Angel Financing--How to Use Trade Associations (Part VI)

Rule 6: Use Trade/Industry Associations to Find Angels

Forget trotting to the local meeting and talking to folks looking to make a sale of their own. Go to the top. Look for the board of directors, the ex officio members and even the professional service advisors. These are the folks you’ve got to meet and develop a relationship with, find out if they or someone they know might likely invest, and get introductions to those folks.

Don’t just look at your immediate trade association. Look at the trade associations of your most critical existing or potential customers. If your product or service really does solve huge problems for these customers, you are more likely to find potential investors at those trade groups.