How Do Investors Get Paid Back? — James Griffin Cole (2024)

There are multiple ways to pay back a business investor—whether in regular installments, with equity, or through a straight repayment.

In some cases, an investor might not want their cash back!

For example, they might prefer to increase their stake in the company in return for an increased capital injection. Others will invest on a short-term basis and expect a repayment by an agreed date or crystallization event.

As there are several potential investment structures, it's wise to ask questions, such as
“what is an advisory share?”, in order to explore all your options.

But if you're unsure how investors get paid back, your first decision is to figure out the amount that you'd like them to invest and what you're willing to offer in return.

Let's dig a little deeper and explain some of the repayment routes and what types of returns might be a fair percentage for an investor.

What Are The Three Types Of Investment?

Before we discuss repayments, it's crucial to clarify that investment can take many forms. These are the three most common structures:

Equity Investment

Your investor contributes money now, gets a stake in the business, and receives a proportion of the profits as the company grows.

Investment Loans

Debt-based fundraising is as simple as a bank loan, except it's the investor you pay back in installments, which is often the initial principal amount plus interest.

Convertible Debt

Convertible debt is a hybrid of the other two investment types.

Your investor contributes capital, which either gets repaid (like an investment loan) or swapped for equity shares (like an equity investment) upon reaching a specific event. That might be at a fixed date or after the business reaches a particular valuation.

As we can see, your investor repayment strategy will depend heavily on the style of financing they've offered.

Why Pay Back A Start-Up Investor?

Investors aren't typically philanthropic, so they'll be expecting a return on the investment they've advanced to your business.

Generally, we'd view a return of between 20-25% as reasonable for an angel investor and an ownership stake of around 40% for a higher-risk venture capitalist. However, suppose you're repaying an investor simply because you have the liquidity to buy back share ownership.

In that case, it's essential to clarify the original investment terms and think carefully about the potential fallout. If you haven't discussed those expectations, it's never wise to go into an investor-investee relationship with the sole intention of buying them out.

Most angel investors will hold onto their shares until the business is sold—if that happens. So aside from investment loans, it's usually a long-term partnership.

How To Repay A Business Investment

There are a few primary ways you'd repay an investor:

  1. Ownership buy-outs: You purchase the shares back from your investor depending on the equity they own and the business valuation.

  2. A repayment schedule: This is perfectly suited to business loans or a temporary investment agreement with an assumption of repayment.

  3. Preferred rate repayments: The investor receives a priority repayment according to your pre-agreed conditions.

  4. Share transfers: You pay back a loan by swapping the debt for equity shares, repaying the investor with a proportion of the business equivalent to their investment.

Each repayment scenario applies to different situations and links back to the investment types we talked about earlier.

There isn't one correct route. It's all about establishing why you are buying out or paying back your investor and the nature of their involvement in your business.

A note of caution to keep in mind. Equity investments are the golden geese of start-up businesses. There is no repayment schedule, and the input from established professionals can be worth a whole lot more than the cash they've contributed.

Thus, paying them back isn't always the right option!

Investors can get paid through dividends and capital growth, so a share buy-out or other repayment isn't always mutually beneficial if their ongoing expertise will be valuable to your business.

How Do Investors Get Paid Back? — James Griffin Cole (2024)

FAQs

How Do Investors Get Paid Back? — James Griffin Cole? ›

There are a few primary ways you'd repay an investor: Ownership buy-outs: You purchase the shares back from your investor depending on the equity they own and the business valuation. A repayment schedule: This is perfectly suited to business loans or a temporary investment agreement with an assumption of repayment.

How will investors get their money back? ›

Dividends. One of the most straightforward ways for companies to pay back their investors is through dividends. A dividend is the distribution of some of a company's profits to its shareholders, either in the form of cash or additional stock.

How does my investor get paid? ›

Investors may earn income through dividend payments and/or through compound interest over a longer period of time. The increasing value of assets may also lead to earnings. Generating income from multiple sources is the best way to make financial gains.

