4 Vital Points To Remember For Capital Raising In Singapore

Capital Raising in Singapore

Capital raising in Singapore has become much easier with the entry of large number of venture capital firms from within the city-state and abroad. There are both private and government-backed venture capital firms in Singapore that are together boosting the startup industry with capital and necessary management and financial guidance. If you are currently looking for suitable investors for capital raising in Singapore, below are certain things that you need to be aware of.

Points You Should Always Remember While Capital Raising In Singapore

·         It Is The Investor Who Is Important, Not The Firm

As a first-time entrepreneur, you might not figure out the difference between chasing a firm and chasing an investor; there’s a fine line between the two but the impact is often significant. Each person is different; the person may have his/her own way of thinking and liking, so you never when and how a particular investor gets attracted to your business plan.  Explore your social network through which you might be able to get the person who can introduce you to a suitable investor. Once you find an investor who is interested in your sector, start chasing him/her, but smartly of course.

·         Follow Your Potential Investors Everywhere

It is just where we ended in point number 1, i.e. following the investor. Follow in such a way that you gradually attract them towards you without bothering them much. Remember, the venture capital industry in Singapore is quite new, so the new VC firms are also deliberately looking for investment opportunities. Try to make yourself noticeable at all cost. This is possible if you start following them on social media, follow their blogs and leave your comments and unique ideas whenever and wherever possible. In simple terms, try to be unique while chasing your investors.

·         Utilize Your Personal Savings If Possible

Using your personal savings as your first source of capital can benefit you immensely. If you have sufficient savings and you are confident about the business idea, try to contribute at least 25 to 50 percent from your side. If that’s beyond affordability, try at least 10 percent. This will build confidence in your investors. Venture capital raising in Singapore is still in its nascent stage so try to make the investors feel secure about the investment, or else, there are many who can snatch the opportunity from you.

·         First Impression Is The Last Impression

The first meeting with the investors is, often, a make or break situation. Try to bring the best out of you and make your pitch extremely exciting and appealing. The words you speak should reveal your confidence in the business idea you have come up with. The more confident you are; the easier it will be for them to gain confidence in the idea. But, maintain the distance between confidence and over-confidence as the later has a great potential to ruin your capital raising campaign. Be careful!

Conclusion

Today, there are ample options for capital raising in Singapore such as government funds, angel investors, venture capital firms and private equity funds. All you need is a unique business plan, a sizable market, a sound value proposition, a great management team and then, the ability to identify the right investor.

You can also become a part of an intelligent network like Merger Alpha that can offer you the much-needed platform to showcase you business ideas and get easy access to your potential buyers, sellers and financial advisers. If you find the idea appealing enough, feel free to get in touch with us at Merger Alpha http://www.mergeralpha.com/.

You can also leave your queries in the comment box given below.

Good Luck!

Planning For Capital Raising In Singapore? It’s Tough But Not Impossible

Capital Raising in Singapore

Capital raising in Singapore or any other part of southeast Asia is very different from that in the Silicon valley or rather, we can say it is comparatively much harder in Asia. The reason is the lesser number of venture capital firms and other institutional investors across Asia which makes it quite difficult for entrepreneurs to find a suitable investor for their startup.

However, when it comes to capital raising Singapore in particular, the entrepreneurs have many different options to choose from. Money is there is the market but entrepreneurs need to identify the capital raising option that suits their business perfectly. Once they choose the right path with a unique business plan in mind, finding the right investor is not so tough.

Many entrepreneurs have long tried to chase the VCs in the Silicon Valley but, unfortunately, those investors prefer to invest in ventures that are easily accessible from their offices. Naturally, many have ended up wasting their time in this endeavor and now, have turned their heads towards the local investors in Singapore or the international VC firms that have a base in the city-state.

The Singapore government is currently very active regarding attracting investors in the city-state to boost the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It has launched many initiatives such as cash grants, tax incentives, debt financing and government-aided equity financing schemes to attract venture capitalist from around the world.

