The site lists historical information from 1997 in terms of who was funded, what category and state. The PriceWaterhouseCoopers Money Tree Survey is a quarterly study of equity investments made by the VC community of emerging companies in the United States. It represents a good benchmark site for the latest US trends. What Venture Capitalist's Look For A quick brief on the general criteria for these types of investments. How To Approach the Venture Capital Firms Presents some general steps in the process of finding and courting the VCs.
Entrepreneurs can raise venture capital through the private sale of shares to a few individuals.
Business angels are high wealth individuals who, rather than going to Los Vegas to gamble, place a bet on the probability that a business will grow and prosper. Normally an angel is a millionaire who built, ran and cashed out on a successful company. Business angels are interested in growing the venture and often contribute their expertise, contacts, and overall business knowledge to the venture. As with venture capitalists, a clear exit strategy is important. Like VCs, they invest in the business on the strength of the entrepreneur's business plan, the inherent opportunity and the strength of the management team.