Facts That Make Amusement Parks In India A Huge Investment Market

Merger Alpha

These days, the weekends seem to be much-more fun-filled for the Indians as there are numerous amusement parks in India located across all the major cities offering one-stop destinations for food, fun and entertainment.

The amusement parks industry in India, mainly driven by the retail sector and the enhanced connectivity, has become a great investment option for both domestic and foreign investors. In November 2014, the UK-based Eros Investments Limited has expressed its interest in the amusement industry in the state of Andhra Pradesh currently governed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The company has already signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a mega entertainment city in India near Vizag.

If we compare it with that of US and UK, the amusements parks industry in India is quite new although it has already completed two decades. However, the industry has mainly bloomed during the last decade owing to the advent of globalization. Currently, the sector is witnessing fast-paced development with more number of amusement parks in India flowering across various cities.

Some of the best amusement parks in India include Wonderla (Bangalore), Adventure Island (Delhi), Essel World (Mumbai), Veegaland (Kochi), Ocean Park (Hyderabad), Nicco Park (Kolkata), Food and Fun Village (Delhi), Worlds Of Wonder (Noida) and many more located in Chennai, Kannur and other cities.

Something that has given a significant push to the development of amusement parks in India is the improved connectivity and transportation facility. Infrastructural developments across the major cities are bringing people closer to the entertainment hubs.

A prominent example is the development of the Delhi Noida Metro line that has brought the amusement parks in both the cities so much nearer. Be it the Worlds of Wonder in Noida or the Adventure Island in Delhi, reaching out to these places have become easier now leading to increased affinity among people for such places. Further, the development of Expressways have also reduced the travel time drastically and brought distant places closer.

Currently, there are nearly 120 amusement parks in India and 45 family entertainment hubs which is a quite an insufficient number for a country with a population of over 1.15 billion. However, this is a clear indication that there is huge growth potential in the amusement and theme parks sector in India. Among the various recreational facilities and amenities at the amusement parks in India, there are thrilling roller coasters, theme parks, theatres, giant wheels, fun-filled food joints and family restaurants and various other entertainment options.

The biggest demand drivers for the amusement park industry in India are the emerging middle class, increased disposable income, lifestyle and culture change and most importantly, the increased craze among people for a fun and leisure-filled lifestyle. Spending weekends at the amusement parks is becoming an increasingly popular practice among people and according to market experts, there are many more entertainment hubs to come up in the next few years and by 2020, the amusement parks in India is expected to be an industry worth Rs 10,000 crores.

So it is quite evident why investors from across the globe are increasingly getting attracted towards the industry. For more information on amusement parks in India, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/.

A Few Tips Before You Sell Or Finance Companies

Sell or Finance Companies

The other day, a first-time entrepreneur asked me excitedly: “when should I actually plan about selling my company”? Though for a newly-started venture, it is quiet a distant dream but the fact is, you should start planning for the day right from Day 1 of your business. Whether you sell or finance companies is all up to you but it is very important to prepare your business for that moment right from the beginning.

Here are a few tips that you should follow if you are planning to sell or finance companies in the near future:

Place Your Financial Statements In Order

Financial statements very strongly project your company’s future performance. These are really helpful for a buyer to evaluate the future prospects of the business before buying it. Try getting it prepared or verified by a professional accountant so that should give your business more credibility. Even your investors would love to see a great combination of a unique business plan and well-kept financial statements.

Keep Your Business Growing

The best time to sell or finance companies is when they are at the peak. So try to grow your business with an aim to make it attractive enough in front of your potential buyers or investors. The venture capitalist usually prefer to invest in the growth stage businesses and even buyers give more credibility if you can show more sales and return prospects.

Determine The value of Your Business

When it comes to valuing your business for sale, both tangible and intangible assets combine together to help you come to a conclusion. The intangible assets such as your employees, skills and knowledge, customer relations and other things play a key role in determining the company’s actual worth.

There are broadly three different approaches to determine the value of a business: Asset-based Approach, Income Approach and the Market Approach. Being an entrepreneur, if you feel that your investment capital is inadequate, it becomes all the more important to evaluate the true value of your business. This showcases all the strengths and weaknesses of your business and helps you to work on the negative issues as soon as possible. 

Try To Maximize Your value

Now this is very closely related to the above point. The more you maximize the value of your business, the easier it will be to find a potential investor or buyer and it is possible only when you do a proper business valuation. How to maximize your business value? Typically, those companies that focus on their core competencies rather than moving to different directions are far more reliable than those who do just the opposite. Identify the exact mission, vision and future objectives of your company and do not let your focus deviate from them. Also, try to reduce the customer concentration before a sale. Usually, a buyer prefers to invest in a company where a small number of customers generate a large part of the company’s revenue. 

