The “valley” between raw IP and a proof of concept, usually requiring a business plan and prototype, is where many good ideas die.
There is a gap in attention and time between the issuing of grant money and when investors or VC’s tend to get involved. The Valley of Death problem is well-known in venture financing; very few VC’s do early stage or “seed” investing any more as fund sizes have increased and partners cannot spend their time on “small” deals.
Lowering the barrier to entry for investments and allowing for a broader pool of prospective investors and opportunities benefits both investors and entrepreneurs
REX LaunchmoneyTM is an equity crowdfunding investment platform. Individuals can now become part owners in new ventures with entry investments as low as $100, making their own decisions, to expand the pool of venture capital investors well beyond the limited number of “qualified” institutional investors of yesterday …
Tracking the smart money
Where are the smartest, most innovative investors and entrepreneurs placing their bets?
REX increases the information flow by making it easier for you to discover the greatest new technologies that solve market needs, then
REX leverages the well-known “wisdom of crowds” and the transparency of an open funding platform, allowing our users to take cues from the brightest minds in the research, technology, and investment worlds.
Closing the loop to mitigate the Valley of Death Problem
Entrepreneuers who have used REX to find promising technology through the search and analytics tools in REX, but who then need early “first dollar in” funding in order to build a prototype, develop a strategic marketing plan, and perhaps even run a limited test market, can apply to get that equity funding through REX.
We created REX Launchmoneytm specifically to finance very early stage projects in proof-of-concept mode needing $100,000 or less in funding. Entrepreneurs comfortable with the flexibility and visibility of the public marketplace can raise even larger amounts in follow-on rounds in LaunchmoneyTM.
Entrepreneurs with more developed projects needing larger amounts of venture funding and preferring privacy and greater hands-on assistance from REX investment professionals, may find our more traditional limited partnership vehicle, the REXceleratorTM Fund to be a better alternative.
But the key point is that there are no projects too small or too early in their lives to have a great shot at getting funded through REX.