At one point of a start up do you think its best to seek out working partners as well angels and VCs? At the idea stage? Prototype stage? Working product?

It’s never to early to start a conversation, asking for advice is a great way to get a foot in the door and also get some genuine feedback on what you are thinking about.

I wouldn’t be out calling VC’s at the idea stage but go to events and bounce your ideas of a few angels and investors – see if they grimace……

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When an investor wants to inject capital into your busines do you give him a stake in business or do you take it as a loan that gains interest.what's the best way to go for...

Answered by Tara Hunt – Founder, Buyosphere

This is an 'it depends' answer. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. In our case, we did our entire Friends & Family round as convertible debt. That was the best... (more)

You guys seem to have pretty good visibility in the valley - especially for a Canadian company. Has that been a purposeful strategy? Do you think it's important for startup...

Answered by Daniel Debow – Founder, Rypple

Thanks. Yes, it has been purposeful. But not because of the "attention". We knew that we have an innovative idea/service that is most likely to be picked up where there ... (more)

Mark - Thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions. I am building a solution to better connect car buyers and dealerships (http://bidzuku.com), my team consist...

Answered by Mark MacLeod – Partner, Real Ventures

You should look for funding when there is a clear milestone that can be accomplished. Either to complete your product and/ or to get it in market and validate it. No one ... (more)

It seems like everyone is raising money or getting bought by other companys these days. Is it a bubble or do you think its the new norm?

Answered by Tony Conrad – Founder of about.me, partner at True Ventures.

there is a lot of activity right now, for sure. the bubble question really depends on stage of market. we're seeing companies get ahead of themselves (valuation wise, struc... (more)

How important do you think it is for a startup company to launch a blog?

Answered by Rick Spence – Entrepreneurship writer.

Great question. My belief is that blogs work best for organizations that have lots of readily available or easily developed content that their customers really want. Thi... (more)

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