Preparing to meet private capital: a short checklist

Most first meetings with private capital are decided by questions that could have been answered before the meeting began. Preparing for them takes days, not months, and it changes how a business is read from the first look.

What follows is the checklist we work through with every business before an introduction — and the reasoning behind each item.

The checklist

1. A number. How much you are raising, and why that amount rather than another.
2. A use of funds. What the money will do, in order, and what it changes.
3. A timeline. When you need it, and what happens if it arrives later.
4. The evidence. Accounts for a business; an appraisal, planning position and build cost for a property scheme.
5. The team. Who is doing the work, and what they have done before.
6. The structure. Equity, debt or something between, and what the investor receives.
7. The way out. How and when an investor might expect their capital back.

Why the number matters most

"We are raising around half a million, give or take" tells an investor the plan is not finished. A precise number, tied to a use of funds and a milestone it reaches, tells them it is. It also lets an introducer match you to people who invest at that size — the most common reason a promising meeting goes nowhere is that the two sides were never in the same range.

The one-page summary

Before any detailed materials, prepare one page that covers the seven points above in plain language. It is what most investors read first, and often the only thing they read before deciding whether to read more. Write it for someone intelligent who knows nothing about your business. Leave the adjectives out; let the numbers and the record speak.

The numbers that will be tested

Every serious investor will test the assumptions behind your forecasts: the prices you expect to achieve, the costs you expect to pay, the time things will take. Know which assumptions matter most, show what happens if they move against you, and be ready to explain the evidence for each. An investor who sees that you have already stress-tested your own plan starts the conversation with more confidence in it.

A presence worth finding

Investors look you up. A credible, current online presence — a clear website, consistent information, people who can be found — reassures before a word is spoken. A gap between what your materials say and what a search shows is noticed, and it costs trust that is hard to recover. It is one of the first things we help businesses get right.

Confidentiality, sensibly

It is reasonable to want discretion, and a mutual non-disclosure agreement before sharing detailed information is common. But most investors will not sign one simply to read a summary. Share the overview freely, keep the sensitive detail for those who have shown real interest, and agree confidentiality at that stage. We describe opportunities without naming the business until both sides want to proceed.

Know your range

Every source of capital has a range it works in. Ours sits at roughly £100k to £1m: below that, an introduction rarely justifies the process; above it, an institutional adviser will usually serve you better. Knowing where you sit saves time on every side.

When you are not ready yet

Not being ready is common, and nothing to hide. It is far better to hear it early than to reach investors before the answers exist — a first impression with the wrong materials is hard to undo. Part of our work is helping a project reach the point where it can be seen, and telling you plainly when it has.