1. Startup Funding & Resources RJ Pahura CEO – Venture Connects

2.  Originally from Kansas City - Reside in Chicago  Professional entrepreneur and passionate networker  Serve on several boards in the Chicagoland area  CEO of Venture Connects, LLC – An angel funding platform for small business owners  Been apart of 5+ startup companies and also worked corporate America for 10 years  Published in Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Times, Crains Business Journal and the International Times and other notable periodicals

3.  1 st timer vs. seasoned  Going from startup to billionaire  The Lean Startup  Adjusting to business needs  Capitalizing from the start  Control your vision & path

4.  Tangible & Intangible  Your network  Strategic partnerships  Vendor relationships  Barter/Trade  Angel groups  Startup pitches

5.  You have the entrepreneurial bug  Test the theory  Choose your partners wisely  Come up with a “MVP”  Know everything about your idea  Be frugal about all monetary spending  Plan accordingly  Grow and adapt

6.  Traditional / Alternative lending (Debt)  Self funded  Friends & family (F&F)  Extended acquaintances  Angel investor  Venture capital  Crowd funding  Other

7.  Why?  Full time job to raise money  Idea of bringing everything together  What we do?

8. RJ Pahura www.ventureconnects.biz