Venture Capital Investment

BrianDunning.com's Thunderwood-B Investment Fund is set aside for companies with innovative products and services in the FileMaker industry.

Companies can be at any stage, so long as their primary product, service, or technology is complementary to, or dependent upon, FileMaker. We're looking for companies with differentiated products or services, and capital efficient business models. Thunderwood-B will make investments in to $50,000 to $500,000 range.

As of September 2007, Thunderwood-B has been fully invested and is closed to new applicants.

Successful applications will include:

• Top management teams. This is 60% about the team, and 40% about the product. We're looking for proven business success, not years of technical experience.
• Thorough financial statements and supportable proformas. Break down how the funds are to be used.
• Sustainable competitive advantage.
• Realistic exit strategy.

Please read this PDF document, as it provides a good overview of what we're looking for, and what you should expect when contacting us.

Initial inquiries should include an executive summary. Please do not make initial inquiries by telephone, or make unsolicited submissions of complete business plans.

Email brian[at]briandunning.com.

Executive summaries should be no more than a page or two and should summarize a complete business plan. This is a partial list of what your executive summary should include:

• The management team that will be dedicated full-time to the project: proven successful businesspeople, not just guys with years of technical experience. Your best foot forward is your CEO (even if he will not join the company until after an investment is made), who is (ideally) someone who has successfully taken a company through a liquidity event before.
• Financial performance to date, summarized proformas, and specific usage of funds.
• Existing customers, market description, probable exit strategies. Don't just assume that an IPO is realistic: if it is (it's probably not), then there are also more likely M&A scenarios.
• A description of the product or service, and why it has a sustainable competitive advantage. What's uniquely valuable about it that frustrates competition and intrigues investors?
• Remember: the LESS money it takes to get you to your goal, the more attractive your presentation becomes.

Just as a note: because of the nature of the venture capital business, prospective investors will never (can never) sign an NDA, so don't ask. :)