The venture capital world is often intimidating and hard to navigate, even for the most seasoned entrepreneurs. But it doesn’t have to be. Entrepreneurs who run effective fundraising processes don’t do it by accident. With this book, you’ll learn what it takes to successfully raise a round of funding for your company. Author Katherine Hague explains how the venture capital industry works, and walks you through each step necessary to plan, execute, and optimize your own fundraising round. Packed full of exercises, checklists, and templates, this book guides you through the process from start to finish. It’s ideal for entrepreneurs raising later rounds of capital, as well as those just starting out. Gain an understanding of core venture capital concepts and standards Learn how to develop and hone an investor pitch Come away with a plan to hit the fundraising trail for your company Develop the confidence you need to negotiate key terms in a funding deal Understand best practices in fundraising, and learn how to avoid the top 10 fundraising mistakes

From a TechCrunch founder and award-winning strategist comes the most comprehensive guide to the newest fundraising options for today’s entrepreneurs. Fundraising for startups has changed dramatically in the past decade. There was a time when VCs were rock stars and a founder with a big idea and a little drive could raise a few hundred thousand dollars to build a business. But those days are gone. In the aftermath of the Great Recession and a massive drop in tech investments, it’s become harder and harder for founders to raise money. The good news? Today’s entrepreneurs have more options than ever before—with greater opportunities to get the ball rolling, get investors excited, and Get Funded! A comprehensive, cutting-edge guide from tech journalist and entrepreneur John Biggs and communication strategist Eric Villines, Get Funded! will enable you to: Create a solid business plan and a powerful story that investors respond to Explore a wide range of funding options—and find the ones that are right for you Understand valuation and dilution Plan, prepare, and deliver the perfect pitch Raise money through grants, micro-loans, micro-donations, and crowdfunding Take advantage of the latest online resources and financial tools Filled with step-by-step strategies, ready-to-use resources, and on-the-ground insights, this is a must-read for every entrepreneur. Even if you’ve started a business before, you’ll discover a whole new funding landscape with exciting tech-driven models―including crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Patreon, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, IEOs (Initial Exchange Offerings), micro-loans, and micro-donations―as well as more traditional, tried-and-true methods. Beyond a road map to the current world of funding, Get Funded! provides proven strategies for pitching, marketing, bootstrapping, and more. It’s a complete 360-degree tool with easy-to-follow worksheets and online resources that will help you build a sustainable funding strategy that’s right for your business—and crucial to your success. Whether you’re starting a food truck or a biotech startup, Get Funded! has got you covered.

A trillion-dollar industry, the US non-profit sector is one of the world's largest economies. From art museums and university hospitals to think tanks and church charities, over 1.5 million organizations of staggering diversity share the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation, if little else. Many social justice organizations have joined this world, often blunting political goals to satisfy government and foundation mandates. But even as funding shrinks, many activists often find it difficult to imagine movement-building outside the non-profit model. The Revolution Will Not Be Funded gathers essays by radical activists, educators, and non-profit staff from around the globe who critically rethink the long-term consequences of what they call the "non-profit industrial complex." Drawing on their own experiences, the contributors track the history of non-profits and provide strategies to transform and work outside them. Urgent and visionary, The Revolution Will Not Be Funded presents a biting critique of the quietly devastating role the non-profit industrial complex plays in managing dissent. Contributors. Christine E. Ahn, Robert L. Allen, Alisa Bierria, Nicole Burrowes, Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA), William Cordery, Morgan Cousins, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Stephanie Guilloud, Adjoa Florência Jones de Almeida, Tiffany Lethabo King, Paul Kivel, Soniya Munshi, Ewuare Osayande, Amara H. Pérez, Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide, Dylan Rodríguez, Paula X. Rojas, Ana Clarissa Rojas Durazo, Sisters in Action for Power, Andrea Smith, Eric Tang, Madonna Thunder Hawk, Ije Ude, Craig Willse

