How to Raise Money for Your Company

What Venture Capital Investors Discuss Behind Closed Doors

Benjamin Gordon
The Startup

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Photo by Ruthson Zimmerman on Unsplash

“How do I raise money for my company?”

This is one of the questions I get asked the most frequently. It’s very simple, yet incredibly important.

If you can attract A-list investors to your venture, you may be on your way to building the next unicorn. If you can’t, then you may be at risk of hitting a wall.

Why do I get asked this question so often?

I’ve founded four companies, starting in 1999 with a SaaS logistics company called 3Plex. Since then, I’ve invested in several companies via Cambridge Capital, a private equity firm focused on logistics, supply chain, and technology. And I’ve advised many others, through BG Strategic Advisors, an investment bank for dozens of major companies in the supply chain sector. As a result, I’ve been able to see this issue from multiple perspectives.

As an investor, here are the seven questions I ask:

  1. Are you solving a big problem?
  2. Do you have a unique solution?
  3. Can you show referenceable and repeatable customers?
  4. Do you have a clear growth strategy?
  5. What makes you the right leader?

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Benjamin Gordon
The Startup

Ben Gordon, CEO of Cambridge Capital and BGSA. Investor in logistics and supply chain technology. Published at Fortune and CNBC. http://bengordonpalmbeach.com/