LaunchIT, a recently completed survey of Internet entrepreneurs, has shown that the great majority of respondents do not consider the raising of capital for an interesting project to be a big problem. Only 25% of respondents believed that it was difficult to raise capital. 

Respondents who claimed to have experience in dealing with investment funds and business angels were even more optimistic. Among them, only 22% were sceptical as to the chances of finding an investor interested in an innovative idea. Only 16% of respondents who had already built a profitable business believed that raising funds was indeed difficult.

The LaunchIT survey of Internet entrepreneurs was conducted by Business Angel Seedfund, the first business angel seed fund. The full report, scheduled for publication in December, will include analyses of the general feeling in the e-business industry, problems faced by companies looking for funding, their preferred types of investors, and views on the most common causes of failure in negotiations with investors.

The survey has demonstrated that founders of the Polish start-ups are very optimistic. As many as 81% of respondents believed that a Polish Internet company could achieve global success. Only 19% of Internet entrepreneurs were decidedly sceptical.

“We are still looking for a second Wirtualna Polska or a second Allegro,” said Maciej Grabski, president of Business Angel Seedfund. “In the early phase of development, we invest in projects that offer some prospects for growth beyond the borders of Poland. However, a good idea and capital are not enough. Therefore, we get involved in the management of the newly-founded companies, supporting their growth in various ways.”

The full report will be published and made available on the Internet (without charge) in December. The LaunchIT survey was conducted over a period of 6 weeks, from October 6 to November 14, 2008. 739 respondents – creators of Internet companies, founders of start-ups and entrepreneurs who are planning to open an e-business – took part in the survey. Its patrons were Wirtualna Polska, GoldenLine, Bankier.pl, Wirtualne Media, Kariera.com.pl, Startups.pl, Dziennik Internautów, Innowatorium.pl, Barcamp.pl, NCInfo.pl and blogs: Netto.blox.pl,  Mediafun and Antyweb.