Point Positive members are high net worth individuals who are interested in investing in promising early stage ventures in the Adirondack Region with seed and startup capital. They typically have reserved a portion of their portfolios for higher risk opportunities that have the potential to achieve higher returns than the typical public markets provide. Our members are active investors - who contribute their time and experience, as well as offer introductions to valuable contacts essential to a funded company's success.
Before making a Pitch, we suggest you review the following checklist to make sure that your business idea is a good fit for Point Positive. If you are unsure, please contact Melinda Little, Point Positive's Coordinator, before creating your Pitch Document.
Location: Is your business currently or will it be based in the Adirondack region, within an appproximately 2-hour drive of Saranac Lake, NY?
Management Team: Is your team experienced, driven, coachable, and willing to cede some control and decision making authority to outside investors? Have you launched a startup before?
Target Customer: Do you have an identifiable market segment? Is there a demonstrable and significant demand for your proposed solution?
Market Size: Is your business scalable? Is the projected spending in your product or service category large and growing? Can this be a $100 million market?
Competition: Have you identified potential competitors? Do you understand your company's differentiation points? Will true barriers to entry help your company to maintain a competitive advantage? Are there single source suppliers of concern? What might be substitutes for your product or service?
Technology: Have you proven the concept behind your product or technology? Can this be confirmed with data or by objective experts? Have you built a comprehensive business plan to commercialize the technology?
Operations and Legal: What is your legal structure? Are there permits you'll need? Where will you be located? What processes will you use to produce your product or service? What positions will you need to fill and what skill levels will you need them to have?
Protected Intellectual Property: Have you protected your intellectual property by whatever means is appropriate? Have you performed an exhaustive search to be sure that you are not infringing on patents or trademarks held by others?
Sales and Distribution Strategy: Do you have a plan to achieve widespread market penetration for your products and services? How will you do this as efficiently as possible? Will you create an internal, direct sales team, or will you rely on external partners?
Profit Potential: Can you demonstrate how high margins (+15%) and consistent cash flow growth will be achieved?
Capital Needs: Do you require between $50,000 and $500,000 to finance growth activities, including product development, recruiting key staff, launching sales and marketing activity? Note: Deals with a larger upper limit will be considered; these may involve syndication with other angel groups.
Financial Projections: Have you developed reasonable financial projections - including an income statement, cash flow and balance sheet and supporting spreadsheets - based on logical, realistic assumptions? When is the business expected to be cash positive?
Exit Strategy: Do you have a clear exit strategy that will enable angel investors to generate a significant return on their initial investment?
Business Plan: Have you developed a comprehensive business plan that articulates your key business strategies for how you will grow your venture?