Who needs investors? More than two generations ago, the venture capital community – VCs, business angels, incubators and others – convinced the entrepreneurial world that writing business plans and raising venture capital constituted the twin centerpieces of entrepreneurial endeavor. They did so for good reasons: the sometimes astonishing returns they've delivered to their investors and the astonishingly large companies that their ecosystem has created. But the vast majority of fast-growing companies never take any venture capital. So where does the money come from to start and grow their companies? From a much more agreeable and hospitable source, their customers. That's exactly what Michael Dell, Bill Gates and Banana Republic's Mel and Patricia Ziegler did to get their companies up and running and turn them into iconic brands. In The Customer Funded Business, best-selling author John Mullins uncovers five novel approaches that scrappy and innovative 21st century entrepreneurs working in companies large and small have ingeniously adapted from their predecessors like Dell, Gates, and the Zieglers: Matchmaker models (Airbnb) Pay-in-advance models (Threadless) Subscription models (TutorVista) Scarcity models (Vente Privee) Service-to-product models (GoViral) Through the captivating stories of these and other inspiring companies from around the world, Mullins brings to life the five models and identifies the questions that angel or other investors will – and should! – ask of entrepreneurs or corporate innovators seeking to apply them. Drawing on in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and investors who have actually put these models to use, Mullins goes on to address the key implementation issues that characterize each of the models: when to apply them, how best to apply them, and the pitfalls to watch out for. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur lacking the start-up capital you need, an early-stage entrepreneur trying to get your cash-starved venture into take-off mode, an intrapreneur seeking funding within an established company, or an angel investor or mentor who supports high-potential ventures, this book offers the most sure-footed path to starting, financing, or growing your venture. John Mullins is the author of The New Business Road Test and, with Randy Komisar, the widely acclaimed Getting to Plan B.

Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community aims to weave together the realms of sociopolitical, historical, and policy contexts in order to assist readers with understanding the base for effective and affirming health and mental health practice with diverse members of the LGBTQ community. Comprised of chapters written by social work academics and their allies -- whose combined knowledge in the field spans decades of direct experience in human behavior, practice, policy, and research -- this book features applicable and useful content for social work students and practitioners across the allied health and mental health professions, as well as across disciplines. The expansive practice text examines international concerns and content associated with the LGBTQ movement and ongoing needs related to health, mental health, policy and advocacy, among other areas of concern. Specific highlights of the chapters include narrative that blends conceptual, theoretical, and empirical content; examination of current trends in the field related to practice considerations and intersectionality; and snapshots of concerns related to international progress and ongoing challenges related to equality and policy. Additionally, as a classroom support for instructors, each chapter has a corresponding power point presentation which includes a resource list pertaining to that chapter's focus with websites, film, and video links as well as national and international organizations associated with the LGBTQ community. Overall, Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community is an invaluable resource for graduate students within social work programs and related disciplines, academics, and health/mental health practitioners currently in the field.

Thousands of start-ups are looking for funding every year. For those who are serious about seeking funding for their start-up or simply want to know their options, this is the guide for you. Get Funded! is the complete guide to seeking and getting funding that all entrepreneurs look for and seldom find. It is a road map to finding the funding you need to succeed, equipping you with the knowledge you need to attract potential investors. This no-nonsense volume is a must-read for any entrepreneur, whether you’re starting a new venture or already have an established business. You will need funding as your company grows, and you must know how to find funding at each growth stage. Get Funded! is a tremendous value. No other entrepreneurial guidebook on the market covers all the topics addressed in this useful manual.

The definitive how-to guide covering every aspect of writing a grant proposal. Drawing on 60 years of experience in the fields of nonprofits, grantwriting and grantmaking. The authors take the reader step by step through the entire process from planning, (getting started, assessment of capability, development of the ideas, and finding source solutions), to writing and submitting the proposal (title pages, abstracts, the purposes of need, procedures, evaluations, qualifications, budget and review, submission, notifications and renewal). Numerous checklists, useful websites, and other valuable tools help keep the reader informed.