You have a brilliant business idea but you don’t have funds to push it through. A lot of new businesses fail in their first year due to inadequate funds. Lack of funding and capital is one of the common reasons why businesses fail in Nigeria. Every business requires funding to survive and to thrive amongst the competition.
As an entrepreneur, getting investors to finance your business idea should be on your agenda – especially if you don’t have enough funds at your disposal to run the business. The good news is that there are many ways to get business investors in Nigeria. If you are looking to raise money for your startup, this article is for you. Here are the best ways to find business investors in Nigeria.
Social Media
Virtually everyone in this digital age is registered on a social media platform. Apart from connecting with family, colleagues & friends, social media is a good place to find investors for your business in Nigeria.
LinkedIn is at the forefront in terms of connecting with investors and other entrepreneurs. The platform enables professional interaction with investors, you can use it to source for investors interested in your business or startup.
Online Forums
Online Forums is one of the quickest places to find investors for your business. Irrespective of your business industry, be it fintech, agriculture, cryptocurrency, eCommerce, you will find investors who are interested in it.
A lot of entrepreneurs received funding for their startup through an investor or an investment company who they met online. Nigeria’s biggest forum, Nairaland is one of the best places to find investors. The website is categorized into sections that give you quick access to people interested in your offer.
For instance, if you have a startup company that focuses on catfish farming and production, the business and agriculture section on Nairaland will help you connect and build business relationships with entrepreneurs and investors.
E-Mail Proposals
This is the act of sending email messages to prospective investors who might be interested in your startup. This method is not very popular because some investors see the mails as unsolicited spam emails and may not be interested. The effectiveness of this system vary, it could work for you.
To start the campaign, collect the email addresses of prospective investors, then send out messages to these investors. Ensure that you introduce yourself and your business idea should be properly documented.
Angel Investors
Angel Investors is no doubt the best place for new entrepreneurs to get funding for their businesses. An angel investor is a person or company who has enough capital to invest in your business idea but will invest in exchange for some ownership equity. However, most people especially beginners do not know where to find angel investors in Nigeria.
You can find angel investors on social gatherings. Social gatherings like workshops and seminars can have some industry players, experts, and stakeholders in attendance. Another place is by contacting investor platforms and networks. Examples of these networks include Lagos Angel Network (LAN), Venture Platform, SPARK Capital, SLA Accelerator, GreenTree Investment Company, etc.