The Venture Capital Investment Process

The book provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of the internal and external challenges of processing venture capital deals, providing an eight stage investment model that breaks down each part of the deal into its own specific challenges and rewards.

Explanations to the inner workings of one of the least understood, but arguably most important, areas of business finance is offered to readers in this engaging volume: venture capital. Venture capitalists provide necessary investment to seed (or startup) companies, but the startup is only the beginning, there is much more to be explored. These savvy investors help guide young entrepreneurs, who likely have little experience, to turn their businesses into the Googles, Facebooks, and Groupons of the world. This book explains the often-complex methods venture capitalists use to value companies and to get the most return on their investments, or ROI. This book is a must-have for any reader interested in the business world.

Offering a deep insight into the venture capital deal-making process, Raising Venture Capital also provides valuable introduction to the subject. The book is practical in focus but based on sound academic theory, research and teaching materials gathered over the last 4 years at Tanaka Business School. Part one covers the history of the venture capital industry, shows why entrepreneurs need venture capital finance, and looks at how venture capitals raise and structure their funds. It also covers valuation methods for venture capital investments, and portfolio management. Part two illustrates how successful entrepreneurs raise finance from venture capitals, and gives details on how to approach venture capitals, how to choose the right venture capital firm, and how venture capitals and entrepreneurs work together after the deal is done. Part three gives a blow-by-blow account of the structure of a venture capital deal.

In spite of the robust development of venture capital that has occurred over the last three decades, returns from venture capital have been declining. This book focuses on a simple question: why? The answer lies in the context of multiple deformations that have occurred throughout the venture capital process. The book critically assesses the ways in which interactions between different stakeholders in the venture capital ecosystem change (or "deform") venture capital, decreasing its value. Klonowski also reveals that venture capital actually has few benefits—and some outright disadvantages—for entrepreneurs, and it can create a self-perpetuating cycle of investment and loss for the entire venture capital industry. This is especially true as corporate governance and compensation structures may create significant misalignments, incongruities, and conflicts of interest between general and limited partners.

Secure venture capital? Easy. Getting a business up and running or pushing a brilliant product to the marketplace requires capital. For many entrepreneurs, a lack of start-up capital can be the single biggest roadblock to their dreams of success and fortune. Venture Capital For Dummies takes entrepreneurs step by step through the process of finding and securing venture capital for their own projects. Find and secure venture capital for your business Get your business up and running Push a product to the marketplace If you're an entrepreneur looking for hands-on guidance on how to secure capital for your business, the information in Venture Capital For Dummies gives you the edge you need to succeed.

Despite all of the writing on venture capital, there is a missing part of the literature. There has been no book written about raising a venture capital fund. It remains a secret to a few privileged venture capitalists who have gone through this fundraising process. Until now . . . This book serves as a guide. It dives into the process of raising a venture capital fund, the how-tos, the unique language of the limited partner (LP) world, secrets of how LPs think about fund diligence and alignment, the best practices in fundraising, what works, and how you can best prepare for success. I've written this book after spending a decade investing into venture capital funds at a $30B wealth management firm and a $160B technology company. I've been on both sides of the table, the VC and the LP side. I've been behind the scenes managing every aspect of the fundraising process, investing into 80 funds, and reviewing thousands of fund investments. I also co-founded a company that specifically focuses on co-building venture capital businesses, which includes helping VCs understand the intricate dynamics of raising a venture capital fund. After reading my book, you will gain the knowledge and insights gained from these experiences.

The definitive guide demystifying the venture capital business The Business of Venture Capital covers the entire spectrum of a venture capital business, from raising venture funds to structuring investments, value creation as board member and assessing exit pathways. Author Mahendra Ramsinghani covers the distinct aspects of the venture capital fund raising and investment process with insights and perspectives from leading experts. Interviewees include Limited Partners (LPs) such as Credit Suisse, Grove Street Advisors and General Partners (GPs) from Foundry Group, Spark Capital, Benchmark Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, Shasta Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. If you’re curious about venture capital businesses, you’ve found the only book that covers it all. • The first book to address the full investment cycle of the venture capital business • Demystifies the key aspects of the business - raising venture funds, fund-level due diligence and fund terms, structuring investments, value creation, and exits • Foreword by Mark Heesen, President, National Venture Capital Association • Benefit from the experiences of the best-in-class practitioners, who have made investments in leading companies like Zynga, Twitter & Foursquare • Describes how venture capital is an art as well as a science In-depth and thorough, The Business of Venture Capital is the one book that includes insights, tools and real world examples every practitioner can benefit from.

From nineteenth-century whaling to a multitude of firms pursuing entrepreneurial finance today, venture finance reflects a deep-seated tradition in the deployment of risk capital in the United States. Tom Nicholas’s history of the venture capital industry offers a roller coaster ride through America’s ongoing pursuit of financial gain.