For the entrepreneur with a well-developed business proposition, a team which has previous experience of running a successful business and a properly researched market, where the product or service has the potential to capture a leading stake in the market or a carefully targeted segment of the market, the time has never been better to seek venture capital financing. Knowing how to approach venture capital firms is key and it is also essential to have at least a basic understanding how they go about appraising an investment proposition.

A useful book Raising Venture Capital Finance in Europe focuses on the entire venture capital process from how to select and approach a venture capital firm, how the venture capitalist goes about appraising the entrepreneur’s proposition, how he or she negotiates the terms of the deal, through the due diligence process, dealing with warranties and indemnities, post-investment monitoring by the venture capital firm and, to exit routes including trade sales and stock market floatations.

The book is written in layman’s terms, with terminology clearly explained. Practical advise on preparing a business plan in a form suitable for submitting to a venture capitalist, including the key areas of the quality and experience of the entrepreneur and his or her management team. Alternative sources of finance to venture capital are also covered, including government sources, business angel finance and loan and asset-backed finance.