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Article:
Finance Your Small Business: So Much Money ' So Little Time by: MaryAnn Shank $37.4 million funded from venture capital today. $86.4 million funded yesterday. $51.4 million funded the day before. These numbers are not made up. They are actual numbers from actual reported venture capital funding. I get these notices emailed to me day after day, rain or shine. I'm not personally looking for business financing ' but the entrepreneurs who read my website are. These numbers are a constant reminder to me that companies ' lots of companies ' are getting funded every day. And these numbers just reflect the reported venture capital funding. There is probably double that amount from angel investment and unreported fundings, and millions more from the $16 billion pool that SBA has this year. All in all, it's a lot of money. That's a lot of companies and banks and groups and individuals actively investing in small business. So how come you're still looking for financing? Perhaps you aren't presenting your company effectively. Or perhaps you haven't located the right lender. It's also possible that your concept just isn't very good, but I doubt that. The fact that you are reading this article means you are a serious entrepreneur, with a serious business. So where do you go to find all these investors? Here are some starting points: For standard business financing, talk with the local office of the Small Business Administration. It's a new agency, with new programs and services, and lots of money to lend. Although much of the focus of the SBA is on minority business enterprises, the SBA still has a lot to offer non-minority companies. Also talk with your local banks. (That was plural 'banks', not 'bank'.) Talking with a number of local bankers will rapidly bring into focus the wide ranging priorities of the various banks, and where your company fit in. As for venture capital and angel investors, there are several options. One option is to go to online sources. There are a number of online services, such as VFinance, that sell the names and addresses of possible investors. It's not expensive, perhaps $2-5 per name. The idea is that once you get the list of 200 or '2
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