I know it sounds like I'm making this up, but I'm not.  Venture capital firms have TOO MUCH MONEY.  They literally cannot invest it all.  Messages keep coming across my desk.  There was another this week, this time from AP Business Writer Michael Liedtke.  The headline reads, "Venture Capitalists Curtain Fundraising."  Earlier there were notifications that Sevin Rosen Funds, Mobius Venture Capital and Worldview Technology Partners, among others, were stepping waaaaaay back from previous fund raising plans, canceling plans entirely for new funds.

Venture capitalists aren't raising more money because they have so much money in the coffers that they just don't need anymore.  They can't find enough good projects to invest in.  Actually, that's not true.  There are slews of fantastic projects out there, I see them all the time.  There just aren't a lot that will bring the massive profits that venture capitalists look for.

BUT this is really great news for 95% of businesspeople.  In truth, very few businesses are funded by venture capital anyhow.  What they do or don't do doesn't, for the most part, really hit our bottom line.  But this time it does, and this is why:

There's a surplus of money that needs to be invested somewhere.

Honest.  If you were a rich person who wanted to invest her money for a decent return, what would you do?  Venture capitalists don't want your money.  The real estate market is tumbling.  Stocks are skittish.  What's left?  Small business investment!  In particular, the future of angel investing looks absolutely astoundingly good for the next couple of years.  Investors with money will be flocking to established angel groups, and more groups will spring up to accommodate them.   Even in normal years, lots more businesses get funded with angel investor money than with venture capital, and now the stage is set for a landslide of angel investment.

Take heed.  If your project can in any way qualify for angel investment, go for it.  Get your business plan and presentation ready, and you're on your way!

Cakes Across America is in our spotlight this week, not because a bakery is such an unusual business, but because this particular business has opted to become certified as a woman-owned business.  Why bother? is the typical reaction.  Why take the time or spend the money to become a woman-certified business?  Truthfully, that was my initial reaction too.

Then I thought of all the government entities that used baked goods.  And it's not just "government" agencies -- it's every mid- or large-company that does business with the government.  There are Friday goodies, birthday parties, retirement parties, gifts for all sorts of people.  It started to add up.  

Right or wrong -- by virtue of the fact that Cakes Across America is a woman-certified business, it will get bidding preference from a whole lot of companies.  Truthfully, I wasn't even impressed with their website.  But they still have that bidding edge.

MyBizHomepage.com is a new service offered to all businesses.  Essentially, MyBizHomepage.com pulls information from your Quicken files and presents the information in charts and graphs.

While this service is free, and we have called it a "Top Freebie", I personally have reservations about it.  Giving this much confidential information to any entity over the internet makes me nervous.  I have no reason in the world to question the integrity of MyBizHomepage.com, but I know that too much confidential information has leaked from too many places.

We have opted to present it here because you will likely hear about it.  It is sponsored in part by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Entrepreneurs), so if you work with one of their members, they will likely encourage you to use it.

A better alternative?  Have your accountant set up some templates so you can pull this information for yourself in the privacy of your own office.  It's not difficult to set up, and the modest cost is well worth the peace of mind you will have.

Startup companies starved for financing in North Carolina will soon have a new source.  NC IDEA is expected to close soon on a new $11 million fund.  The fund, called Idea Fund I, will close "no later than mid November" and will be used for investments in early stage companies, said CEO Dave Rizzo.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development is accepting applications from companies interested in making presentations at its 2007 venture capital conference.  The conference is set for April 24-25 at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, N.C.  Companies from across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic are eligible to apply.  “Our goal at Venture 2007 is to showcase the top investment opportunities in North Carolina and other East Coast innovation centers,” said CED President Monica Doss. “We welcome emerging growth companies from across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic to apply to present at CED’s nationally recognized conference.”  Early deadline for submission is Nov. 30. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 31. For details, see: www.cednc.org/conferences/venture/2007/presenters/ application_to_present/

Venture capitalist and angel investor Eric Di Benedetto announced the launch of Active Starts, a professional angel investment firm focused on California-based software startup companies.  Active Starts invests in startups within a year from product launch. The firm provides entrepreneurs with the hands-on coaching, financing and relationships needed to bring their innovations to market.  Contact Eric Di Benedetto at 650 222 1077

Bio-Life-Tech 2006 will be held December 4th, 2006 at the historic Nassau Inn in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. Early Stage East's Bio-Life-Tech conference showcases the most promising early stage life science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical instrumentation and related emerging technologies.

The Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corp. has been awarded a $600,000 grant through a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program to fund loans and financial education for low-income residents.

The printing business has changed a great deal over the past decade, but this business plan for printers has some nice presentation in it.  I especially like the way the initial start up costs are presented.  It is a reasonable combination of leased equipment, new equipment and facility build out.

SiteSell -- the web host that judges its success by your success.   Take a look at some SBI clients that have made it to the top 1% of all sites.  

Get a $100 Statement Credit with Business Gold Rewards from American Express   The best all-around business card on the market.  Many options -- sky miles, cash back, etc.  Choose the one that fits your business best.

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"I guess I'm not easily inhibited by the fact that I don't know something about a subject.  It doesn't stop me from dabbling in it; everybody has to learn it for the first time, so why not me?"
Joshua Lederberg, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine