# It is advisable to do enough research to determine which providers of venture capital are appropriate candidates for possibly financing an enterprise.
# A traditional - and often reliable - means of locating sources of VC is by word-of-mouth. Check out the Who’s Who of key players, suppliers and distributors in your industry, past and current business contacts, monied contacts in the professional world (doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc.) An additional source is qualified referrals based on experience of third parties.
# Directories of venture capital investors:
The Canadian Venture Capital Association publishes an annual directory of its members; this information is also accessible on the CVCA website (see lists of links at end of this document).
There are a number of other directories of VC published in-print or online, such as The Money Book, published by Venture Alberta Magazine (see lists of links at end of this document),or Pratt’s Guide to Venture Capital Sources.
The Business Link Library has several directories of venture capital sources.
# There are a variety of online “matchmaking” services currently on the Internet which attempt to connect VC investors with suitable investment opportunities, usually for a fee. Critical judgement should be exercised in using such services, whose quality may vary. Online “matchmaking” generally has a much lower success rate than most people looking for VC would wish.
Links to websites and directories for sources of venture capital:
* Canadian Venture Capital Association
* Directory of Canadian VC sources (Strategis)
* VentureAlberta.com
* Ventures West Inc.
Links to websites with more detailed information or additional resources on the subject of venture capital:
* Ventures West Inc.
Several VC business plan guides available to download here.
* vFinance.com
U.S. website for VC resources: directory of sources, downloadable business plans, and more.
Additional sources of information about venture capital:
* The Business Link Library has a number of books available on the subjects of venture capital, business financing in general, and related topics.
* The following links to documents on The Business Link website provide information on venture capital services from other organizations:
o Alberta Deal Generator
o Venture Capital