Today, there are numerous small and big venture capital firms in Singapore that are eagerly looking for lucrative business ideas to invest in. Some of the top firms include Adam Street Partners, Digital Media Partner, Extream Ventures, JFDI.Asia, JAFCO Group, Singtel Innov8, Intel Capital, Gobi Partners, TNF Ventures, GGV Capital and many others.

Entrepreneurs only need to fulfill all the criteria and arrive in front of the right investor at the right time. For capital raising in Singapore, they can have access to many government-backed or private equity financing options like Angel Investors, venture capital funding and private funds.

Angel investors are typically, wealthy individuals who prefer to invest in high-risk start-ups usually at the early stage. They invest the capital in exchange for a small equity share in the company and their expected ROI is comparatively lesser than that of VCs. They tend to promote the high-potential startups and take them to a position where they can start earning huge revenues and also provide a valuable products/service to the society. Angel investors can either operate individually or as a part of an angel network.

Venture capitalists, on the other hand, are professional investors who typically invest in high growth startups just like the angels but with the difference that the amount of capital they usuallu invest is comparatively much higher than any other investor. Apart from offering capital, these investors also provide the investee company with guidance and mentorship. They also share their contacts with the company so as enable them to expand their networks and learn new business strategies from the management and financial experts.

Then there are the private funds that include banks and financial institutions. Unlike the angels and VCs, these investors do not get involved in the investee company’s management affairs. All they do is, invest and then wait for a good ROI. They usually invest in the ventures that are already established as they do not prefer to take the risk of investing at an early stage.

Now, depending upon their type of business, industry sector, and stage of development, entrepreneurs can choose a suitable investor for capital raising in Singapore. The basic things they need to have before approaching the investors are – a unique business idea, a sizeable and scalable market, a smart and efficient management team, a great business model, a sound value proposition and the right attitude.

If you are also one of the entrepreneurs looking for a suitable investor in the city-state, feel free to visit Merger Alpha http://www.mergeralpha.com/ for more information.

Also, do share your thoughts and experiences regarding capital raising in Singapore in the comment box given below.

Good Luck!

Interesting Tools to raise Capital for Your New Business

Merger Alpha

Tools You Need to raise Capital for Your Startup

Are you planning to raise capital for your newly-started business? Of the various tools to raise capital, below are the most important ones that you should always remember. 

·         Your Business Plan And The Market
A unique business plan and a sizable and scalable market are the most important tools to raise capital. In the absence of these two, chasing an investor would be sheer wastage of time. Make sure you have a brilliant business idea that can set a new trend in the market and instantly grab customers’ attention; that should be something the customers cannot do without. Such ideas are great head-turners for the professional investors, especially the venture capitalists.

·         Business Valuation
To ensure that you value your business correctly in front of the investors, it is very important to determine the value of your business at the very beginning. Business valuation will help you identify the loopholes in your business and rectify them as early as possible so that you can boost the value of your business further. Any professional investor would like to see this aspect while exploring your venture so make sure all your documents are at the right place.

·         The Right Investor
The right investor is also one of the most significant tools to raisecapital as it is only source that can provide you with the capital for your startup. Until you find the right investor, you won’t be able to convince them to bring out the dollar to the table. Now who is the right investor? It is someone who is interested in your industry sector. If yours is a tech startup, try to chase only those investors who are looking to invest in the same sector. To save time, it is best to go through their websites and then approach the investors.

·         Your First Pitch
Your first pitch can be a game changer so play it safe always. A lot of preparation goes into this and then you come up an ultimate product that is no less than a platinum deal; something that the investors won’t be able to resist.  Make it simple, clean, exciting and strong.  You need not make your first pitch tool long and descriptive; just try to say something that can create curiosity within the mind of the investors.

·         A Strong Value Proposition
 Make sure you have a logical answer to the question “why should customers buy your product or service?” Do you have a strong and valid answer to this? If yes, you are a winner.  You have to convince the investors by demonstrating how your business is the only solution to a prevailing issue. You can also back your demonstration with the help of a set of beta customers. Prove to them that you are targeting a sizable market and that your product/service will remain in demand even when your competitors arrive.

