“Entrepreneurs Meet Accredited Investors”
Gust is a global SaaS funding platform that connects start-ups with the largest collection of investors across the world, serving as a virtual intermediary between skilled entrepreneurs and canny investors. A platform for sourcing and managing start-ups in their embryonic stages; the “Software as a Service” SaaS, is a software service that delivers functions remotely on a web-based platform, allowing businesses to access online functionality as an alternative to licensed applications, software installation and hardware management. The SaaS funding platform is endorsed by prominent angel investors and venture capital associations.
The New York based company was founded in 2004, by David Rose, and initially held privately under the name “Angelsoft,” before re-branding and relaunching as a new platform service called Gust.com. The search optimizing tools allow investors to filter and narrowly target start-ups that match their interests. The funding platform has aggregated a global disparity by powering over 1,000 investment organizations in over 80 countries, and the myriad of small businesses and skilled entrepreneurs capitalizing on the funding platform has proliferated beyond 200,000, allowing start-ups to connect and collaborate with over 40,000 accredited investors.
Entrepreneurial funding space platforms are prevalent online, operations that connect start-ups and investors, hundreds have made their inception and faded into oblivion. The daunting task of fundraising can be a cumbersome process for entrepreneurs, or due diligence by investors before administering capitals, and social medias are good impetus to finding investors. Services such as LinkedIn, a social business oriented social networking service where entrepreneurs can connect and network, but the myriad of start-ups seeking funding greatly outweigh the quantity of investors, hence through platforms like Gust, crowdfunding portals, marketplace, social network and user-friendly platform, entrepreneurs company information can be shared with accredited investment organizations, a place where investors initiative is to actively fund start-up companies.
A practical database allowing search curating based on; investor, organization type, location and industry for both investors and start-ups, this allows prospective start-up companies and canny investors to curtail their searches and review detailed profiles to find investors or entrepreneurs that fit their criteria. The prominent serial entrepreneur and angel investor David S Rose has published a book called Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money, an invaluable Introduction and information source for investors considering investments in start-ups.
Interview with David S. Rose for The Harlem Times
Harlem Times: What inspired you to become an angel investor?
David S. Rose:Â My great uncle, the original David Rose, he was the angel investor behind the portable artificial kidney.
Harlem Times: How did the Gust SaaS Global Funding Platform start?
David S. Rose:Â From its inception, Gust dedication was centered around building a global platform for early stage finance, an objective centered around high-growth start-up companies with smart angel investors. Since it’s easier to find people who want money compared to who have money, we focused on the more difficult side and built a platform dedicated to support angel investors in groups. The market expanded when usage grew, so we added support for start-up entrepreneurs, venture capital funds, incubators and other participants. Today Gust has over 1,000 investment organizations, over 50,000 angel investors and over 200,000 start-ups.
Harlem Times: Can you tell us more about the partnership with Digital.NYC?
David S. Rose: Digital.NYC is a comprehensive website constantly updating and provided directly by the original source. There’s over 10,000 New York City start-ups in the Digital.NYC database, and they’ve all directly and personally entered and maintained their own information, and that includes information about jobs, work spaces, events, classes etc.—and all content derive from real-time data feeds. Digital.NYC is the crux of Bill de Blasio administration’s objective to increase diversity, accessibility in the City’s digital sector
Harlem Times: How does it feel to make a bad investment?
David S. Rose: The first time, it’s devastating. The second time, it’s painful. After that, it’s just a disappointing experience. Professional investors know the risk involved and some of their investments will be unsuccessful, but the overall benefits are profitable because of the start-ups that gain financial success. This business requires mental and emotional preparation, and if someone’s not prepared for those facts of life they should avoid becoming an angel investor.
Harlem Times: What inspired you to write the Book “Angel Investing?”
David S. Rose: I’m a third generation angel investor that help fund over 100 prosperous start-up companies, and several of which have gone from a gleam in the eye of an entrepreneur to being worth hundreds of millions of dollars, I’ve seen how profitable this asset can be for investors, yet investors lose money. My book provides a comprehensive detailed guide to professional angel investing, and shows that well thought out angel investments can be a significant addition to an alternative assets portfolio.
Harlem Times: How does an entrepreneur know he’s connecting with accredited investors?
David S. Rose: Follow the same protocol as angel investors, do reference checks, research their portfolios, contact the CEO’s of other companies they’ve invested in and get information on the investors. Research their social networks and read their forums, blogs and post, get feedback and do some footwork, this allows you to make an educated decision. Serious investors will follow a procedure or system of rules and will never charge fees of any kind.
Harlem Times: How is New York City’s Tech and Investing emergence differ from Silicon Valley?
David S. Rose: Silicon Valley has always been the centerpiece of technology start-ups, preceding back to the early days of electronic devices and computers, and the venture capitalists who invested heavily in them. New York however has been the business central-point for a century, with little technological development. The explosion of the Internet created an applicability across all businesses, and this is causing a tech boom in NYC.