Can anyone point me in the direction of investment money?

[village]

Hi All, Trying to find investment for a new automotive project, can anyone point me in the right direction for finding investment? Ideally trying to find a wealthy 'petrolhead' who loves cars but anything would be great.. Any suggestions? Thank you..

[egomeister]

Aren't we all!! Myself and a former colleague would like to get a similar project off the ground so if you find any be sure to chuck a bit our way!

Seriously though - investors such as this are notoriously hard to come by and from my (limited) experience such partnerships seem to be almost a matter of luck - perhaps resulting from a chance meeting.

If you are to attract a serious investor I would be expecting to see a great deal of business planning and market research showing that the product has a place and that it will sell and give the investor a return on their investment.

Although I haven't done detailed research & calculations my initial thoughts are that the only way to get a small scale automotive project off the ground is to fund it through an existing business - ie from the proceeds of sale or manufacture of another (smaller) product. There is certainly grant money available, particularly if you are willing to relocate to a designated development area. Indeed I know of one engineering start-up that has attracted grant money extending into 6 figures in it's short existance.

[martin hunt]

This group of people are always on the look out for new ideas:-

www.amvc.co.uk/

[magic torch]

Very long shot, but you could try your local Business Link.

[doubledutch]

Have a looko at:

www.bbaa.org.uk or www.eban.org/

[village]

Thanks for the links, they are a great help... I'll have a look this week.. Many Thanks.. Who know's, might see you all on the pages of PistonHeads next year with something new.. (hopefully..)