Entrepreneur FAQ

• I just submitted my info as an Entrepreneur but am I registered? A welcome email should be received within 10 minutes and you must click to finalize the registration. You then log into your Entrepreneur account and submit a short business proposal. If you cannot log in after clicking on the initial email then simply register again using a completely different email address. If you still have problems, then send an email through the CONTACT US online form to let us know. Clearly identify your full name, network and explain that you are having an "Entrepreneur Registration Problems".
• Can I change a submitted Business Proposal? Yes, simply log on as an Entrepreneur, locate the “Edit” button on the bottom right hand corner and update your proposal. Once done, click on the “Save Proposal”. The proposal is reviewed by our staff and listed if approved for Investors to find.
• What is an Angel Investor? Originally, the term “angel” was coined to refer to the people who financed broadway plays when all else failed. Today this term has become common among the investment community to refer to a high net-worth individual that invests their own personal funds in various businesses. In the US, it is estimated that there are well over 250,000 active angel investors that annually invest approximately $20 billion in American businesses. In 2003, over 42,000 businesses in the United States received angel financing (it is believed this number is much higher as many of these investments go unreported). This represents roughly 7% of what the banks are investing. As well, statistics show that this figure trumps that of venture capital lending and as much as 30 to 40 times more angel capital is invested annually than venture capital. Some estimate that angel investments have financed approximately twice as many firms as any other form of external equity investment, including institutional venture capital.
• What is an Angel Investor Profile?  Angel investors are usually wealthy, well-educated, self confident, ambitious and mostly male aged 45-55. They have probably sold a business or taken early retirement as a senior executive, exits sought after five years, utilising income and capital gains tax reliefs, seeking high capital growth, i.e. 35% / 40% per annum compound, usually seeking some active management involvement, often quirky / motivated by a wide range of desires and preferences, investment decisions may be driven by moral /social dimensions/personal experience, seeking enjoyment and personal satisfaction, completes his/her own due diligence, values business on a combination of earnings based-method / "gut feel", invests within one/two months of identifying opportunity and may have up to four investments running at one time. Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in (rejecting, on average, approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them). Angel investors typically invest in a business after the entrepreneur's "love capital" (capital from relatives and friends) has been exhausted, but before the firm has reached a stage at which it will be eligible for venture capital investment. Angel investments typically range from about $15,000 to $300,000, although investments may range upwards of $500,000. Research also indicates that, historically, most angel investors seek to invest close to home-within a 100 mile radius of where they live.
• What is the difference between an Angel Investor and a Venture Capital firm? Generally, angel investors do not invest in deals over $1 million, whereas venture capital firms typically do not look at deals under this amount. Angels make their own decisions as opposed to a board or group of people making a decision for investors that have pooled money together. Angels tend to be more involved in the businesses that they invest in and provide assistance in ways that venture capital firms do not. Angels typically do not own as large a stake in the company as a venture capital firm would. Another benefit of being an angel investor is the reception of certain tax incentives from investing in American controlled small businesses.
• How does the service work? Entrepreneurs register on the site and enter an investment proposal summary. There is no charge to submit the summary. Once the information is entered, our proprietary system will identify and forward this to all potential investors that match the criteria. The investors will then decide whether they wish to review your entire business plan and possibly invest in your business. You are then notified that we have identified at least one match of an angel investor (there could be several matches). You are then required to pay (on-line) a one time fee of $199 by major credit card. Once payment is received and verified on-line, you will receive the initial contact information specified by the angel investor. Entrepreneurs must perform their own due diligence on each investor. After satisfactory due diligence is performed by both entrepreneur and investor, both parties will work together to negotiate an investment deal. The Investment Network does not charge any other fees for this service and is strictly a matching service bringing together angel investors and serious entrepreneurs.
• Why should I trust this website ? This site is run by completely independant management that has no links whatsoever to any other Investment or Entrepreneur oriented organization.We are incorporated under a corporate charter. We fervently believe in the objectives of this service and are focused on ensuring credibility and commitment to our customers at all times. The website is the result of a significant financial and intellectual investment by its management over a long period of time. It is continually being upgraded and improved.The modest fees that are charged for our service represent only a small fraction of the total investment that has been made and in no way could be considered a "quick buck" operation. A number of professional journalists have written articles on our sister services in California, Texas, Florida, Canada and the United Kingdom. These articles have been published in various reputable magazines which attest to the validity and sincerity of our service. We have officially launched our service with a formal press release to all New York media sources and continually receive requests from reputable American media sources regarding our unique service. Keep your eyes on our "News" section as new articles will be added regularly. In order to qualify for the our online payment credit card processing service that we subscribe to, we had to meet very strict financial and operational requirements. They do not authorize untrustworthy entities to use their service. Finally, any fees paid by Entrepreneurs are eligible for our generous refund policy should a legitimate Investor contact not ultimately happen.
• What is the New York Investment Network?  The New York Investment Network is New York's premiere matching service for entrepreneurs (looking for growth capital) and angel investors (looking for investments). Created by a committed group of professionals formerly involved in business acquisition consulting, information technology and various other start-ups. The creative concept and foundation of this network was developed to take New York and the northeastern states business to the next level. The New York Investment Network is continually growing, developing and updating it’s extensive database of angel investors.
• Who are the Angel Investors? The angel investors that have registered on our website have been compiled from databases of company officers, various professional advisor sources as well as private investment groups that are looking for alternative investments. Angels are seeking these alternatives more than ever due to the recent poor performance of the stock market.The site is continually updated with new registered angel investors who are pleased about the possibility of finding investments in such an easy and efficient way.
• What are the costs? There are no costs as an entrepreneur to enter the investment summary on-line in hopes of finding an angel investor to finance the start-up or growth of a business. You pay only when an angel investor is identified and has expressed interest in your business and would like to take a serious look at the concept and terms offered. Once feedback is received from one (or more) of the investors, you then have the option to pay a fee of $199 to make contact with them. The search may provide one or several angel investors but you pay only the one time fee. Your investment summary will remain in the system until such time as you request removal. Each new match that is made will be forwarded to you at no additional cost until you inform us that you have found the investment you are looking for and no longer need your proposal to be posted. Payment must be made through the highly regarded on-line payment processing system with a major credit card.
• How is my privacy protected? The site was developed using proprietary database management tools and a secure server is used to assure that no one sees your business or personal information. Your information is not offered to any third party for any purposes unless it is to help obtain capital. The information you enter into the website is guaranteed to be kept confidential and private. Entrepreneurs should note that before releasing any information they must perform their own due diligence on each investor. Through our networks, do not pay any type of fee directly to the investors to obtain capital. If requested by an investor for any sort of payment simply do not proceed. Contact our administration to let us know immediately that this has occured.
• Why should I use this service? As an entrepreneur, you are already aware of the growing resistance of banks in the US to finance small business. It is virtually impossible to obtain financing without having secured assets, providing personal guarantees, etc, etc. Angel investors are the logical source to provide financing to small business. With over $20 billion invested annually in the US and growing all the time, the main obstacle is locating and presenting your idea to this large group of investors. The New York Investment Network allows an entrepreneur to:

