The three types of investors in a business are pre-investors, passive investors, and active investors. Pre-investors are those that are not professional investors. These include friends and family that are able to commit a small amount of capital towards your business. Passive investors are those that are professional investors that commit capital but do not play an active role in managing the business. An example would be angel investors. Active investors are those that commit capital but are also actively involved in the business. They make decisions on strategy, senior management, and more. Examples include venture capitalists and private equity firms.