Investors have a variety of chances thanks to India’s extensive startup environment. But how can a novice make sure they get the most value for their money?
It takes courage to put money into startups. Choosing the top startups to invest in can be challenging, whether you’re an enthusiastic investor or a friend or family member of a startup founder. After all, the first five years are when 90% of startups fail. But it may be highly profitable if you know how to locate great startups to invest in. That is why many investors wager on businesses that have potential. If the startup is successful, your rewards could be multiplied. There are various stages that a company goes through, and each one presents different chances and rewards for investors. Understanding startup jargon is essential if you’re a novice investor. Finding strong startup investment possibilities requires an awareness of how many factors, like valuation, pivot, accelerators, and incubators, affect your investment. You can use the following terms to locate the top startups to invest in.
1. Valuation
A startup’s valuation is its estimated value at a particular period. You should become familiar with firm value while thinking about how to invest in startups. Market conditions, income potential, the competitive landscape, intellectual property, and the team’s experience all have an impact on how much a startup is valued. A startup’s value before receiving investment is known as its pre-money valuation, whereas its value following funding is known as its post-money valuation.
2. Carefulness
Before making a significant decision, do due diligence by conducting a comprehensive examination. A startup’s business, finances, operations, legal issues, intellectual property, market potential, and team competencies are all subject to due diligence. This will help you assess the startup investment risks and returns. The aim of conducting due diligence is to make an informed investment decision and be aware of the potential risks.
3. Product-market alignment
Finding a fit between a startup’s offers and the target market’s needs is referred to as product-market fit. In layman’s words, it indicates that the startup has produced goods or services that consumers want and are prepared to pay for. Ideal market research should be conducted by a startup before it starts, as well as consumer input on its prototype. It is usually good to look for a firm that has discovered product-market fit when you’re pondering how to invest in startups because it opens the road for a company’s success.
4. Pivot
When something isn’t working, you pivot and change course. Let’s say a food entrepreneur wants to develop a restaurant service evaluation app. They discover that there is no product-market fit after considerable investigation and testing. Because of the tremendous demand, they change course to focus on meal delivery. This change in strategy enables them to serve a bigger clientele and generate more revenue.
For instance, during the pandemic, numerous businesses had to change course in order to remain relevant. One illustration is the Rapido bike-taxi service. To stay relevant throughout the pandemic, it switched to distributing food and other necessities.
5. Accelerators
Startup accelerators are businesses or initiatives that provide resources and mentoring to entrepreneurs in their early stages. They have a conducive atmosphere to develop and thrive as a result. Typically, accelerators work with a group of businesses for a set amount of time, usually between three and six months. They provide access to a network of mentors, investors, and business professionals as well as a structured curriculum.
For startups, accelerators can serve as a seal of approval. You can be sure that startups accepted into reputable accelerators have undergone a stringent selection process, demonstrating they have promise and are headed for success. Finding a startup investment in an accelerator might provide you the assurance that you are moving in the right route when you are learning how to analyze startup investments.
6. Incubators
Accelerators and startup incubators are comparable. They both support entrepreneurs in their early stages, but their objectives, organizational structures, and time frames are different. In contrast to accelerators, which have a set time limit and adhere to a set curriculum, incubators offer a more accommodating and long-term environment for entrepreneurs to develop at their own rate. Startups can frequently work, cooperate, and utilize common resources in incubators’ physical spaces.
Startups frequently gain access to resources including office space, equipment, legal assistance, and networking opportunities through incubators. These tools can speed up the process, cut costs, and assist companies in overcoming practical difficulties. As an investor, choosing to invest in a startup that’s in an incubator can help you find good startup investments that have the potential to reach their milestones more efficiently.
7. Traction
An indicator of a startup’s success is traction. It demonstrates that the startup is producing outcomes in the actual world and is not just a notion or concept. A startup that achieves traction attracts customers and becomes well-liked in its target market.
The best startup investments go to businesses that are quickly acquiring traction because this shows that the startup is headed in the right direction and has the potential to succeed.
8. Multiple exits
An exit multiple is a metric used in startup investing to estimate the return on investment (ROI) that an investor can anticipate upon selling their stake. It speaks of the proportion between a startup’s exit valuation and the total amount of investor investment. By dividing the exit valuation by the total amount invested, the exit multiple is calculated. The exit multiple would be 10x, for instance, if you invested $1 million in a firm and it was later purchased for $10 million.
9. Runway enlargement
An act of extending a startup’s runway, or the amount of time it may continue to function before running out of money, is known as a runway extension. It entails providing the startup with more funding to finance continued operations. This extension may come in the shape of a follow-on investment, bridge finance, or another method of providing startup cash.
When a startup wins a runway extension, it signifies that investors or other stakeholders are willing to assist it financially so that it can continue to operate and advance toward its objectives.
10. Capable
A capitalization table, often known as a cap table, is a spreadsheet or document that summarizes a company’s ownership structure, including the ownership percentages and stock allocation among its shareholders. It gives a quick overview of the capital structure of the business, including the different share classes, the total number of shares issued, and the proportion of each shareholder’s ownership.
