Bill Maris and Kevin Rose are just two of the members of
Google’s Investing arm, Google Ventures.
Bill Maris, managing partner of Google Ventures, started out
as a portfolio manager for Swedish biomedical firm, AB. Maris also founded the web-hosting site
Burlee.com recently purchased by Web.com.
Kevin Rose, venture partner at Google Ventures, focuses on
early stage business development and seed investing. Rose was a founding member of Digg.com, a
famous internet review site.
When it comes to business plan development and investing,
these men are major players. In an
interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Maris explained what he looks for
in business plans that makes him want to invest. Maris explained that he looks for companies that
are going to be challenging. He likes
companies that are trying to accomplish the impossible.
This sheds light on an interesting concept. Investors who are passionate about business,
look for people who are just that… Passionate
about business. I think that when
it comes to meetings with investors, you should probably realize what that
person is like, whether its from articles, bios, or past investments.
Another thing Maris mentioned was the fact that it comes
down to the personal preference of the investor when they make their
decision. This is a very helpful tip
when writing and pitching business plans.
You can either generalize the business plan and pitch which would allow
for the most possible investors to be intrigued by it, or focus it very heavily
and go out on the investor hunt and find the right one to invest multiple
millions!
Kevin Rose, interviewed by TechCrunch, explains that as an
investor, he needs to see a business plan that sparks his interest. He needs to find a business concept that
mixes the pot with the competition. For
example, if a business plan outlined a search engine company, but had no unique
quality to separate it from the competition, Rose would pass on the
investment.
The main point of both investors, is to find a business plan
that makes them excited about business.
When developing a business, find a niche or that unique element that
will make you different and stand out.
That is what will attract investors.
Read More @TechCrunch
Read More @SFGate
