Originally Posted by
adrianh
There are a number of things that I have learned about investors:
1. They want to get back a lot more than they put in - otherwise they may as well leave their money in the bank.
2. You have to put your money where your mouth is - they will not invest in your idea unless you are willing to go balls to the wall yourself - You will have to put everything on the line yourself too (house, car and whatever else you have).
3. They will not fund your lifestyle - they are there to invest in a product, not you salary, car, and holiday.
4. They will give you just enough money as it is needed to keep you hungry for more.
5. They primarily invest in people and not ideas. The reason being that the right person will be able to relentlessly drive viable ideas but the wrong person will simply not be able to drive any idea.
6. They look for passion, drive, industry knowledge, a willingness to learn but also a willingness to work hand in hand with the investor.
...and after all of that you still need to be sure that your investor doesn't leave you out in the cold once the product starts making money. Nikola Tesla died pennyless yet the entire world relies on his inventions every second of every day. Yet Westinghouse, Edison and Marconi did very well riding on his coattails.
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