Go to a directory of venture capitalists and ascertain what percentage of funds for a typical venture-capital firm are invested in seed, start-up, expansion or development, and acquisitions or leveraged buyouts. What criteria do venture capitalists report using in their initial screening of business proposals?
Obtain an initial public offering prospectus for three companies. Use at least two different approaches for valuing each company.
Search the Internet for services that provide access to business angels or informal investors. How do these sites work? If you were an entrepreneur looking for funding, how much would it cost to use this service? How many business angels are registered on the typical database? How many entrepreneurs are registered on the typical database? How effective do you believe these services are? (Use data where possible to back up your answer.)
