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Raising Capital

The word amongst entrepreneurs in Canada is that capital is just not available for early stage technology-based businesses, particularly for companies in the agri-food, agri-life sciences and bio-products sectors.  Those that have attended many of the recent venture fairs have heard this message first hand from the venture capital community.

The Incubators from the 1990s are gone. And most venture capital firms have either run out of funds for new investments or have allocated all remaining funds to current portfolio companies. The end result is 43% fewer active venture capital sources in Canada!

So, where does this leave Canadian companies that need first, second or even third rounds of investment capital?

Raising capital is a labour-intensive, all consuming undertaking that few entrepreneurs have had experience and even fewer have had success.  Having your company prepared through comprehensive investment preparation services is critical. But even then, attracting the necessary capital is a major challenge. To be successful one must first know:

Which investment firms like my industry / sector and would be receptive to an investment?
Which investment firms like early stage companies and would be receptive to an investment?
Which investment firms would be receptive to an investment in my geographic location?
Which investment firms actually have capital to invest in new opportunities?
Where do I find angels and how can I attract their investment dollars?
How do I establish a relationship with receptive parties? 
How do I negotiate with investors?

Raising capital is relationship-based business and often requires a guide to get you through the many pitfalls. BioEnterprise has the relationships and the experience to help.  Through BioEnterprise’s Global Network we know which groups are receptive and we can arrange introductions to investors and investment firms in the United States, Canada and Europe. Our network of over 800 international venture capital sources is used to bring the best match of capital and value add to our clients.