The venture capital industry exists to help entrepreneurs turn business ideas into actual, functioning businesses. Most business ventures fail, but there is the occasional home run that can pay for many earlier failures. Other business ventures may not turn the initial founders into billionaires, but can turn into steady businesses that create jobs and incomes for employees and the upper management team. Below is an overview of the stages of venture capital funding, and the most likely parties to secure funding to turn a business concept into reality.
Invest in Yourself In an ideal world, an individual with a business idea would also have the startup capital to see the idea turned into a fully functioning operation. The reality, of course, is that those with a potentially lucrative idea usually must seek outside sources of funds to make the business idea a reality. Frequently though, individuals can fund the initial idea generation, including creating a business plan and the necessary market research it requires. They should also have some early capacity to apply for patents, establish trademarks and start to develop any related protective measures for the idea, and begin to formalize the underlying product or service enterprise. Funding levels can range from hundreds of dollars to several thousand.
