By Mark Hauser is an experienced and driven entrepreneur with decades of industry experience as a venture capitalist. Working as the founder and managing partner at Hauser Private Equity, Mark Hauser has been integral in helping to guide companies toward the assets and funding they need to find prolonged success.
An advocate of preparation and an esteemed mind within the financial field, Hauser outlined his approach to connecting with potential start-ups so that they can learn from his experiences.
Finding Funding as a Start-Up
For starters, Mark Hauser understands that not every business is going to be looking for the same kind of funding or access to funding. When working with potential start-ups, Mark Hauser delegates how they operate based on where the business is at in its journey.
This means that Hauser looks at investing in start-ups by first looking at the stages of growth that they are in.
Mark Hauser breaks down the basic startup growth financing phases as follows.
- Seed – The seed stage of a startup requires funding to help infuse the business for the purposes of market research and product development. Money acquired during the seed stage can also be used to fund the nucleus of the team that will make the business a reality.
- Early – Start-ups still in the early stages of funding will have already launched their products onto the market. This means that the company is ready to expand, and that means money is necessary to fine-tune its strategy.
- Late – The latter stages of funding will be required for businesses that have already defined their target market while also enhancing their core product offerings. Late-stage funding is typically relegated to Series C, D, and other later rounds.
Finding the Right Venture Capitalist
Once a business has decided that they need to find funding, they’ll begin reaching out to venture capitalists to help make that a reality. Mark Hauser has a few suggestions for how startups can best find a connection, and he has outlined them below.
Define the Right Product
For Mark Hauser, finding a business to invest in means finding the right product or service. Companies have more competition than ever, and that means they must provide something both unique and distinct. Even with distinct goods and services, guaranteed outcomes do not exist. Therefore, business owners should showcase what makes their product or service so successful.
Building a Prepared Team
Angel investors are looking for businesses that are prepared to succeed in the long run. This means that investors like Mark Hauser will want to find businesses that have built an educated and prepared team. Investors want evidence that their team is committed to the long-term goals of the business.
