India, Fundraising cannot be done without proper identity and address proof. These documents will be needed for all the directors and the shareholders of the company to be incorporated. Listed below are the documents that are accepted by MCA for the online company registration process acceptable.
Identity And Address Proof
- Scanned copy of PAN Card or Passport (Foreign Nationals & NRIs)
- Scanned copy of Voter’s ID/Passport/Driver’s License
- Scanned copy of the latest bank statement/telephone or mobile bill/electricity or gas bill
- Scanned passport-sized photograph specimen signature (blank document with signature [directors only])
For the foreign nationals, an apostilled or notarized copy of the passport has to be submitted mandatorily. All documents submitted should be valid. The residence proof documents like the bank statement or the electricity bill must be less than 2 months old.
Registered Office Proof
For online company registration in India, the company must have a registered office in India. To prove admittance to the registered office, a recent copy of an electricity bill or the property tax receipt or water bill must be submitted. Along with the rental agreement, utility bill or the sale deed and a letter from the landlord with her/his consent to use the office as a registered office of the company should be submitted.
- Scanned copy of the latest bank statement/telephone or mobile bill/electricity or gas bill
- Scanned copy of Notarized rental agreement in English
- Scanned copy of No-objection certificate from the property owner
- Scanned copy of sale deed/property deed in English (in case of owned property)
Note: Your registered office need not be a commercial space; it can be your residence too.