How to find an investor for a website?

[Raza Rizvi]

Hey guys,
So i've been working on something since last 3 months and its almost 80% ready. The concept behind this website its very unique and and its a social network but totally different from other social networks , for example you cant just compare fb with pinterest, right? in the same way my website can not be compared with any other social networks that exists.

Now the biggest problem is that i have very limited amount of money left. I hired someone to develop it + (android, IOS, Windows app) . At the end i was left with nothing more than a thousand dollars . Its impossible to promote it for 1000 dollars.
So my question is how do i find an investor for this website and also protect people from stealing the concept. I am not bragging but i am sure that this idea is worth millions.

[Edit]: I found few reputable companies like Angle investors etc, but what if they steal the concept instead of helping me out?

 

[ok888]

I maybe interested


Can you pm me more info

 

[Veyron]

Good luck with your project, you'l more then likely find someone here however I'd reach out to fund raising networks (Crowd Funding Possibly) or maybe even reach out to friends and family. Also, I'd do some networking as well on sites like LinkedIn. There's tons of investors looking for good investment opportunities so if your proposal and concept is compelling enough I'm sure you won't have a difficult time finding an investor.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

Good luck with your project, you'l more then likely find someone here however I'd reach out to fund raising networks (Crowd Funding Possibly) or maybe even reach out to friends and family. Also, I'd do some networking as well on sites like LinkedIn. There's tons of investors looking for good investment opportunities so if your proposal and concept is compelling enough I'm sure you won't have a difficult time finding an investor.

Thanks for your answer. But I also need to protect my idea. I mean its obvious that I have to explain each and everything about the website before those big networks invest.How do I make sure they don't steal it?

 

[corneliusw]

Friends & Family would be the best start for investors. Crowd funding is next. Your not going to find any investor unless you live in those startup cities. They typically want you to work local.

BTW it's not impossible to market it for $1,000. Bust your butt off doing free marketing and you can still bring in thousands of people. I have worked with marketing budgets of $0 and still develop several websites that earned monthly double figure incomes. It's the hard way, but if you don't have the funds or prefer not to spend on marketing then it's the only way. Even a $20,000 budget won't immediately propel you to success because there will be a lot of trail and error. That 20k will go away quick and you probably won't get much out of it unless you're a very experienced marketer and you do your research properly. Even being a great marketer, with this being a social network you will be down 20k for the first month and will remain in the hole for quite some time. Most marketers have a tough time breaking even with sales websites during the 1st month if they're spending several thousand of dollars on marketing, and you my friend are working on a social network which is much tougher to create sales from.

If your idea is as great as you think it is just get it going without waiting for someone to help you. Also don't worry about someone stealing your idea, it's going to happen regardless. If you become a hit then it will happen sooner than you think. There will always be competition, you just have to be better than the rest. If your afraid of competition then perhaps your idea isn't too good to begin with or your not the right person leading the ship.

GL though with it all! If you need advice ever just shoot me a message. I've been around since 96 and have always been open to give advice to people creating startups.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

Thanks for the advice. I just saw on wikipedia that crownfuding is also available in Turkey. I am already going to Turkey in Aug 2014 so maybe I have a chance . Secondly I know that the concept would be stolen sooner or later but how do I ensure that they don't become popular before I do

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

Another social network...you do know that there are hundreds of different (and original) social networks out there? What is so special about your project?

I am already going to Turkey in Aug 2014 so maybe I have a chance

Why don't you wait few more years?

crownfuding is also available in Turkey

ever heard of Indiegogo?

 

[Veyron]

Thanks for your answer. But I also need to protect my idea. I mean its obvious that I have to explain each and everything about the website before those big networks invest.How do I make sure they don't steal it?

Non Disclosure Agreement.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

What is so special about your project?

From A -Z everything is different. Its not something to keep in touch with others like Fb, or a photosharing or video sharing website.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

Non Disclosure Agreement.

Thanks I guess I was exactly looking for something like this. I will research on preparing a non disclosure agreement

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

Non Disclosure Agreement.

This will work with people from USA/EU, people from other countries will sign this just to take your project.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

This will work with people from USA/EU, people from other countries will sign this just to take your project.

So what do you suggest?

 

[lancis]

Thanks for your answer. But I also need to protect my idea. I mean its obvious that I have to explain each and everything about the website before those big networks invest.How do I make sure they don't steal it?

The big guys wouldnt steal it, the idea interests them as much as the person who will push it forward (which is you).

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

So what do you suggest?

Tell me what you have . If you don't trust me who're you gonna trust?

 

[Rokebono]

protect people from stealing the concept.

You can't. If it proves to be easily scalable and profitable people will steal it anyway from the first minutes they see it. Given the fact that it's a social network idea I wouldn't worry about stealing as there are social networks popping up daily like mushrooms and only few of them reach their target.

I am not bragging but i am sure that this idea is worth millions.

Of course it's worth millions and it's the best idea out there when it's your baby.

[Edit]: I found few reputable companies like Angle investors etc, but what if they steal the concept instead of helping me out?

Investors rarely invest in ideas, they go with their gut and invest only in people that they are confident they have the skills or at least they have a proven track record of executing an idea, if you don't have a track record with your site it's a question mark for the investor regarding your ability to execute it.

But I also need to protect my idea.

Actually you should do the contrary, go out there and find people who would be interested to become your users, ask for feedback, advices etc

 

[Raza Rizvi]

I just came across a website called gofundme.com . Is it allowed there to raise money to promote a website? If somebody has any experience with it

 

[IMTopgun]

Start looking for investors locally, successful business owners near where you live so they can meet you face-to-face and get a feel for your character and you can take the time to explain your concept to them fully. Crowd funding for online investor search.

 

[LeadGenProfits]

I wouldn't seek an investor if I was you. You WILL have to explain your concept in detail....there's no way around it. Instead, buy professional press releases to get your brand known and your concept associated with your brand as early as possible. This is the most critical aspect! Follow that up with the following:

1. Social Media - Go crazy promoting on social media. It's free and at least you know the market you're reaching is into social media. Buy or barter shout-outs on Instagram & Twitter. Post in as many relevant forums as possible. Do guest blogging. Create YT videos describing and demonstrating the platform.

2. Guerrilla Tactics - Get flyers and distribute them at high schools & colleges, sporting events, the beach, whatever. When you can afford it, try to get a cool vehicle wrapped to use distributing the flyers. Post lots of photos of the people you meet (next to the branded vehicle) on IG, FB, Twitter, Flckr, etc. Try to get a high profile person as an early adopter (athlete, musician, actress, etc.) and promote the hell out of that.

Give away prizes. They don't have to be high value. Something like every X number of posts (or whatever) you randomly give away a restaurant gift card or a iTunes gift card (whatever is most appealing to your target audience) The catch is the winner has to be on the site at the time or you'll select another winner (to encourage people to stay on the site) Have a grand prize for the most active user each month (based on activity, social shares, etc.) Promote all prize winners heavily on social media.

3. Once you've gained a little traction and have solid proof of concept, you can try for investors. Friends and family first obviously. Spend this money very wisely, your #1 objective is to position yourself for first round seed funding. Try crowd funding and Prosper. Next would be angel investors. Many angels have contacts in venture capital which is ultimately where you want to be.

You can do it, just make sure you give 1,000 percent effort during the initial push.

 

[Raza Rizvi]

Thanks a lot I agree that crowdfunding is what i am looking for right now. But its still very difficult to promote a fund raising campaign

 

[LeadGenProfits]

Do you just need a marketing budget or is there still programming to do also?