What Investors Want

What Investors Want

Imagine you work for an angel investor company and you frequently sit on a panel that assesses applicants for funding.

What key elements do you look for in an applicant’s idea and proposal?
What would make you shy away from supporting an applicant for funding?
Would you have recommended investment in Tio Gazpacho? Why or why not?

Tio Gazpacho: Funding the Opportunity

· What makes for a good investor? This can vary widely, depending on the nature of the new initiative and its stage of development. Initially Austin relied on his own savings and on investments from family and friends. He did not seek an external investor at first because he wanted independence to experiment and refine his product idea.

· After a few years, Austin landed a $1.25M venture capital funding deal with a group of investors led by General Mills’ innovation arm, 301 Inc. This investment arrangement was a win-win because, while providing funding for Tio to expand, it also fulfilled 301 Inc’s purpose, which is to find and fund new innovative food trends that the General Mills company is too large and slow-moving to develop internally. In addition to being Tio’s lead investor, General Mills gained a seat on Tio’s Board, bringing valuable industry expertise and experience in consumer research to Austin’s business.