Conclusion         

So these are the best tools to raise capital that you can rely on at any given point of time. Raising capital is no cakewalk, you have to do a lot of preparation and planning and the above aspects, if kept in mind, will only make you a stronger entrepreneur than others.

For more information on tools to raise capital, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/.

Venture Capital firms In Singapore That You Must Know

Venture Capital Firms in Singapore

Venture Capital In Singapore

It isn’t surprising if you too are eyeing the venture capital industry in Singapore to raise capital for your startup. Over the last few years, venture capital financing in Singapore has flourished rapidly attracting more and more businesses from across Asia to set up their startups in Singapore.

The government of the city-state is also quite active regarding the development of entrepreneurial world for which it has already started various initiatives to attract the global investors. Currently, there are many private and government-aided venture capital firms operating in Singapore that are keeping a close watch on the market to grab the best possible investment opportunities.

If you have a unique business plan and an efficient management team to execute it, here are some of the top investors in Singapore you can approach to set your business off the ground. 

List Of Venture Capital Firms In Singapore

·         Ardent Capital
- Industry Preference - Technology, Transactional Commerce and Advertising.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments.

·         Carlyle Group
- Industry Preference - Real Assets, and Corporate and Private Equity.
- Stage Of Investment - Early stage, late stage and private equity investments.

·         Digital Media Partner
- Industry Preference - Digital Market and Consumer Internet.
- Stage Of Investment - Growth stage investments.

·         Extream Ventures
- Industry Preference - Internet, Security, Biometrics and Semiconductor.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments

·         Flag Capital
- Industry Preference - Energy Resources and Real Estate.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed stage investment

·         Golden Gate Ventures
- Industry Preference - Technology, Mobile, Online Business, Finance, etc.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments

·         GGV Capital
- Industry Preference - Healthcare, Infrastructure, Consumer products and services.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed stage, early stage and later stage investments.

·         Innosight Ventures
- Industry Preference - Internet Marketing, Mobile Application Development, Mobile Gaming, IT Security, etc.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments.

·         Intel Capital
- Industry Preference - Digital Media and Entertainment, Software Services, Computing, Mobile, Consumer Internet, Manufacturing Industry.
- Stage Of Investment - Merger, acquisitions and equity investments.

·         JFDI.Asia
- Industry Preference – Technology.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed stage, early stage and grant investments.

·         JAFCO Asia
- Industry Preference - Technology.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed stage, early stage and later stage investments.

·         Mclean Watson Capital
- Industry Preference -Technology, IT, Software Services, Telecommunications and Energy.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed, early, mid and later stage investments.

·         Singtel Innov8
- Industry Preference - Digital Content Services, Customer Service Enhancers, Next Generation Devices, Network Capabilities, etc.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments.

·         TNF Ventures
- Industry Preference - Telecommunications, Technology, Medical, Eco-friendly Products/Services, Media, etc.
-  Stage Of Investment - Seed and early stage investments.

·         Upstream Ventures
- Industry Preference - IT, Internet, Software Services, Security, Biometrics, IDM and Semiconductors.
- Stage Of Investment - Early stage investments.

·         Welden International
- Industry Preference - IT and Software, Internet/Digital marketing, Clean tech, Semiconductors, and emerging technologies.
- Stage Of Investment - Seed, early and later stage and private equity investments.

Conclusion

Finding the right venture capital partner can be a time-taking task and you need to have a lot of patience to ultimately find someone who shows interest in your business. However, there’s an even better way to save your valuable time and money and get faster access to suitable investors. Why not become a part of a network that brings together buyers, sellers, investors and advisers and enables them to get in touch with each other more easily? Think about it.

For more information on such an intelligent network or other venture capital firms in Singapore, feel free to visit Merger Alpha http://mergeralpha.com/.