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How can I talk to those people? I have a business that is profitable, but small. And I find it difficult to talk to investors.

UK-AL 1y ago
Did you go to same university, the same clubs? Have a look at lot of founders on linkedin. You'll notice a lot go to the same small set of universities, or worked for same companies. Then there's the odd exception. But they're the exception. Its silly to think talent is actually that concentrated. I think everybody knows why some people can get investment to literally throw down the drain on insane moon shots, while others struggle to even survive. I'm sure lots of people have moonshot ideas that might work. Only a very small in group get investment.
- c0redump 1y ago
  Same as it ever was. The rich and well-connected hoard resources among members of their clique. Then they have the nerve to strut around talking about what visionary geniuses they are to achieve this level of “success”.
chrismustcode 1y ago
The orgs investing millions usually aren’t looking to invest small or even profitable most the time. If there’s a good growth story contact people who write smaller checks who would also be interested in using the product.
csallen 1y ago
If your networking skills and levels of resourcefulness are such that you're asking random people on HN how to talk to investors, it's very unlikely that any of these investors will invest in you. So the answer is to invest heavily in improving at those two areas.
CSMastermind 1y ago
Do you have a plausible path to 10x+ing tens of millions in capital? Ultimately the business of VC means that you're dealing with people how have a high risk tolerance but need the potential high payout to balance their risk. If you have a sustainable, profitable, but small business that needs capital to expand, but likely won't grow significantly, you're better off talking to a family office or individual investors. I'd avoid banks if you can help it. If you actually do think you have a plausible VC investment then it's a game of networking. Go through every person you know and look for someone who knows someone who can give you an introduction. If all else fails there's cold outreach but those can be difficult. You might need to bring on a partner who can handle that side of things if it's critical to your business.
rchaud 1y ago
If you're already profitable, these types of investors will not be interested. They are looking for companies they can take public at massively inflated valuations based on growth projections totally removed from economic reality.

UK-AL 1y ago

Did you go to same university, the same clubs? Have a look at lot of founders on linkedin. You'll notice a lot go to the same small set of universities, or worked for same companies. Then there's the odd exception. But they're the exception. Its silly to think talent is actually that concentrated. I think everybody knows why some people can get investment to literally throw down the drain on insane moon shots, while others struggle to even survive. I'm sure lots of people have moonshot ideas that might work. Only a very small in group get investment.

c0redump 1y ago
Same as it ever was. The rich and well-connected hoard resources among members of their clique. Then they have the nerve to strut around talking about what visionary geniuses they are to achieve this level of “success”.

chrismustcode 1y ago

The orgs investing millions usually aren’t looking to invest small or even profitable most the time. If there’s a good growth story contact people who write smaller checks who would also be interested in using the product.

csallen 1y ago

If your networking skills and levels of resourcefulness are such that you're asking random people on HN how to talk to investors, it's very unlikely that any of these investors will invest in you. So the answer is to invest heavily in improving at those two areas.

CSMastermind 1y ago

Do you have a plausible path to 10x+ing tens of millions in capital? Ultimately the business of VC means that you're dealing with people how have a high risk tolerance but need the potential high payout to balance their risk. If you have a sustainable, profitable, but small business that needs capital to expand, but likely won't grow significantly, you're better off talking to a family office or individual investors. I'd avoid banks if you can help it. If you actually do think you have a plausible VC investment then it's a game of networking. Go through every person you know and look for someone who knows someone who can give you an introduction. If all else fails there's cold outreach but those can be difficult. You might need to bring on a partner who can handle that side of things if it's critical to your business.

rchaud 1y ago

If you're already profitable, these types of investors will not be interested. They are looking for companies they can take public at massively inflated valuations based on growth projections totally removed from economic reality.