One of the most important things you can do when seeking venture capital, is do your research. Different VC firms invest in different kinds of companies. There are those that focus on healthcare, cybersecurity, fintech…you name it. So, for example, if you have an event planning startup, probably best not to pitch to a VC firm that only invests in clean energy ventures. In other words, don’t waste your time pitching to investors who likely have no interest in your company.
If you happen to have an online retail startup, you’re in luck – for a couple reasons. One is that the ecommerce sector is clearly on the rise. People have been shopping online for decades, but it’s now becoming more the norm than the exception. 2015 was actually the most successful year for funding in the online retail space. There was a total of $11.3 billion being invested across 415 funding rounds. And with more millennials having expendable income, and frankly, having no memory of a time before you could buy pretty much anything your heart desired with a couple clicks.
With online retail becoming so successful, more investors are sticking their toes into the space, and some are even diving in headfirst.
This infographic provided by Tracxn, a company that specializes in investor behavior, lists the top 15 online retail investors, the number of deals they’ve made, and the companies they have invested in globally. You’ve probably heard of a few of them if you’re familiar with the big VC firms, and several of them have vastly diverse portfolios, so even if you’re not in the online retail space, you should still do some further research and see if any are a good fit for your next funding round.
15 investors you should pitch to if you have an online retail business:
- IDGVC Partners
- Tiger Global Management
- Accel Partners
- Forerunner Ventures
- Index Ventures
- Sequoia Capital
- New Enterprise Associates
- Lerer Hippeau Ventures
- Alibaba
- Andreessen Horowitz
- General Catalyst Partners
- InnoVen Capital
- Matrix Partners
- Temasek Holdings
- Norwest Venture Partners
