Is Venture Capital Broken?

Jan. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Venture capital funding nationwide is at its lowest rate in at least five years, according to a Thomson Reuters/National Venture Capital Association study released Monday. The Venture Alliance (www.tvausa.com)offers entrepreneurs a chance to get venture capital. from sources they never could have in the past.

Up until now, entrepreneurs got venture capital, or angel investor money only if they knew the "right people". The Venture Alliance's proprietary scoring method gives entrepreneurs a chance to access angel investors and venture capital that they never could have before.

"Most entrepreneurs, lack the contacts needed to get in front of Venture Capitalists that can give you the funding your company needs," says Jim Casparie CEO of TVA. "TVA's mission is to get great companies the funding that would be near impossible to get on their own," continues Casparie.

Frustrated with the wasted time and effort in finding the proverbial needle in the haystack, TVA developed a unique algorithm that scores start-ups not unlike how your FICO score helps you know where you stand with your banker. The higher the start-up's score, the more likely they are to get venture capital.

Getting a report that tells you how you might "score" with an investor would be interesting by itself but, TVA has built onto this benefit by enabling high-scoring companies to receive unbeatable recognition. In a joint effort with Forbes.com and Forbes Magazine, TVA set out to find America's Most Promising Companies by using multiple variations of their scoring process.

After a preliminary round of sending thousands of entrepreneurs through an automated, online survey that allowed for an unbiased first screening, the finalists were invited to go through TVA's unabridged scoring process. Those that "make the cut" are then published both online at Forbes.com and in the magazine thus receiving unparalleled publicity. Brian Javeline, President and Co-Founder of MyOnlineToolbox, one of the finalists said, "TVA gave me access to capital sources that I would never been able to get without their help."

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About The Venture Alliance:
TVA is the only company in the country that has developed a proven-consistent methodology to evaluate how a company might rate with professional investors. TVA offers a FREE version that will give entrepreneurs a rough idea of how they might rate. Then, based on the entrepreneurs level of interest and response to the first report, allows them to progressively pursue a "customized pathway" to improving their funding chances.

The ultimate product offered by TVA is their "Fundability Analysis" -- where entrepreneurs must answer up to 1,000 questions (typical of what a professional investor might ask them). Once completed, the entrepreneur receives a 10-15 page report that provides a SWOT analysis and concludes with a numerical rating (based on a 1,200 point scale). Over the last seven years, over 8,000 companies have been rated and, of those scoring over 1,000 points, >50% have been funded.