Departments
Where entrepreneurs and investors meet
By Matt McClellan
Smart Business Cleveland | June 2008
Despite the downturn in
the economy, entrepreneurs are continuing to pursue their ventures and
start new businesses. But one
large challenge for small
businesses and entrepreneurs remains the same —
raising money.
The U.S. Small Business
Administration reports that
inadequate financing is the
second-most-common reason
that businesses fail, exceeded only by poor management.
To combat that, serial entrepreneur Richard Singer, CEO
of RaiseCapital.com Inc., is
working toward a solution.
RaiseCapital.com is a free online community that
offers entrepreneurs with
start-up or existing businesses a place to display their
ideas and capital needs to a
vast array of investors, creating a matchmaking site for
investors and entrepreneurs.
Businesses participating in
the site are as diverse as the
amount of funding they seek:
Ventures from a small, local
pizzeria seeking $10,000 to
technology companies seeking millions have visited the
site in an attempt to raise
money.
Singer says that he knows
firsthand how hard it is to
raise money.
“Many people with great ideas simply don’t have
access to money, and this
site is the first of its kind
that allows business owners
to find capital and investors
to find great ideas online,”
he says.
Additionally, RaiseCapital.com
provides entrepreneurs with
a unique URL for their business, which makes it easier
to keep track of your profile
and which can also be a
helpful marketing tool. Each
member of the RaiseCapital
community can market its
venture to investors using
text descriptions, pictures
and even streaming video.
The site also features a blog
to keep potential investors
updated on the latest news as
well as a tracking system that
counts the number of people
viewing the entrepreneur’s
business opportunity.
And because many entrepreneurs seeking capital
never get to first base
because their overall presentation fails to capture the
interest of a potential
investor, RaiseCapital.com
has also outlined the ways to
make your presentation more
attractive to investors.
HOW TO REACH: RaiseCapital.com Inc., www.RaiseCapital.com
