Investing in a startup is an avenue to add alternative assets to your portfolio as an investor, thus making money in the process. Investing in startups serve as an opportunity for diversifying portfolios, making returns on sums invested and funding the future. As a start-up investor, you do not have to be the founder of the company or be involved in working to get returns, however, there are processes to follow to succeed at being a good startup investor. Startups usually require bold and patient investors. Some reports say getting a return from startup investments could take as long as 10 years.

 Some reasons to consider investing in start-ups

It is important to note that getting huge returns from startup investment is not guaranteed. There are one or more reasons why an individual should consider investing in a start-up. They include:

• Diversifying your portfolio: this will increase your possibilities of success and will also help to reduce the risk involved. It will also increase your chances of getting your money back with some returns at a liquidity event such as a public offering or an acquisition by another company.
• Generating returns on investment: after investments mature, returns are gotten in the form of dividends paid.
• Generating returns for retirement
• Bringing a positive change to the start-up company

How To Invest In Startups

Investing in a startup is probably an easy task than you think. The primary requirement is to have some money to invest, carrying out some investigation on the interested startup and following through on purchasing stock in the chosen startup. Startup investments can be done personally or using a suitable online platform. After this, the stocks will be gotten. As a new investor, it is advisable to start using a platform. 

There are no particular set of rules to consider when investing in startups, however, Investing Port will be sharing some pointers to make start-up investment effective. These include:

• Signing up with an investment platform. This makes investing much easier, especially as a new investor.
• Invest in innovative companies with entrepreneurial visions at the forefront.
• Invest in companies where you can add value.
• Invest in companies you have a great understanding about.
• It is important to design a list of tick boxes and invest in companies that you believe meet the requirement.
• Invest in start-ups with simple and straight forward business models
• Make use of a legal professional before signing contracts
• Invest only in researched and pre-vetted companies
• Know the right time to cash out on your investment.

Investing in startups could be risky, however, there are a few ways you can try to make a return from startup investments. They include:

·       making returns when the company begins paying dividends.

·       when the company begins an IPO.

·       when investors sell their shares to other investors.

·       when the startup is bought by another company.