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Entrepreneur FAQHow do I submit a pitch? The first step is to register as an entrepreneur. Then you'll be able to submit a pitch using our simple online form. Why do I keep getting an error message when I try to login? You must enter your email address and password with the same mix of upper and lower case letters you used when you registered. Often the problem is that a registered email address has an initial capital letter in it that is not being entered when you try to login. If you continue to have login problems use the Contact Us form to let us know. Why is nothing happening when I try to login? If you are submitting your login info and nothing appears to happen (i.e., you are not getting an error message) then the most likely reason is you are still logged in. If you leave the site without logging out, your login is remembered for 2 to 3 hours before it expires. When you return you can access your login area by clicking the "Entrepreneurs" link (or sublinks) in the top navigation bar (between the "Home" and "Investors" link). Where the "Entrepreneurs" link goes depends on whether you are logged in or not. TIP: You can mouse over the "Entrepreneurs" link to see what links are available and this will tell you whether you are still logged in or not. What information should I include in my pitch? There are tips in the pitch form about what to include in each section. Basic items that investors expect to see in a pitch are: a brief history of your business, what you need the funding for, why your company will succeeed, what relevent experience or expertise you or your team might have, what you are prepared to offer investors in return for funding. I would like to contact a specific investor listed on your site? It is up to the investor to decide if they want to connect with entrepreneurs based upon their pitch. It is part of our privacy policy with investors that we only provide their contact info to entrepreneurs when they express interest in the entrepreneur's proposal. We do not provide investor contact info otherwise. Can I upload my business plan? Yes, the Premium Service package allows you to upload additional documents for investors to view, including your business plan and/or whatever other documents you wish to share (e.g., pitchdeck, financials, executive summary, etc..) How can I protect the confidentiality of my idea? If you are worried about confidentiality we'd advise you to write enough to get investors interested in your project without revealing any sensitive information. Once you start discussions with an investor, you may want to ask them to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you release more information. Can pitches be edited after launch? Yes, pitches can be edited at any time. Free Basic Service pitches will be reviewed after each edit to make sure no contact details have been included. You should try to refrain from making edits to a free proposal in the first few hours of it being released as there could be delays in reapproving and investors will not be able to find your proposal when they look for it. Edits to Referral and Premium Service pitches do not need to be re-approved. What are the costs? See the "Our Rates" page in the Entrepreneurs section of the site to find out more about what is included in our three packages. The Free Basic Service is $0, but has limitations in what you can include in your pitch and in your ability to follow up with investors who express interest. The Referral Service is $149 has no limitations on what you can include in your pitch and allows you to follow up with interested investors. The Premium Service fee is $249 and offers all the features of the Referral Service plus the ability to create an enhanced pitch and to have enhanced advertising on the site. Do I have to pay for every contact? No, your payment gives you access to the contact details of ALL the investors who show an interest in your pitch. How can I pay? We primarily use PayPal to process payments. You do not need an account with PayPal to make a payment as they offer the option to pay by credit card. Most people pay by credit card. If you have issues using PayPal contact us and we can make arrangements to use the Stripe payment service. NOTE: We do not off Paypal's eCheck option as the significant delays in clearing causes too much frustration for entrepreneurs. Can I choose Referral Service first and then upgrade to the Premium Service later? Yes, you can upgrade from the Referral Service to the Premium Service at any time and only have to pay the price difference. Does my payment apply to all the proposals I submit? No, your payment applies to the specific proposal that you pay the fee for. It is a per-proposal fee. What happens at the end of the 180-day listing? Before the end of your 180-day listing period you can opt to pay to resend or renew your pitch. Your pitch will then be renewed for another 180 days and will be resent to the investors. If no payment is made, you proposal will simply expire and be move to an "Archived Proposals" area of your login area. Am I ever automatically billed to keep my proposal active on the site? We never do automatic billing. Your proposal will simply expire after 180 days if you do not pay to have your proposal Resent or Renewed to keep it alive for another 180 days from the date of these payments. Do I need to do my own due diligence? We carry out a number of checks on each investor when they register, but you also need to do your own due diligence on any investor you deal with. Please check out the Security Notices page in your login area for things to look out for. Consult with legal council before paying any fee in advance of receiving funding (i.e., upfront fees). Contact us if you have any suspicions. To maintain accountability, you should only deal with registered investors or investors who have been specifically referred by a registered investor. Ask questions, get references. How do I delete my account or proposal? You can contact the site administrator using the Contact Us form to request deletion. You may also request that your proposal be set back to draft mode so that it can no longer be viewed by anyone but you can still view it and any interested investors who may have expressed interest in your proposal. I have other questions. Who do I contact? You can connect with us via our Contact Us form. |
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Illinois Investors
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