The venture capital industry has witnessed increased growth in recent years. Despite market volatility, many venture capitalists have seen their funds prosper.
According to statistics, venture capital investment value increased in the US in 2021, amounting to about USD$330 billion. This represents almost a two-fold increase from 2020. The number of completed deals also hiked during this period, reaching 15,500. And with this increased activity, the market value is expected to increase significantly in the next quarters.
If you’re a working as a vc Singapore (venture capitalist), here are three tips to consider to drive success:
1. Build your network
As a venture capitalist, part of your job is to network to land deals with a high hit rate. Renowned venture capitalists like Pranav Arora invested in people first, then the product. Starting at the young age of 16 years, his stamina, discipline, focus, and skill set have made him one of the most successful venture capitalists out there. He’s now backing some of the biggest companies in the country.
Therefore, as you leverage your existing network, be aggressive enough to identify new talent. Here are some networking tips for your consideration:
- Attend meetings that can help you with the financial resources you require for investment
- Cultivate strong and long-lasting relationships with CEOs
- Have a solid social media presence on professional platforms like LinkedIn so you can connect with entrepreneurs and other venture capitalists
- Leverage helpful information from the top VC blogs about specialized topics such as the ins and outs of analyzing a firm, how to be an excellent board member, and essential negotiation skills
2. Diversify your investments
Investing all your money in one company is never a good strategy. Putting all your eggs in the same basket is too risky. For instance, a company’s securities may be illiquid. It can happen if there’s no active market or if the sale of shares is restricted by securities law. That means you can’t sell the shares you own in the company and obtain cash when you need it. Instead, you may have to wait for a liquidity event such as an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or a company sale.
For that reason, it’s best to spread your money across different investment stages to minimize risks. There are various ways you can achieve diversification. For instance, you can invest in:
- Different companies in the same niche
- Businesses in various sectors such as technology, energy, or fashion
- Firms with different market capitalizations
- Domestic and foreign companies
Diversifying allows you to leverage more profitable opportunities and also protect your investment. Ideally, as a venture capitalist, you’d need an initial amount between USD$1 million to USD$5 million to activate and diversify your portfolio.
3. Choose the right investments
Venture capitalists can choose to invest in startups or established companies. Based on an investment value report by Statista, the amount of venture capital received by startups across North, Central, and South America in 2021 hiked up compared to the previous seven years. The estimated value invested in the last quarter of 2021 alone was about USD$95 billion. This is almost twice the USD$47 billion value invested at the same time in 2020.
Even so, as an investor, you’d want to select the right businesses to invest in and not just follow the trends. Your choices highly determine your success level in the venture capital market. Therefore, it’s vital to conduct rigorous due diligence to determine the opportunities and risks associated with a firm. Below are some of the primary factors to evaluate before investing in one:
1. The ability and character of the business partners:
The entrepreneur should have the right team and strategies to move the business forward. Also, you should both understand your roles and be able to develop a long-term relationship.
2. The business idea:
It’s best to invest in high-quality projects that are innovative and have a potential market. If done correctly, these ideas can lead to massive success.
3. Social or environmental benefits:
You can put your capital to work in a more positive way by investing in community-driven or sustainable companies.
4. Longevity:
As an investor, you’d want to spend your time and resources on an idea that can bring consistent profits in the long run.
5. Financial outlook:
The deal should start generating profits as soon as possible so you can recover your initial investment and reinvest in other projects.
Conclusion
The venture capital investment landscape is constantly evolving. Therefore, as a venture capitalist, you’d want to develop smart, flexible strategies that can set you up for success. It’s crucial to leverage your skill set to identify lucrative investments with the potential to bring enormous returns. Also, consider building your network and diversifying your portfolio to lower the risks associated with a single investment.
Author Bio
Pranav Arora is a successful Entrepreneur, Investor, and Venture Capitalist. From an early age, Pranav Arora has proven himself to be an entrepreneur at heart. Starting his first million-dollar business at just 16 years old Pranav has proven himself to have the drive, passion, and a keen skillset to being successful within the world of business. From spearheading multi-million-dollar companies, to shaking up the world of investments, and even devoting time to philanthropy, Pranav Arora is making an immense impact on the world. While his accomplishments would be impressive at any age, Pranav has been able to do all of this well before his 30th birthday and his influence only continues to grow.
