UNAIR NEWS聽– Getting investment in the early days of starting a聽start-up business often becomes main focus of聽start-up founders.听However, it can actually cause them to experience聽mental blocks.
Dr.听Achsania Hendratmi, SE or Achsania explained that many histories of聽start-ups聽in Silicon Valley used their own capital in advance or by borrowing funds from other parties such as family and friends.
At the beginning of the business, the聽start-up聽founders聽did not depend on the presence of investors.听They focus on how their products match the target market, get acquisitioned and get聽revenues.
“Then,聽start-ups聽that are ready to be accelerated or聽scaling up聽to get bigger need investors or venture capital,” explained the Head of Business Incubator and Technology BPBRIN聽聽.听 聽
An opinion saying investors or parties that invest capital are required in the early stages of establishing a聽start-up may prevent the business from starting immediately.听Achsania emphasized that the opinion that says it is difficult to establish and run a business without capital is an incorrect opinion.
If the聽start-up聽is ready to be accelerated and requires investor funds, then the聽start-up聽team,聽especially the CEO, needs to learn from experience and learn from various experienced parties.
There are several ways to get investors according to Achsania, some of them are attending聽business matching, participating in various聽hackathon聽events,聽pitching聽presentations聽in front of investors or聽venture capital.
Sharing her experiences while assisting聽student聽start-ups, Achsania feels that so far there have been many students who have business ideas and have followed various grant schemes, both internal and external grants such as聽business plan聽competitions.听But unfortunately, they could not continue the business for various reasons.
“So it is as if they are聽only聽grant-preneurs.听They only pursue grants, then it is not聽used聽purely聽to develop its business, ” she continued.
Achsania also feels there is still mentality among them that in the beginning the business, they must have capital and get investment, otherwise the business cannot run.听This mentality is still聽a common聽mental block聽among students.
Therefore, Achsania emphasized that the most important thing for students to set聽up a start-up聽is not capital, not a business link, but strong mentality, high fighting spirit, perseverance, always looking for a way out, high determination, and intention to be a businessman or entrepreneur from the start, not only trying their luck.
“So, in my term, when it comes to聽start-ups,聽there is natural selection.听If from the beginning they just want to try or follow the trend, as soon as problems arise on their way, they immediately give up and stop, choosing to become employees who are more considered safe or聽secure, “聽she concluded.听(*)
Author: Galuh Mega Kurnia
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh
