Smart Capital

Venture capital is a form of investment in early-stage companies with strong growth potential. The types of businesses venture capital funds invest in tend to be young and often pre-profit, and potentially even pre-revenue. Venture capital funds buy minority equity stakes in these companies and provide them with financial support and business expertise to help them grow and succeed.

The ultimate goal of venture capitalists is to create value through investing in early-stage or start-up companies with strong high-growth potential and with an innovative, disruptive business model or product. Venture capital firms generally, although not exclusively, focus on businesses operating in the technology industries.

Venture capital support entrepreneurs in finding and developing their business model so that they can bring their product to market, satisfy a business or consumer need and create genuine value. Since the businesses are nascent, venture capital investors will take a disciplined and holistic approach in evaluating not only the viability of the business idea, but also the motivation and background of the entrepreneur. Ultimately, venture capitalists look for bright ideas and even brighter entrepreneurs, with the desire and motivation to see their idea through to success. 

Venture capital-backed companies are at the start-up to expansion stage of their lives and therefore have a huge growth potential. Often with little or no track record, these companies rely on venture capital backing to meet that potential. They often use venture capital funding for product development and marketing, to set up their manufacturing and sales operations and to expand their business by employing new staff.

Venture capital firms not only bring much needed investment but also a wealth of business expertise, skills and contacts to help with the development and growth of the company. 

Angel investment is also equity finance but an angel investor is a high net worth individual using their personal finance rather than an institutional fund like a venture capital firm. Both angel investment and venture capital represent crucial funding steps in a company’s growth and exist together in an ‘innovation eco-system’ to provide capital and expertise to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.

Seed: Financing that allows a business concept to be developed, perhaps involving the production of a business plan, prototypes and additional research, prior to bringing a product to market and commencing large-scale manufacturing.

Start-up: Financing provided to companies for use in product development and initial marketing. Companies may be in the process of being setup or may have been in business for a short time, but have not yet sold their product commercially.

Other early stage: Financing provided to companies that have completed the product development stage and require further funds to initiate commercial manufacturing and sales. They may not yet be generating profits.

Late stage venture: Financing provided to companies that have reached a fairly stable growth rate; that is, not growing as fast as the rates attained in the early stage. These companies may or may not be profitable, but are more likely to be than in previous stages of development.