In addition to the great ideas identified in the post and discussed in the comments, I feel that raising and putting up your profile also helps a lot when the time to face funders arises. There are now a lot of fora where this could be executed, social media is a prominent. This can be achieved without necessarily giving away the substance of the idea.

Although not immediately, comparable, but examples of this abound: Facebook. Profile was already high. When they went to the fund market it was waiting for them ( whether they were making money or not ).

Thanks Kamutula for your insights.

Excellent points, Minerva!
They really speak to preparation – knowing the intricacies of your idea, and what is needed to implement it successfully, and also, researching prospective investors in order to customise the pitch and make it more effective.

John, as much as I wholly agree about putting some skin in, I think often it’s much the question of having the idea but no funds.

That’s why I agree with Minerva’s “customisation” concept; targeting specific investors and fashioning the pitch in such a way that it is tailor-made for them. That has the sure-fire of succeeding.

Absolutely true, John!

It is important to show that you have put some skin in the game. Quite often I find persons are looking for investors in their sure-fire venture, but are not prepared to invest in it themselves…