How You Can Raise Funds for Your Startup Business in India

All startup businesses begin with exciting new ideas and high hopes. However, it is also an unfortunate fact that most startups run into unforeseen financial and operational difficulties within the first year of their operations.
Business researchers often point to a number of reasons that are responsible for the failure of a promising new venture. Yet, the fact also remains that most of these difficulties arise due to inadequate capital.
Capital is the basic requirement for running any venture and no business can be expected to thrive if it does not have proper financing. That is the reason why the concept of investor funding is so strongly embedded in the startup scene. But, raising funds is not only a tedious exercise, it also determines the future of a startup venture. For instance, you may lose control of your business by giving up a large stake in return for capital funding.
There are a number of ways you can raise funds for a startup business, such as bootstrapping or self-funding, crowdfunding, Angel investment, venture capital, working capital loans, and government programs that help MSMEs. Every one of these methods has its own pros and cons. Let’s have a look.
Source: |
Pros: |
Cons: |
Self-funding:
Using funds from personal savings or borrowings from family and friends or both. |
|
|
Crowdfunding:
Getting funds from crowdfunding platforms by making a pitch and getting capital from interested crowd funders. |
|
|
Angel Investment:
Basically, getting funds from individuals with huge capital worth, willing to invest in new business ideas. |
|
|
Venture Capital:
Venture capitalists are professionals who tend to invest in solid business ideas. However, they rarely seek equity and pull out when a business is acquired or upon IPO. |
|
|
Working Capital Loan:
A loan from a microfinance company or NBFC that especially caters to the needs of small business owners. |
|
|
Government Programs:
Getting funds from the government subject to institutional scrutiny and meeting the policy parameters. |
|
|
So, now that you know about the various ways of raising capital for your startup business, the obvious question that needs asking is – which one is the best?
Well, if you are looking for a quick and hassle-free funding, it means you have already tapped in bootstrapping sources. So, the next best thing here will be getting a working capital loan from an NBFC.
Faster Business Loans without Security
Non-Banking Financial Companies offer loans for business without requiring a collateral. NBFCs are also business sensitive and hence provide quick business loan approvals and disbursements in comparison to traditional banks. For example, a bank may take up to 15 days to process your business loan application whereas you can get a business loan approval within 72 hours by applying with an NBFC like Lendingkart Finance.
Flexible EMIs, Interest Rates and Prepayment Options
Working capital loans for business come with the added benefits like a flexible EMI schedule, lower interest rates and zero prepayment charges. If you are a budding entrepreneur, these benefits can be a godsend for your business. For instance, the ability to customize your EMIs allows you to plan your repayment in tandem with your invoicing cycle. Lower interest rates mean you are not losing precious capital in interest payments. Finally, if at any stage your business starts generating expected profits and you wish to repay your business loan in full, there are no prepayment charges, fees or penalties.
Conclusion
Raising funds for business establishment and growth is always tricky. There are a lot of checkboxes that you need to tick before getting the capital you need. Furthermore, some of the most popular startup funding measures are also the most crowded ones as other entrepreneurs are also having the same funding ideas. Whereas getting funds by giving away equity has its own pitfalls in the long-run and can leave you without any control whatsoever over your business. Alternatively, you can get a bank loan for funding your business but that process is also marred by slow processing, bureaucratic red-tape and the huge risk of collateral loss.
So, amidst such tedious and discouraging scenarios, getting a working capital loan or a business loan from an NBFC like Lendingkart is the most plausible alternative for funding your startup. Add to that the many benefits of NBFC business loans, and the fact that you do not have to give away control over your business for getting working capital funds, and you have a winner on your hands.