Startups
Out of context: Reply #4
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- orrinward0
I work in a small bootstrap which my boss is bankrolling on the back of a previous product he sold (what became seesaw.com).
We've been offered some decent bank from about 3 months into the proejct (we're now 9 months old) but the cost of that money we decided was too high, as my boss is happy to continue out of his own pocket.
http://www.meetup.com/ is great for entrepreneurial and technical events where you can start to form your team and Angel Investors tend to lurk as well.
Only take the money you need, and try and get income directly from the product as early as you can, as this puts you in a much better (no desperation) position down the line when it comes to negotiating investment.
Be tightlipped with what you do until you get your IP sorted out.
Hone your elevator pitch. Keep it concise, enticing but without giving the product away.
In the UK a lot of Universities these days are running business incubators, which means free/cheap office space/equipment and it throws you in with other likeminded companies.
If your idea is far enough along and strong enough, and you're really keen to go for it, look into organisations like Y-Combinator. http://ycombinator.com/
In London there are loads of regular meetups for early-mid-stage entrepreneurs - Most are findable through meetup.com
http://www.meetup.com/minibar/
http://www.meetup.com/DevTank/I'm the odd one out in my team. The other 3 guys all met through some networking event.