How to come to business angels

In the middle of last year, Igor Ustinov, founder of the well-known manufacturer of computer games "Buka", posted on a social site request: "Please send your financial model and the summary business plans for business development. The scale of investment from 10 000 to 500 000 U.S. dollars. " Since then, he had found more than 250 projects. Igor Ustinov sold the company before the crisis - in the summer of 2008. The whole company, according to various estimates, the cost of $ 50 million to $ 100 million since then he - a professional business-angel: the money was created by a small fund called "Azium" primarily engaged in Internet projects. About Business Angels to the general public know little, except that the businessmen who invest in innovation, should have an intuitive sense of success. Business angel - a profession in which the calculation and careful preparation combined with exciting ideas, risk and excitement. He embodies the link between science and business, because the idea of ​​seeing not only the technological side, but also, primarily, in terms of market opportunities. Igor Ustinov, in his own words, looking projects with "disruptive innovation": the product or service must do to radically change the situation on the market. Loader and rollers. Ustinov learns life. Elementary school was a native of Sverdlovsk, matriculation was in Penza. In Moscow, he graduated from the Institute of Railway Transport in the specialty "Maintenance of bridges and tunnels," but, having worked for three years with a degree, I realized that it's not really his thing, and went to study again. Today, behind not only the Higher School of Economics and Institute of Cinematography. "I really like the film industry, and I dreamed of becoming a filmmaker who would have done international projects", - says Igor Ustinov. Clearly, the love of cinema and associated with the beginning of self-employment: during the "videobuma" in 1989, Ustinov another video shop opened. Around the same time he was invited to the company "Intant" as Commercial Director. Soon he was able to conclude a contract for the supply of computers in one of the institutions, but the obligations under the contract was executed only partially, and Ustinov left the job. In search of a new company turned to the "Land", is engaged in assembling computers, but there have been only the position of porter. However, after three years has grown into a loader Deputy Chairman of the Board on commercial matters. In 1993, children's birthday party at the home of Igor Ustinov met friends of the institute. Remembering the past and pondering the future, schoolmates, as in the end it turned out, had the same historical brainstorming, which resulted in the idea of ​​"Buki" - a company that became one of the most famous and successful country in IT-projects. Name formed from the first letters of names of partners. The company had to do the supply-Sof is the computer. Business development, due to personal recommendation from one of his former colleagues Igor Ustinov, managed to get a fairly good credit - $ 750 thousand the first delivery to the Russian market were gaming consoles Sega Mega Drive and the Panasonic 3DO. Net income from the sale of a single console was only $ 1, these prefixes to the Russian market the company "Buck" has put about 50 thousand consoles for sale, however, Sof-tum of the company was only an intermediate tool, because the basic income brought sales of console games, in distribution company which soon became the leader of the Russian market. Time shifted to consoles next generation, "Buka" became a dealer of Sony. The models obsolete in Europe, were still a novelty in Russia. Since the major consoles sales were in the winter, in the off season were the first company in Russia to import roller skates that rescued her two summers in a row, while the "passing" the market is not grown competitors. Time to leave. In 1998, "Buka" still engaged in the delivery of video game consoles Sony PlayStation and cartridges for them. After the August crisis, the company has undertaken negotiations with Japanese partners, but they refused to lower prices for Russia. And it was decided to deal only with computer games - at this point, Igor Kulikov had to invest in the development of personal funds of $ 100 thousand the first game, which the company bought from the developer and began to advance, was "Petka and VICH Save the Galaxy." It was sold at dumping prices, $ 10 for a game: The game consisted of three disks, while pirated discs worth $ 3, making sales immediately went well. The next step was developing its own games, "Vangers", "Truckers," "Rage". Developers are third party, the company acted as a producer and a publisher - that is, Ustinov had a chance to invest for the first time in almost a start-up. "Starting to design computer games, we had no idea that there is some technology project management, which requires the game scenario and lots of other things - he said. - After fighting positions, I provided training to all of our producers the basics of cinematography, after all, a computer game - is the next stage in the development of cinema, it only adds to the interactivity of the process. " Sometimes, when working on a series of projects lasting up to five years, but its fruit is often became hits. Results from 1998 were released by 300 Games, and she went into the three largest Russian publishers. In 2004, Igor Ustinov entered the MBA courses at University - Higher School of Economics. After graduating from School of Economics, he introduced the company designed and implemented a form of governance process knowledge management in the future, the organization could become a "self-learning structure." A year later, his company there are three investors - the company "Norum", the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Company "Finam". The condition was the simultaneous exit from the business of shareholders in 2008, and that happened because of "1C", which "Buka" cooperated closely in the past. Thus, the ex-chairman and head of development, "Buki" Igor Ustinov became a professional business angel. Without duplicates. In addition to "Aziuma 'current interests Ustinov affiliated with CineSoft, which develops software for optimizing the film industry, film industry workers to the site" Kinokrug ", the developer of software for image and video processing STOIK Imaging, seed fund AddVenture, the developer of a mobile platform DaSuppa. "Projects I'm in parallel, and they are still in the stage of initial development - expect results within a year or two. Immediately projects I do not control, but, in addition to strategies that help the directors in addressing the current problems, watch for reporting "- describes its role as Igor Ustinov. "The difficult decision - to take risks or not? Rely mainly on intuition, learn the people who carried away by this "- he continues. The idea - that 1% of the project, implementation, and everything else - is 99%. "Ideenositel" is to build a financial model for your business and make a good presentation, write a brief business plan, analyze the market in which it will work, and then rely on the help of business angels. "I advise potential part-neram refer to the first meeting with a business angel, seriously, be prepared to fully present your project. No need to "rough ideas" come to the business plan, provide financial and business model audit team. After a bad first impression at the first meeting means that the second would not be ", - says Igor Ustinov.