  a) Find a source of capital.

  b) Find an experienced investor that can provide guidance and support.

  c) Make it all come together in a fast and efficient way.

• What makes this service unique? There are services like this in some other US markets but very few exist in the entrepreneurial hot bed of New York and the northeastern states. The reason why this service is unique is:

  1. We are strictly a northeastern states focused matching service connecting northeastern entrepreneurs with angel investors.

  2. Although we do review your investment summaries, the angels determine for themselves what they would like to invest in. Many other services "pre-screen" deals. What is not right for one is not necessarily not right for another

  3. Our fee is only $199 resulting in contact with many potentially serious buyers.

  4. The service operates in "real-time". Like any entrepreneur, you need your investment capital yesterday and the service was developed to satisfy your needs for fast and efficient angel investor prospecting.

• How do I get started? Simply enter the “Entrepreneur” log-in area and complete the basic registration and then press "submit". Your investment summary will be sent out to all of the angel investors in the database that match the specific criteria that they have selected with what you are offering and you will be notified once a match is made. All you have to do is wait for the matches to be emailed to you and then make a decision to proceed. Remember, you pay only once whether one investor or fifty investors are found. It is recommended that you always move forward with as many investors as possible until the best deal is completed. We also encourage entrepreneurs to act as quickly as possible, before the interested investor(s) moves on to something else.
• How can I pay if I don't want to use a credit card? If you are unable to or uncomfortable with using a credit card, you can pay via cheque when beginning the process of establishing contact with a potential investor if you prefer. All that you would need to do is email us to inform us of your intention using the "contact us" page on this website. At that point, we would inform you of what steps need to be taken to complete the transaction with as little hasle as possible.
• How will I attract the attention of potential investors? When dealing with an angel investor, at the very least your proposal should address the following;
  - How much money do you need?
  - Why do you need it?
  - When do you need it?
  - What are you willing to give up to get it?
  - When and how can you pay it back?
  Investors need your answers to these questions before they will even consider helping you. They are not looking for "pipe dreams" or unprofessional sounding proposals. They expect a reasonably sound business plan as well as an understanding from entrepreneurs that an investor is not going to just blindly hand over significant sums of money with no strings attached whatsoever. They may be angels but there are limits to what they are prepared to do.
• My proposal was just submitted and I received a match(s) almost right away. Will I also get further Investor interest over time? It is normal to receive immediate interest after it has been checked, processed and submitted. Proposals are sent directly to Investors in real time according to their investment criteria. Also, matches occur even over long periods on the system as Investors constantly search the database to seek out business proposals.
• I paid the one time fee and received just Investors names and generic email. Was I supposed to get more info? Each Investor specifies to the network what initial contact information is provided to Entrepreneurs. This is done for confidentiality reasons. It is also normal that individual Investors make use of temporary email accounts for first contact. Entrepreneurs should make proper brief introduction and then request full Investor contact information before proceeding. If the investor is not forthcoming with contact details or information for performing due diligence then please contact our administration with feedback email.
• I have other questions. Who do I contact? Contact us by email: admin@newyorkinvestmentnetwork.com

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Connecting New York Entrepreneurs with Angel Investors.