Identify Your Potential Buyer

When it comes to identifying the right buyer for your business, you have to think much more than just the ‘pricing’. Your buyer can be anyone, your rivals, employees, customers or even your friends and relatives and everyone may approach you with different objectives based on which you will have to pitch your business to them. You also have to ensure that your buyer is financially efficient enough to invest in the business. You can hire a broker or an investment banker to verify your buyers which they will do by reviewing the buyer’s equity, fund-strength, source of fund and his/her legal credibility..

If the deal is among family members or friends and relatives, you may not need any agent but if the buyer is from some other section, you may consider hiring a professional to carry out the deal. 

Think About Management Succession Before You Leave

Make sure the business is able to run on its own even when you have left the company. In case you are the sole master in every single department, how will the buyer run the company once you leave? Before you leave, train the person next to you in the company whom the buyer can rely on after you. You must delegate key responsibilities, especially in departments connected to customer relations and revenues. The buyer will always ensure that the business runs successfully even without you so try to take it to that position.

Conclusion

Try to remember all the above points before you plan to sellor finance companies in future. Your newly-started business will give you enough time and opportunity to work on these aspects. If you really have a unique business plan with a sizable and scalable market on target and a highly efficient management team, it won’t be that tough to find the right buyer or investor.

Also, there’s a better way to get easy access to your potential buyers and investors without wasting much time. Try to become a member of an intelligent network like Merger Alpha. It’s a common platform that brings together buyers, sellers, investors and financial advisors of the startup ecosystem. If you want to know more about this community, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/.

Good Luck!

Looking For Tools To Raise Capital? Here Are Some Tips To Remember

Tools to Raise Capital

As a first-time entrepreneur, you must have been rushing from one end to another desperately to raise capital for your startup.

It isn’t so easy indeed. But it’s not impossible too provided you can identify your most suitable tools to raise capital.

You have to understand your business properly before you approach an investor. The current status of your business is the biggest factor to determine which investor you need to approach.

·         If you are entrepreneur with a unique business plan only with no milestones achieved yet, your friends, family and the angels can be your most suitable investors.

·         If you are an entrepreneur with a prototype or a group of beta customers, you can approach the early stage venture capitalists.

·         If you have a proven product/service, a smart and efficient team and a group of trusted customers, you can approach the later stage venture capitalists.

·         If you have achieved the position where you have a sustainable revenue growth and you are expecting profits in the next 1 year, then the public markets can be a suitable tool to raise capital.

In any case, there’s nothing like being able to finance your business with your personal savings. If you can contribute at least 10 to 25% or even better if 50% from your personal savings, you will be in a much better position while sitting in front of the investors.

One of the most important tools to raise capital, that can give the biggest boost to your capital raising effort, is a successful pitch. Try to have your pitch ready at all cost and make sure you summarize everything so that the message you convey is swift, interesting, engaging and time-saving.

Whatever tools you have in your arsenal to raise capital, make sure you use it actively; no need to wait for the investors to ask for it, just come up with it and show it to the investors. These things are essential to make the investor realize how much you are prepared and devoted to raising capital for your startup.

There is another tools to raise capital that can indirectly help you in your fund-raising campaign. It is nothing but an intelligent network that you must become a part of. Becoming a member of such a network will bring you close to your potential investors or buyers, sellers and financial advisors of the startup eco-system. It will not only save your time but will also enable you to increase your contacts and build new business strategies and most importantly, approach only the right investors (i.e. those who are interested in the sector you are dealing with).

Merger Alpha is also an intelligent networking operating in Singapore serving as a common platform for buyers, sellers and investors to acquire, sell or finance private companies.

To know more on tools to raise capital or you feel interested to become a part of this community, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/.

Happy capital raising!

A Few Tips For Startups Planning For Venture Capital Raising In Singapore

Capital Raising in Singapore

Of late, capital raising in Singapore has become the primary target of most of the Asian startups. With the government facilitating the entry of more and more VCs in the city-state, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is getting delighted with the increased scope of venture capital raising in Singapore. However, in our excitement, we often end up making some minor or sometimes even major mistakes that ruins all the effort we put into fundraising. 

Here are a few tips that you should remember whenever you are planning to raise venture capital for your startup. 

