Here are 5 steps for your business to get started
Finding and organizing investors is essential for securing the capital and resources to fuel business growth and development, enabling startups and companies to bring their ideas to fruition and achieve their goals. Crunchbase is a powerful tool that provides data on investors, startups, and market trends, aiding entrepreneurs in making informed decisions and identifying potential funding opportunities. Ascender has exclusive access through a Crunchbase ‘Pro’ account, and to make the most of it, we’re helping you find your future funders! Here are 5 valuable tips to help you access the platform and kickstart your fundraising journey.
1. Familiarize Yourself with Crunchbase
Crunchbase is a useful online platform that provides data on companies, startups, investors, and entrepreneurs. It offers valuable information ranging from who is investing to funding rounds and venture capitalist teams and financial data. The Ascender team shortlisted the following resources for you to learn the basics and get started with Crunchbase:
- All New Ways to Find Opportunities in Crunchbase
- 5 Reasons You Need a Free Crunchbase Account
- How to Use Crunchbase Advanced Search
2. Create a Company Profile on Crunchbase
We highly recommend setting up a profile on Crunchbase — think of it like another Linkedin profile for your business. Over 75 million users are on the platform, including more than a quarter million investors eager to put money behind emerging and growing startups. Setting up a company profile on Crunchbase takes only a few minutes and can significantly increase your visibility among potential investors. Follow Spend time with the resources below for simple instructions on creating your profile:
3. Complete the Ascender Investor Form
Ascender has a Crunchbase ‘Pro’ account, giving us greater access to investor data, advanced search tools, and export lists. As an **exclusive Ascender member perk**, we will help you access a curated list of VCs and Angel investors that might be of interest to you. In order for us to help you, follow these simple steps:
- Fill out the Ascender Crunchbase Investor Form. It’s easy and should only take a few minutes to let us know your funding stage, industry, and round size.
- Once we’ve received your form, Ascender will create a shortlist of potential funders and share it with you to start your fundraising outreach campaign. You’ll receive a CSV file of compatible investors (including their contact information when available).
- To access the Ascender Crunchbase Investor Form, email annia@ascenderpgh.com or log in to Ascender’s Member portal.
4. Research Investors
Once the Ascender team sends you your investor list, spend the time doing a deeper dive into who’s on the list. A free Crunchbase account will help you access crucial information such as descriptions, past investments, and the industries they prioritize.
✴️ Pro Tip: Use the “Investments” tab on an investor’s Crunchbase profile to find detailed investment history.
5. Stay Organized
Keep your fundraising efforts organized by maintaining a list of potential investors. This will help you prioritize your research, contacts, and pitches. You can create an Excel sheet, use our spreadsheet, or use platforms like Foundersuite to store and manage this information effectively. Check out another perspective on how to build your investor pipeline with example emails to help reach out to investors: Build Your Investor Pipeline.
By following these five steps, you’ll be well-prepared to navigate the fundraising process and attract potential investors for your business. For any questions regarding Crunchbase or Ascender funding resources, check out the following pages: Bootstrapping & Fundraising, Make Money Moves, How to create an investor CRM or email our Innovation Director at annia@ascenderpgh.com.
This post was written by Maddox Palladino, our 2023 Summer Intern, Funding Connections. Maddox is a rising senior at Mt. Lebanon High School.
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From fledgling tech companies, healthcare innovators, and nonprofits to makers, creators, services and shops, Ascender is for Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurs. We help businesses of all types in the Pittsburgh region start and build a business through education and connectivity. See how Ascender can help you.
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