[TheZach]

I have an idea for a web2.0 site. The problem is I have very little money to start with ~$150.00USD.

That would be enough for the hosting but I also have an issue of not having access to a computer except the libary. I am a profficent PHP/SQL coder but my laptop got hosed.

Advice on gaining investors or anything would be appreciated.

[akula]

Originally Posted by TheZach

I have an idea for a web2.0 site. The problem is I have very little money to start with ~$150.00USD.

That would be enough for the hosting but I also have an issue of not having access to a computer except the libary. I am a profficent PHP/SQL coder but my laptop got hosed.

Advice on gaining investors or anything would be appreciated.

Two answers - complicated and easy.

Easy (recommended): get a job, save some money, get a friend to do the same, max out the credit cards and you're in business

Hard: to help "gaining investors or anything" what you need to do is follow the entrepreneurial process. this means doing 4 entrepreneurial roles. one of these roles is the role of a founder.

the role of a founder includes a list of functions that founders do in order to aggregate resources outside of their immediate control.

Do what me to continue with this line of explanation (unrecommended)? Or would you like to pursue the easy option (recommended)?

[TheZach]

Continue with the unrecommended option. I just like to be informed about every option available before I make a decision.

[sl.market]

I reccomend finding antoher venture to raise capital for your main venture...

THere are ways that your $150 can go along way and make you a lot more if you know how to....

Contact me via PM

[akula]

ok, to directly answer your question, I will sum up how entrepreneurs practice 2 (of the 4) entrepreneurial roles to aggregate resources (money, people and favours) using informational leverage.

the role of an investor: to raise money from investors, you need to offer good investment opportunities. the definition of a good investment opportunity varies with all investors, because different investors have different sweet spots. For a guy in texas, web 2.0 is NOT a sweet spot. For a guy in Palo Alto drill bits are NOT a sweet spot. For someone doing C rounds, A rounds are NOT a sweet spot.

So, to raise money, the minimum you need is a short list of investors, and you need to be offering them something that matches their investment thesis and deal preference.

If you can identify opportunities which other people would agree on as good opportunities (i.e. better than other opportunities) - then you are doing the minimum of what's required of you in terms of doing your job as an investor.

However - to close the deal, you must do a very good job (more than minimum) as an investor, which you requires you to understand investment triggers. In other words - to raise money, you need to understand why people make investment decisions, because this will change HOW you pitch opportunities, in addition to WHAT you pitch.

HOW you pitch, is most important, because good investors, have a large pool of good investment opportunities - and it's HOW the entrepreneur pitches the deal which is what determines that their particular deal is selected.

The role of founder: As an investor, once you've chosen WHAT to pitch, you need to do a good job as a founder to pitch it in the right way.

To pitch something the right way, you need to avoid pitching things the wrong way. These are characteristics of the wrong way;

- You are a stranger (people don't invest in strangers).
- You have no customers (people don't invest in vaporwave)
- You have no skin in the game (people don't invest unless somebody else has already invested)

Right, so, to do a job as a founder - you need to follow several simple steps to avoid the top three deal killers I've outlined above.

Do you want me to continue?

[akula]

Originally Posted by sl.market

I reccomend finding antoher venture to raise capital for your main venture...

THere are ways that your $150 can go along way and make you a lot more if you know how to....

Contact me via PM

that's a very smart thing to say.

the fellow with the red paper clip traded his way up from what was essentially worthless, to a house.

trading your way up is the best way to be a high performance entrepreneur.

Nobody has any respect for people who are looking for hand outs with nothing to offer but their "ideas".

[E-Helpdesk]

Getting started in a Web 2.0 business should not cost more than a couple hundred bucks. The only thing you need to invest in is a computer, and I don't recommend a laptop. There are so many open source tools out there that you could build an application and have it running for free (dollars). From my personal experience, I can tell you that you'll need more sweat equity than anything else. Once you have your product built, you'll find it much easier to raise captital. If your product is good, you'll find that people will approach you with their investment dollars.

[CP Mr Ofevaw]

My experience/opinions -

1) Talk to VC's. Read and comment on their blog, have conversations, get to know them. Do this, even if you don't have a winning idea at the moment, it will pay off when you do.

2) Be an evangelist for your startup, especially to those who can help (business people, developers, etc.). Don't flat out hire anyone in the beginning, the core group should be those who strongly believe in the idea and are willing to work for an equity share. With that said, don't give out equity unless you must.

3) Build your basic service, and launch. With the blogosphere in the state that it is, your service will get attention if it's good. This will drive traffic to your site, and hopefully you'll develop a userbase.

4) If you passed step #3 with flying colors, those investors that you talked to in step #1 will probably approach you for more information (provided your business or service is profiled enough to catch their eye).

5) Hopefully, you can convince an investor that the idea is profitable.

I have seen a few cases as of recent where investors have actually been pitching to startups, even those who don't want or need capital. If you need funding, now is the time - get moving!

[simplegreen]

- Be involved with another php/web developer that has access to investors.

You're looking at one. I have two sites currently involved with investors and have access to a large money pool. I'm always looking for sites to get involved with. Not a sales pitch but it's another option