Tips For Capital Raising In Singapore 

Chase The Investor, Not The Firm

The most important rule while seeking venture capital is to chase the investor and not the firm. Rather than chasing the VC firm as a whole, it is advisable to target specific investors who seem to be interested in your industry. The best way is to interact with other startup CEOs who have recently closed their fund raising campaign as they can best give you an idea of the actual state of the investors. Which investor is currently active, who is broke or who is showing interest in your industry can be known from the new CEOs. Sharing such information between entrepreneurs is quite healthy as it not only increases your contacts but also introduces you to people who can introduce you to the right venture capitalists. 

Try To Grab The VC’s Attention

Venture capital industry in Singapore is quite new, so the VCs are also equally interested in knowing about the new startups in the market. At this point of time, if you can cultivate a genuine and thoughtful communication with a suitable investor, it is quite possible that your effort will pay you back.

Once you have enlisted a few names of potential investors, start following them on their social networks like Facebook, Twitter and others. Become a regular reader of their latest posts and leave a thoughtful comment whenever possible. This is definitely not a one day gesture but you should do this on a regular basis. However, make sure that you do not end up doing anything in excess. Your comments or praise should be realistic enough to help you grab the type of attention you are looking for.

Get A Genuine Referral

When it comes to seeking referrals to the VC, you will find many professional service providers. The strategy, however, is not as effective as getting a referral from a member who is either very familiar to the VC or has no professional motive, i.e. one who has nothing to gain from your achievement.

Usually, the CEOs of the VC’s portfolio companies work as the best referrals but for this you might need the VC to introduce you to their portfolio companies. And in case, it doesn’t work, you can directly approach their portfolio start-ups and discuss your plan of seeking venture capital. If you can form a sound relationship with the executive of the portfolio company, they will happily introduce you to the VC with best of their efforts.

Convince The VC For Investment

The first meeting with the VC is more of a make or break situation. Your attitude, your words, your team, everything will combine together to set the mood of the VC for investment. Never try to ask about the money in your first meeting. Let the VC know your business plan, for which you have to prepare a convincing pitch to be read in front of the VC. If you really have a unique business plan, it will never go unnoticed. Start with discussing your business with the VC and they will automatically come to a conclusion whether or not to invest in your business. It is very important to target the right investor right from the beginning. Often things end up abruptly due to lack of relevance of business to the investment focus of the VC. Something that can give significant credibility to your business is your personal savings as the first source of funding. If you can contribute 10-25% from your personal savings, the VCs will gain confident more easily. However, if you are not are in a position to self-finance, you can directly talk about capital raising to the investor.

Conclusion

There are many networks in Singapore that connect entrepreneurs to suitable venture capital firms in Singapore or angel investors. Such networks drastically reduce the time required to find the right VC and also serve as a knowledge platform for startups owing to the presence of financial and management advisors of the startup ecosystem of Southeast Asia. Some of the popular networks include Merger Alpha, BANSEA, SVCA and others. Try to become a part of such a network and save your valuable time and money while venture capital raising in Singapore. For more information on capital raising in Singapore, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/.

A List Of Firms You Can Chase For Raising Venture Capital In Singapore

Raising Venture Capital In Singapore
The fast-growing venture capital industry in Singapore has opened ample opportunities for the Southeast Asian startups. Asia was always a powerhouse of talents who were waiting for the right opportunity to turn their unique ideas into reality. The biggest requirement was the capital they needed to grow their startups and with the entry of numerous international VC firms, the entrepreneurs are now quite hopeful of seeing their dreams fulfilled.
In case, you are planning to raise venture capital in Singapore, here’s a list of some of the top venture capital firms that are awaiting you provided you have a unique business idea to target a sizable and scalable market and a smart and hardworking management team.

