Searching for Venture Capital

**RevenueBox** · 08-03-2009 03:37 PM

Hello folks,

I am new to this forum but came across it while researching venture capital companies, and thought I'd give it a try.

We are a 1 year old company looking to expand our operations further with the newest version of our website coming in the next few upcoming months.

The website is GameStud.com and we have already personally invested roughly $25k in the development of the site. You will find it is expertly coded, meticulously designed, and we are nearing completion of v2.0

Included in v2.0 will be:

trailers
screenshots
new design
reviews (member reviews and staff reviews)
online shop
membership benefits (submit reviews and participate in the site and earn points which will be redeemable for $$ off games and other products)

We have some really incredible strategic partnerships and contacts but further development and marketing requires funding at this point beyond our means...

Just an added FYI - we have other projects that will round out the full "network" of sites, so understand this is not just going to be a one-off job...we plan on BIG things!

If there is a firm or individual who is looking to earn a % on their investment or perhaps partner in a company built for the future growth of the gaming industry, please feel free to contact us. We can arrange phone conversations and contracts as per requirements...

Looking forward to hearing from you.

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! Do not waste my time or yours if you do not have the ability to secure funding.

Thank you,
John M
President
Big Mind LLC

**Mega B** · 08-03-2009 03:46 PM

John,welcome to YE you dont mention or give any indication of how much funding you are after,prehaps you could add some guideline figure !!!

**RevenueBox** · 08-03-2009 04:03 PM

Hi Mega,

To be realistic, we would be interested in acquiring a minimum of $50,000 - $150,000 in venture capital.

A majority of the funding will be applied to marketing: social, ppc, tv ads etc. Our new v2.0 is being built with some high performance SEO...meaning that it was a major addition while developing the site. Organic traffic will help tremendously in building this business, but a full marketing plan should incorporate all.

Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks,
John M
Big Mind LLC

**EBITDA** · 08-04-2009 09:16 AM

Hi John. Couple of suggestions.

Talk to your accountant(s) and attorneys. They will usually have clients that are looking for private investment opportunities. Also see if there is an ACG group in your area - Association for Corporate Growth. It is a great networking organization where you may be able to find funding. Finally, see if there is an angle investor group in your area. These groups will typically arrange (as will some law firms) a night where companies get to pitch their deal to a group of angle investors. You get to pitch 20 folks at once, and they get to see deal flow. Your deal may not resonate with everyone, but I'm sure you'll find someone.

From a deal standpoint, couple of things to consider. First, don't discuss the details of your business or disclose contracts without having a non-disclosure agreement signed. Secondly, make sure you are clear about your "ask". At minimum, have a term sheet that spells out the security you are issuing - for "discussion purposes" only. If you are unsure about writing a term sheet, I have a free report and term sheet template at my site below.

What you don't want is to be out raising capital, i.e. issuing securities, without a proper private placement memorandum. Without the proper disclosures your investors can rescind their investments and worse, you open yourself up to securities fraud claims.

My last comment is the observation that seeking $50k to $150k is a fairly big spread - relative to the amount you are seeking. I suspect that what you can accomplish with $50k is a lot different than what could be accomplished with $150k, so the expected returns will be substantially different. Make your ask tighter, so that raising $130k or $150k will not materially affect what you want to use the money for.

Good luck