Venture capital needed?
The following is a list of ten popular options for raising venture capital. There are numerous instances when any size business can benefit from some additional capital – getting started, developing a new production line, expanding into a new market or modernising a factory are just a few examples.The following companies either directly invest in companies or have an investor base that does. Some are specific to a particular industry, while others will assist with any industry. Some are also looking for investors that are interested in providing venture capital. The websites are listed in the order of their global Alexa traffic count rating.
1. Index Ventures: http://www.indexventures.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 87,122
Index Ventures invests in companies in the fields of IT and life sciences. They are specially driven to find those that are committed to solving a real world problem with a novel approach. Their website fully outlines the criteria that they look for when they are evaluating an opportunity. They invest in companies that will be market leaders in well-defined market segments with annual sales in excess of $1 billion. They do desire to take a seat on the board of companies they target and prefer to be involved in aspects such as recruiting key talent and assisting in specific business development missions. They have invested in over 100 startup companies across Europe and the United States – a list of these companies can be found on their website.
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2. Summit Partners: http://www.summitpartners.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 191,743
Summit Partners began in 1984 with a vision of helping companies realise their full growth potential. They are a leader in growth equity and credit investing for rapidly growing companies. Their investment team is one of the largest and most renowned in the business employing more than 85 investment professionals across four offices in Boston, Menlo Park and London. Thus far they have raised nearly $15 billion in capital and have invested in more than 380 businesses across North America, Europe and Asia. They do take a minority or majority ownership position and also provide strategic and operational guidance to help proven, existing management teams reach their companies ‘full potential’. They can invest as little as $5 million to more than $500 million per company which can be obtained either as equity funds or credit funds.
3. General Atlantic: http://www.generalatlantic.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 246,880
The well known General Atlantic was founded in 1980 as a private investment firm to invest the funds of the Atlantic Philanthropies established by Charles Feeney, a global entrepreneur and one of the world’s most notable philanthropists. Later they added capital partners who share the same philosophy of investing for the long-term, thus building value over time. General Atlantic has 11 offices worldwide with more than 80 investment professionals and 200 total employees. They currently manage approximately $20 billion in capital. They do not have a traditional “fund” structure as their capital comes from a group of well-established endowments, foundations and strategic institutions. Their target investment range is $70 million to $400 billion and they add around 10 to 12 new companies each year.
4. Warburg Pincus: http://www.warburgpincus.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 308,552
Warburg Pincus has an outstanding track record with over 40 years of experience. They have invested more than $45 billion in over 675 companies in more than 35 countries around the world. They take a long-term perspective investing in businesses at all stages of development, from startups to recapitalizations and large-scale buyouts. Their professionals are organised into industry sectors to capitalize upon their understanding of the industry’s products, services, technologies and market trends. The main industries served are financial services, healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, energy and consumer, industrial and services.
5. TA Associates: http://www.ta.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 326,840
TA Associates is one of the most experienced private equity investment firms around having raised over $18 billion of capital. With the ability to invest up to $500 million in any individual company, they help managers of growth companies realise their ambitions. They were founded in 1968 making them one of the oldest firms in the world. Their ownership position has ranged in recent years from 15% to 90% but they are an active, lead investor regardless of equity ownership.They are comfortable with minority or majority positions. Their investments range from $50 million to $500 million in equity and $10 million to $50 million in subordinate debt transactions. They focus on the following industries: technology, financial services, healthcare, business services and consumer. They also focus on profitable growth companies with an emphasis on long-term and consistent growth companies.
6. H.I.G. Capital: http://higcapital.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 536,734
Global Alexa Rating: 536,734
H.I.G. Capital is a leading global private investment firm with over $13 billion of capital under management. They have an investment team of over 250 investment professionals, operating in 7 offices in the United States with affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan and Paris in Europe as well as one in Rio de Janeiro in South America. They have individual funds that each focus on specific types of investments. H.I.G. Private Equity focuses on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt and other investments in small and midsize companies. Bayside Capital is a credit oriented investment firm focused on middle-market companies. H.I.G. WhiteHorse provides debt financing to performing middle-market companies. H.I.G. Growth Partners is a dedicated growth capital investment affiliate. H.I.G. BioVentures invests in a broad range of life science companies across sectors and stages including biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies that are developing novel products for significant novel medical needs. H.I.G. Realty Partners is their real estate investment affiliate making opportunistic investments in small and midsize real estate properties.
7. Eden Ventures: http://www.edenventures.co.uk/
Global Alexa Rating: 724,597
Eden Ventures invests in technology companies in the telecommunications software, enterprise software, SaaS, digital media, e-commerce, Internet, social media, games and mobile sectors. They also offer their portfolio companies considerable operational management expertise in creating businesses of lasting value. Their team is a mix of successful technology entrepreneurs and investment professionals. Their blend of knowledge, experience and skills covers business strategy, sales and marketing, finance and operations, M&A and investment transactions and institutional fund management. Check out their website to read more about their team and to see a list of the companies they have or are working with.
8. MMC Ventures: http://www.mmcventures.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 727,211
MMC Ventures puts those looking for funding and those looking to invest together. They see investing in young dynamic companies as a partnership with the management team and recognise that working closely with their portfolio companies, sharing practical experience they are able to create significant value and synergies. Their website lists those companies they have worked closely with over the past 14 years including those in healthcare, financial services, cleantech, business services, e-commerce, digital media and business software. They back strong management teams with scalable, interesting businesses. Their strategy is to back companies at the early stage of the development. They especially like technology-enabled businesses that can differentiate themselves from their competitors and protect their differentiation, and where they can accelerate growth with their involvement. They also have a full section on the website explaining their investment products giving investors access to professionally managed funds.
9. Kennet: http://www.kennet.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,064,851
Kennet helps successful, entrepreneurial technology businesses in North America and Europe take the next big jump in growth. They are an experienced growth equity team with a track record of building global market leaders in achieving high-value exits. They were established in 1987 and have offices in London and Silicon Valley. They currently have approximately $600 million under management and invest in fast-growing technology, services and digital media businesses across Europe and North America. They particularly like businesses that have identified a way to break out of traditional markets. Their favorite companies are bootstrapped. They invest up to $30 million on their own or as much as $100 million together with their institutional investors or syndicate partners. They usually become minority shareholders, but also acquire controlling positions in companies if appropriate. They eye funding to accelerate expansion, to fund acquisitions, to bolster the balance sheet, or to cash out existing shareholders.
10. Ariadne Capital: http://www.ariadnecapital.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 21,076,119
Global Alexa Rating: 21,076,119
Ariadne Capital is an investment advisory firm which operates as an enabling platform for corporations who seek to build new digital revenues, acquire digital startups and enhance their strategy. They operate in the MediaTech, HealthTech, FinTech and Cleantech ecosystems. Ariadne Capital was founded in 2000 with the backing of 60 founding investors that are committed to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs build world leading companies out of Europe.
There are of course numerous other venture capital firms out there but this list should give companies that need venture capital a place to start. Each of the websites gives information on how to contact them and get started on a discussion about what they can do and what their expectations are. It is also wise to talk with more than one company to see what each has to offer. As with any financial dealing, be sure to do proper due diligence.