Top Investors Offering Venture Capital In Singapore
•    Adam Street Partners – Invests in - Software, enterprise software and Biotechnology.
•    Ardent Capital – Invests in - Technology, Transactional Commerce and Advertising.
•    Carlyle Group – Invests in - Real Assets, and Corporate and Private Equity.
•    Digital Media Partner – Invests in - Digital Market and Consumer Internet.
•    Extream Ventures – Invests in - Internet, Security, Biometrics and Semiconductor.
•    Fenox Venture Capital – Invests in - Technology.
•    Flag Capital – Invests in - Energy Resources and Real Estate.
•    Golden Gate Ventures – Invests in - Technology, Mobile, Online Business, Finance, etc.
•    Gree Ventures – Invests in - Technology and Online Business.
•    Gobi Partners – Invests in - Digital Media, Digital technology.
•    GGV Capital – Invest in - Healthcare, Infrastructure, Consumer products and services.
•    Innosight Ventures – Invests in - Internet Marketing, Mobile Application Development, Mobile Gaming, IT Security, etc.
•    Intel Capital – Invests in - Digital Media and Entertainment, Software Services, Computing, Mobile, Consumer Internet, Manufacturing Industry.
•    JAFCO Asia – Invests in - Technology.
•    JFDI.Asia – Invests in - Technology.
•    Mclean Watson Capital – Invests in - Technology, IT, Software Services, Telecommunications and Energy.
•    Singtel Innov8 – Invests in - Digital Content Services, Customer Service Enhancers, Next Generation Devices, Network Capabilities, etc.
•    SEAVI Advent – Invests in - technology, healthcare, energy, etc.
•    TNF Ventures – Invests in - Telecommunications, Technology, Medical, Eco-friendly Products/Services, Media, etc.
•    Upstream Ventures – Invests in - IT, Internet, Software Services, Security, Biometrics, IDM and Semiconductors.
•    Welden International – Invests in - IT and Software, Internet/Digital marketing, Cleantech, Semiconductors, and emerging technologies.

Conclusion
Getting access to Venture Capital in Singapore is no more a distant dream; all you need is a sound business plan. Also make sure you target the right investors and not waste time chasing the one is not interested in the industry you are dealing with. The above list also covers the sector preference of the investors so that you find it easier to recognize your suitable investor.
For more information on venture capital in Singapore, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/

Why Should You Invest In Gold Mining Stocks?

The best piece of advice I can ever give you is to diversify your portfolio by investing in commodities which may include a variety of raw materials like gold, silver, copper, any other metal or maybe even a crop. Among all these commodities, gold has so far proved itself as the safest haven for investors, especially during any economic crisis. So, if you are planning to invest in gold, I do appreciate your decision.

If you are planning to invest in gold, it means you are looking forward to a long-term investment which is wise. Now, there are various ways you can invest in gold. You can choose to buy physical gold no matter what shape and size, coins or bars, just anything.

To make it large, you can even buy a gold mining company. This means, you are the owner and therefore, responsible for the success or failure of your company as you are directly involved in the management team. However, that might be little stressful. Isn’t it?

Worry not, as there is another golden investment strategy.  You can buy a share of ownership in a gold mining company. By buying a stock, you simply own a percentage share of the overall profit made by the company and don’t need to bear any headache regarding its management.  So basically, you simply invest and then wait for the right time to reap the benefits and there is no additional tension.

The third option has become quite popular and is increasingly motivating the investors to mine gold and ensure a good return in future as this precious metal witnesses rapid capital appreciation and is less volatile compared to other investment options even when the market is tensed.

With more and more investors turning to mine gold, the entrepreneurs dealing with the business are getting more scope to start and expand their gold mining ventures. You can also invest in a newly started mining venture to provide it with the initial operational costs. Not a bad strategy of course!

However, any investment requires a lot of research and networking. Do not forget to keep a close watch on the market and simultaneously keep expanding your network so that you can easily reach out to that suitable investment options you have been eagerly waiting for.

For better assistance, you can also consider becoming a part of an intelligent network such as Merger Alpha http://mergeralpha.com/ that brings together buyers, seller, investors and financial advisors under a single roof so that each section can fulfill its requirement and earn profits.

Good Luck!

And, feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment box.

Options For Capital Raising In Singapore

The Southeast Asian startup market is getting bigger with government encouraging more and more private investors by offering them timely tax incentives. Today, the Southeast Asian nations are home to some of the most renowned private equity investors, angel investors and venture capitalists. Especially, Singapore tops the chart when it comes to a comparison between the startup ecosystems of the Southeast Asian nations.

The ease of Capital Raising in Singapore has lead to the growth of many new startups and entrepreneurs are now more confident about establishing new ventures in the country. When it comes to private equity financing, there are mainly three options in Singapore: angel investors, venture capitalists and private funds.

Angel investors are basically wealthy individuals who prefer to invest their money in high-potential and risky startups and enable them to stand as an established company in the market. They usually prefer to invest in the early stage ventures and share a percentage of ownership in the investee company. Their main motto is to support startups with great market potential and lead them to a successful position.

To fulfill this objective, the angel investors also share their knowledge and offer guidance and mentorship to the startups apart from funding just to make sure that the companies get an all round support to reach to a profitable position. Today, the angel investors are considered the best option for early-stage capital raising in Singapore.

