How to Start Raising Capital and Close Your First Investor
How to Get Started Raising Capital & Close Your First Investor
First-time capital raisers and emerging fund managers who want practical first steps before approaching investors.
What this talk covers
Richard C. Richard says a basic website and a professional email address can each cost about $10, and both should exist before any investor outreach. The talk covers the first points of a seven part approach to starting capital raising and closing a first investor. The first is taking yourself seriously, with a logo, one-liner, email signature, office address and a small track record.
The second point is finding where your strengths, your competitors' work and investor demand overlap. The third is investor focus. Richard C. Wilson lists 14 areas that change with the investor type, including wording, graphics, terms, service providers, minimum investment and strategy. He advises starting local or regional, within a one to three hour flight, unless a niche investor brings pre-qualified expertise.
- 1Take yourself seriously
- 2Set up basic brand pieces
- 3Find your unique position
- 4Choose one investor focus
- 5Start local or regional
5 key takeaways
- Take yourself seriously first. Richard C. Richard says the more seriously you take yourself, the more seriously others will take you. Do not ask others to invest before you have put in your own time, energy and a little money.
- Get the basic brand pieces. A professional email, a website, a logo, a one-liner, an email signature and an office address or PO box are the basics. He notes a basic website and email cost about $10 each, and a polished website may cost $2,500 to $5,000.
- Find your unique position. Look at the overlap of your strengths, what competitors are doing and what investors want. Competing where customers do not want the product is what he calls the dumb zone.
- Match everything to one investor type. Angel club members, high net worth individuals, business owners and institutions each expect different words, graphics, terms, service providers and minimum investments. Your strategy and how you explain it may need to change too.
- Start local, then expand. He suggests starting local or regional, with trips of one to three hours by flight. Going farther makes sense when a class of investors is pre-qualified for your niche, such as a SaaS investor leading diligence on a subscription deal.
Quotes from the session
"The more seriously you take yourself, the more seriously others will take you."
"People don't want to get another email about an investment firm that sounds like the other 200 that emailed them that same day."
"Everything you do, say, look like, act on, who you meet with should be customized to the investor you're focused on."
On the record
- Richard C. Richard says a basic website and a professional email address can each cost about $10, while a polished website may cost $2,500 to $5,000.
- Richard C. Richard says the type of investor you choose changes 14 areas of your approach, from graphics to minimum investment.
- He suggests starting with investors within a one to three hour flight so you can return the same day.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: How to Get Started Raising Capital & Close Your First Investor. Quotes come from the video captions, lightly edited for readability. Figures are the speakers' own estimates and experience.
General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
Talk to a securities attorney to explore options around investor outreach rules, offering terms and track record presentation. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.
Related questions
- What is a pre-seed round and who invests in it?A pre-seed round is the earliest outside money a startup raises, often before it has real revenue.
- How do I negotiate valuation with an early investor?Start with a valuation you can defend with traction and numbers, then expect the investor to push back.
- How do I value an early-stage company with no revenue?You value it on proof instead of earnings.
Questions about this video
What should I have in place before asking investors for money?
A professional email address, a website, a logo, a one-liner, an email signature and an office address or PO box. He also suggests a track record timeline, even if it only shows small hits.
How much do the basics cost?
He says a basic website and a professional email each cost about $10. A professional, polished website may cost $2,500 to $5,000, depending on scope.
Should I raise capital locally or far away?
He would start local or regional, within a one to three hour flight. Going farther fits when you find investors pre-qualified for your niche.
Put this into practice with the ready to raise checklist. See all capital raising mindset resources.
