Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I have a seafood restaurant/food truck concept, for which I need startup capital to launch. This concept pulls from boardwalk seafood menus around the U.S., some that I have been personally involved with for over 30 years. There is nothing like this concept being provided to the public in the greater Los Angeles area. This concept is ripe for franchising, if I could just get the first one up and running. I am willing to discuss this concept with any legitimate investment interests. I only request a non-disclosure agreement (which I will provide) be executed between us prior to my divulgence of information. I can be reached at (562) 240-7446 (24/7), or at McGeeZoo@hotmail.com. Thank you for your interest and I look forward to your response.

The likelihood of you finding an investor in an online forum is very small if not impossible.  Most investors are not on these forums looking for deals.  The most you will get is a couple of people telling you that they can hook you with some investors they know (wink, wink) for a large upfront fee of course.

Your best bet is find local gatekeepers in your area (gatekeepers are people like CPAs, Lawyers, other business owners) who know and have worked with local investors and try to talk with them.  If they like your idea, they will make an introduction to the actual investors.  This is how this industry works.

Get out and attend all the local networking events that you can (get a list from your chamber of commerce).  Talk to anyone that will listen - then ask them to either invest or if they know of any investors.  If you have 30 years in this industry – ask some of the business owners you know – they may introduce you to investors or even invest in your idea.

We also have a free VC / Angle / SBIC search feature on our site. You can search for local investors in your area.  This does not mean that they will talk with you - but, you could look them up and give them a call.  You just never know what might happen.

Best of luck,

Angel Investors don't invest in food truck ideas. They invest in companies that can grow 20 or 30x in 5 years with plans to go national and eventually aim for an IPO . They look for hot tech companies, energy... things of that nature. Bank financing is probably your best option. 

I kind of have to agree with what Southern_Lenders said above. It's not in a way discouraging you but it's one of the least to get startup funding.

However, it's still a good concept. With a good strategy, it will eventually click and will be greatly accepted.

You can also look at this list for the 2011 startups that received good funding. It will probably also help you decide in which investment to take.

I am not entirely sure about this but to require a "non-disclosure agreement" before even talking to people I think is a huge red flag and super rookie mistake.

We know it's a seafood based food truck and I do not think you will necessarily need to divulge the menu or recipes to gain momentum from interested investors

Most big investors will never sign NDA's just to protect themselves and their future business ideas and partners.

Good ideas and business people stand on their own. 

All that being said the advice here is excellent and you are far more likely to get a credit card/bank loan to start the business then some random investor.

Also a business' success often lies far more in the execution then idea. 

How much capital do you need to raise?  Do you have a business plan?

Opening up a food truck is no easy task and not as glitzy and glamorous as TV makes them out to be