Next is venture capital financing – a startup funding method that is already creating a buzz in the Singapore startup ecosystem. Venture capitalists are professional investors who pool money from wealthy individuals and invest it in various sectors like technology, software, energy, etc. – technology and innovation being the biggest attraction.

Venture capitalists are the most powerful and toughest of all investors as it is extremely challenging to convince a VC firm to invest in a startup. An entrepreneur has to do a great deal of planning before approaching a venture capitalist. These investors typically prefer to invest at a later stage when the startup has already raised funds and taken the company to a considerably higher level. However, they also choose to invest in a seed-stage startup provided it has a high growth-potential with a sizable and scalable market.

The main motto of the Venture capitalists is to earn huge profits and to ensure that, they even offer many value-added services to the ventures such as guidance and mentorships, exit facilities, networks etc. Unlike banks, the VCs do not expect an instant repayment; rather they wait for a period of 3 to 8 years to receive their share of profit which is much higher than the interest-included repayments in the case of bank loans. Typically, their expected rate of return is more than 25% for per year’s investment.

To successfully attract a venture capitalist, an entrepreneur needs to have a great business product/service, a planned investment proposal, a sizeable market, a strong value proposition and a smart, experienced and organized management team.

Unlike, the angel investors or the venture capitalists, the private equity industry is quite different. The private equity funds are typically run by financial institutions, banks or investment firms and they prefer to invest in companies that are already operational and exhibiting high growth potential. They restrict their offering only to financing and there is no knowledge sharing or mentorship involved in it.

The different types of private funds include independent funds, corporate funds and institutional funds. Based on their requirements, stage, level and sector, the entrepreneurs can choose the one method that is most suitable for their business.

For more information on capital raising in Singapore, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/

Product Offering of Merger Alpha

Capital & Network – The Biggest Requirements for a Startup

OK, I do realize the excitement of starting a new business and also the phase we all go through in figuring out the most suitable source of startup funding. But unless you have a strong network, finding a suitable funding source will be next to impossible.

If you have a huge amount of personal savings, it might help you in the initial rounds of financing but a stage will come when you will need a professional investor to indulge into your business to help it grow and expand.

So, how about having a platform that can help you take a leap and get hold of a suitable investor for your startup?

Visit the Merger Alpha team - a company based in Singapore targeting the fast-growing Asian market. Merger Alpha is dedicatedly working towards encouraging entrepreneurship in Asia and to fulfill this objective, the company offers an innovative & international platform to bring together entrepreneurs, investors and financial advisors.

How Merger Alpha Can Help Your Business?

To know how Merger Alpha can help you turn your newly-started business into a well-established one, you have to first go through the product offerings of the company. Here’s a list of the products/services offered by Merger Alpha.

·         Develop Your Business
you will get access to a common platform which will bring you close to potential investors and buyers. Naturally, your chances of finding a suitable suitor increases greatly. You don’t have to rove here and there and spend your valuable time and energy in search of an investor or a partner or a buyer. Basically, it’s a one-stop destination meant to fulfill the basic and the most important needs of startups.

·         Raise Fund
You know how tough it is to raise fund for a startup. Convincing the investors, especially the venture capitalists, is as tough as selling fridge to an Eskimo.

The team at Merger Alpha tries to make things easier for the entrepreneurs like you.  They strive to introduce you to the most suitable investors around the world, i.e. those investors who are interested in the industry you are dealing with.

Until you get in touch with the right investor, you will simple keep scratching your head thinking why you are not able to raise fund for your startup. By being a member of an intelligent network like Merger Alpha, you will easily get one step closer to your goal.

·         Joint ventures and Partnerships
You will easily find a suitable partnership company and increase your revenue and profitability. This will ensure that your start-cost is much lower and you have enough capital to grow your business.  You can partner with local or cross border companies who are also in search of companies like yours.

Through the network, it will be much easier for you to expand your network, your market, products and customer base. In short, your revenues will increase very soon.

·         Stealth Campaigns
While you are looking for a suitable investor for your startup, you can explore various companies, get to know the investors, their choices and portfolios companies, and also do the valuation based on that which will be kept purely confidential.

You will be provided a dashboard through which you can manage your interactions with other members of the network in a completely secure environment.

Conclusion

For entrepreneurs, there is nothing like getting quick access to a suitable investor and see their business reach new heights. If you have a newly-started business and you are still struggling to receive startup funding which is enough to push your company, you can take a chance by being a member of this intelligent network called Merger alpha.

For further information on the network, feel free to visit http://mergeralpha.com/