Unlock Investment for your Business

Securing funding is a critical step for businesses aiming to grow and thrive. Yet, most startups and SMEs struggle to present themselves as investment-ready. The facts speak for themselves - circa 90% of applications are rejected. Why? Mainly because investors believe the underlying business will never become fundable or is simply, not ready for investment.

Ideas are two a penny and, unfortunately, most founders don't know how to become investment-ready. Related to this, a recent survey, found that 54% to 59% of small businesses in London do not have a business plan and this lack of such a fundamental negatively impacts the likelhood of their long-term success.

Imagine you’re an investor. Would you put your money into a startup with no business plan, no idea of where they are going and how to get there? Probably not. That’s why getting investment-ready is crucial. It’s every founders's job to demonstrate business acumen and convince others that their business is worth investing in. And, the key lies in knowing the business's weaknesses and how to rectify them, before applying.

Why This Matters

To get investment, requires much more than having a good idea and a well-designed pitchdeck. If you're the founder of a startup, it's mainly about YOU and your team.

Do you have the passion, dedication and ability to succeed? Can you build the right team?Provide products/services that customers want? Do you have the right GTM strategy? The ability to sell and develop relationships with customers, partners and suppliers? Know your competitors, the business risks and threats you will face and how to mitigate them? How to create opportunities, beat the competition, generate substantial revenue, sustain growth and provide a great return for investors and a lot more?

If not, you need to assess you and your business's position, honestly. Are you willing to work all hours to make your business sustainable? Do you know your business's strengths? Where are the gaps? Will your business ultimately succeed? This self-assessment is the foundation for building a strong and attractive business. Without it, your business is likely to become one of the 70% that close within 5 years.

How to unlock investment

Practical Steps to Enhance Investability

Improving investability is not something that can be done overnight. It requires time, focus and discipline and here are a few, practical steps to take before applying for investment:

1. Develop a realistic business plan and financial projections

   Your plan should clearly outline you and your team's knowledge and experience. The market opportunity, business model, competitive advantage and growth strategy. Include a SWOT analysis; risk register and projections etc using different assumptions.

   
   

2. Showcase traction and market validation

   Demonstrate that your product or service has demand and satisfied customers. Build partnerships with organisations that can help promote your business,
   

3. Prepare re legal and regulatory compliance  

   Be aware of any necessary licenses and permits your business will require and know how to get them. This reduces risk and builds trust.

   
   

4. Prepare for due diligence

   Anticipate investor questions and have all documentation they need ready for review.  Keep your financial accounts and projections up to date and accurate. Investors will want to see clear, transparent data and metrics.
   

5. Get an independent assessment of your business If you don't have a clear idea of your business's strengths and weaknesses and how you can deliver, get your plan independently assessed, not by friends or family.
   

Create Investor Confidence

Getting investment-ready before you apply for funding, creates a sustainable foundation for ongoing growth and investor confidence.

In the UK alone, over 700,000 applications are rejected each year. Clearly, most startups and SMEs that want investment, are not ready for it. Investors seek businesses that are well-managed with a large market opportunity. Moreover, an investable business can get better financing options, more business opportunities and faster access to capital.

Taking the Next Step

Unlocking your business’s investability potential is a long, journey, not a short trip. It requires commitment, long hours, a clear strategy, the right team and the right tools.

Investability is about much more than numbers. It’s about building trust, demonstrating capability, and showing that your business is a smart investment. By arranging a deep-dive assessment of key business areas, such as your business model; product market-fit, your competition; GTM strategy and financial projections, you will position yourself for success in securing funding and driving growth.

If you want to take control of your business’s funding future, I encourage you to check out Pitchago's AI-powered, business assessment and rating platform. It acts like a 24/7 digital co- founder, enabling you to self-assess and score your business across 16 key areas. It also identifies weaknesses and auto-allocates tasks to fix them. As each weakness is fixed, your scoring increases and when ready to apply, you can make direct contact with best-fit investors from c6,000 on the platform.

Cost? Only US$39 for a one-off, deep dive assessment or US$21 monthly. Cancel at any time.