How do investors make money from crowdfunding? ›

Depending on the type of crowdfunding, you could potentially earn returns on your investment via equity (growth in share value) or interest (if using P2P lending), or you might simply receive other perks or benefits.

How do restaurant investors get paid? ›

A restaurant investor may be paid in two ways, depending on the investment structure. These include receiving a share of profit and/or receiving interest. An investor who provides capital for the restaurant in exchange for a percentage of ownership (equity) receives a share of the restaurant's profits.

Do investors get paid monthly? ›

It is far more common for dividends to be paid quarterly or annually, but some stocks and other types of investments pay dividends monthly to their shareholders. Only about 50 public companies pay dividends monthly out of some 3,000 that pay dividends on a regular basis.

How much do investors usually get back? ›

Most investors would view an average annual rate of return of 10% or more as a good ROI for long-term investments in the stock market. However, keep in mind that this is an average.

How often are investors paid? ›

In most cases, stock dividends are paid four times per year, or quarterly. There are exceptions, as each company's board of directors determines when and if it will pay a dividend, but the vast majority of companies that pay a dividend do so quarterly.

How much money do investors usually give? ›

Our advice is to stick to the general rule of 20 to 25% of businesses income. If your investor is more interested in cashing in on equity growth, you can offer 15% of the business or more, depending on how much money the investor provides.

Do you have to pay an investor back? ›

Though you aren't officially obligated to pay back your investor the capital they offer, there is a catch. As you hand equity over in your business as a portion of the deal, you essentially are giving away a portion of your future net earnings.

Does crowdfunding have to be paid back? ›

There are four kinds of crowdfunding campaigns you can use for your business. With donation-based funding, contributors give money without receiving anything in return. In equity funding, backers get shares of the business. For debt-based funding, donors are repaid with interest.

Has anyone made money from crowdfunding? ›

Equity crowdfunding has seen several successful exits with investors reaping returns. Cruise Automation is the biggest exit to date with an acquisition value of over US$1 billion. CrowdCube has the most number of deals, but only 0.8% of companies have exited.

What is the average return on crowdfunding? ›

Equity crowdfunding investments on reputable platforms, with terms of 5 or more years, have an average IRR of over 17%. Shorter-term real estate crowdfunding investments have average returns in 10% to 12% range.

Do investors get paid first? ›

Investors or preferred shareholders are usually paid back first, ahead of holders of common stock and debt. The liquidation preference is frequently used in venture capital contracts.

Do investors pay in cash? ›

Most investors pay for properties in cash so you won't have the uncertainty that comes with a buyer applying for a mortgage. Even when a buyer has been preapproved for a loan, the lender can decide the buyer's credit-worthiness has changed and refuse to issue the funds needed to buy your home.

What happens if you can't pay back investors? ›

You'll likely have to hand over equity in return.

Though you aren't officially obligated to pay back your investor the capital they offer, as you hand equity over in your business as a portion of the deal, you essentially are giving away a portion of your future net earnings.

How long does it take to get money from investors? ›

In reality, it could take 90 days from initial pitch to money in the bank. Many entrepreneurs have found it can take as long as six to nine months to complete this process. The process can be seen from start to finish on the image below.

How much should I ask an investor for? ›

If your company is early stage and has a valuation under $1M, don't ask for a $5M investment. The investor would be buying your company five times over, and he doesn't want it. If your valuation is around $1M, you can validly ask for $200K–$300K, and offer 20–30% of your company in exchange.

How much do I need to invest to make $1,000 a month? ›

Reinvest Your Payments

The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets.

What is the investors 70% rule? ›

The 70% rule can help flippers when they're scouring real estate listings for potential investment opportunities. Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home.

How quickly do investors want their money back? ›

The bigger the better. In general, angel investors expect to get their money back within 5 to 7 years with an annualized internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 20% to 40%. Venture capital funds strive for the higher end of this range or more.

Do investors pay taxes? ›

In many cases, you won't owe taxes on earnings until you take the money out of the account—or, depending on the type of account, ever. But for general investing accounts, taxes are due at the time you earn the money. The tax rate you pay on your investment income depends on how you earn the money.

What is it called when investors get paid? ›

Dividends: Companies often opt to share some of their profits with shareholders via a cash payment called a dividend. For each share you own, you'll qualify to receive a certain amount of money. Some companies pay higher dividends than others.

How much cash do investors hold? ›

Many investors keep as much as 20% to 30% of their portfolios in cash. Large cash reserves in a portfolio can be defensive in case asset markets decline, allowing you to hold assets rather then sell.

What is the 1% rule for investors? ›

The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of the investment property against the gross income it will generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must be equal to or no less than 1% of the purchase price.

How much does 1 million investors make a year? ›

The historical S&P average annualized returns have been 9.2%. So investing $1,000,000 in the stock market will get you the equivalent of $96,352 in interest in a year. This is enough to live on for most people.

Is there a downside to having investors? ›

Cons
  • Investors often have high expectations as to how and when they are repaid, as they now have partial ownership of the business.
  • Investors can hinder the decision making process as their primary focus may not be business success, but rather their own personal investment.

How do silent investors get paid? ›

As soon as the silent partner invests funds, they receive stocks of the concerned company. Based on the performance of the securities, they get their share. Another way in which they get paid is through profit sharing. The business agrees to share a significant proportion of its profit with its silent investor.

Is it better to sell to an investor? ›

Selling to an investor means a quicker — and smoother — sale. Big plus: Not waiting around for months for potential buyers to make a decision. Selling a home quickly helps you avoid extra mortgage payments, prevent vandalism in vacant homes, and pocket money you can use when and where you need it.

What happens to money if crowdfunding fails? ›

Creators will still receive the balance of collected funds, less fees, even if the final amount falls below your project's funding goal due to dropped pledges.

What are the negative to crowdfunding? ›

You may receive no funds at all if you don't meet your goal. Many reward-based fundraisers are met with great interest, but small donation amounts because the investor is not getting any equity. Some crowdfunding websites for reward-based fundraisers have significant fees.

What can go wrong with crowdfunding? ›

Trust is probably the biggest issue when it comes to crowdfunding: When you are a brand with no prior record, you have to consider how you can generate enough brand credibility with investors. Without trust you might not generate enough interest in your campaign and fail to meet your targets.

What are the biggest crowdfunding fails? ›

12 of the Biggest Kickstarter Fails12) Pebble Time11) Coolest Cooler10) OUYA Console9) Skarp8) Amabrush7) Zano6) Tiko5) ZNAPS4) CST-013) Yogventures2) iBackPack 2.01) Montrex Watch ProjectWhy Do Kickstarter Projects Fail? Frequently Asked QuestionsHow Many Kickstarter Projects Reach Their Funding Goals?

What is the average success rate of crowdfunding? ›

22.4% of all crowdfunding operations are successful.

What is the failure rate of crowdfunding? ›

Successful crowdfunding campaigns take an average of 11 days to prepare. An average crowdfunding campaign lasts 9 weeks. A successful campaign admin posts an average of 4 times throughout their campaign. Crowdfunding campaign admins that shared fewer than 2 times have a 97% chance of failure.

Is crowdfunding a high risk investment? ›

Most crowdfunding investments are in shares or debt securities in risky, immature businesses and will often result in a 100% loss of capital as most start-up businesses fail. They should therefore be considered very high-risk.

What happens if you invest in crowdfunding? ›

Investing through equity crowdfunding can give the investor greater personal satisfaction than investing in a blue-chip or large-cap company. This is because the investor can choose to focus on businesses or ideas that resonate with them or are involved with causes in which the investor has a deep belief.

How long should my crowdfunding campaign last? ›

It's best to keep crowdfunding campaigns active for 30-40 days. Crowdfunding works by getting people around the world who feel passionate about your project to help you fund it.

How do I cash out after investing? ›

Investors can cash out stocks by selling them on a stock exchange through a broker. Stocks are relatively liquid assets, meaning they can be converted into cash quickly, especially compared to investments like real estate or jewelry. However, until an investor sells a stock, their money stays tied up in the market.

Why do investors hold cash? ›

Holding cash as a portfolio position provides benefits for aggressive traders as well as investors with less tolerance for risk. Aggressive traders can take advantage of portfolio liquidity for opportunistic purchases, while others can opt to reduce risk using dollar cost averaging strategies.

What is it called when money is returned back to investors? ›

Return of capital (ROC) refers to principal payments back to "capital owners" (shareholders, partners, unitholders) that exceed the growth (net income/taxable income) of a business or investment.

Can you end up owing money when you invest? ›

In fact, if you choose to invest in high-risk products then you must accept the very real risk of losing some, or even all, of your money. And with some high-risk investments, if the worst happened you could even end up not only with nothing, but actually owing money.

What percentage do angel investors want? ›

A: Angel investors typically want to receive 20% to 25% of your profit. However, how much you pay your angel investors depends on your initial contract. Hammer out these details before they give you any money, and have a lawyer draw up a contract, which will make your angel investors feel safer in their investment.

Do investors get their money back from startups? ›

Standard startup investment gets a return only when the startup company generates actual liquid money for its owners by selling its shares. Since it's all case-by-case, you could offer investors dividends or some other drip compensation, but that's not the standard.

Do investors get their money back if the business fails? ›

Generally, investors will lose all of their money, unless a small portion of their investment is redeemed through the sale of any company assets.

How do you get money back from investing in stocks? ›

To access cash from stocks, you need to sell your holdings and use the proceeds from the sale to withdraw cash from your brokerage account. The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Also, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

How much cash should an investor keep? ›

A general rule of thumb for how much of your investment portfolio should be cash or cash equivalents range from 2% to 10%, although this very much depends on your individual circ*mstances.

Do 90% of investors lose money? ›

Based on several brokers' studies, as many as 90% of traders are estimated to lose money in the markets. This can be an even higher failure rate if you look at day traders, forex traders, or options traders.

What happens to investors money if a start up fails? ›

When startups fail, investors will likely lose most, if not all, of their principal—regardless if they invested at early-stage or later-stage. Losses from money-losing early-stage deals are more extreme than losses from money-losing later-stage deals.

Can I use investors money for personal use? ›

Legal Use of Company Funds for Personal Purposes

It's not always illegal to use company funds for personal purposes. It is possible to use company funds for personal purposes, but doing so requires the following parties either authorize it or are not defrauded by it: Tax authorities (IRS, state government, etc.)

Can you be sued by investors? ›

If investors believe that you acted recklessly or negligently, they may sue you for breaching these duties. However, it is important to note that startup investments are inherently risky. Investors understand that there is a high likelihood that a startup may fail, and they accept the risk when they invest.

Is 1% equity in a startup good? ›

Up to this point, generally speaking, with teams of less than 12 people, the average granted equity for startup employees is 1%. This number can be as high as 2% for the first hires, and in some circ*mstances, the first hire(s) can be considered founders and their equity share could be even greater.

Why do investors chance losing money? ›

The most common way to lose money in the stock market is to invest in a company that goes bankrupt. This can happen for various reasons, including poor management, bad luck, and competition from other companies. Another way to lose money in the stock market is to sell your stocks when the market is down.

Can I sue someone for losing my investment? ›

In theory, if you have lost money because your broker (or any financial institution) gave you bad advice, mismanaged your investments, misled you, or took other unlawful or unethical actions, you can sue for damages.

What happens when you get investors for your business? ›

By way of background, when someone invests in your business they are actually buying shares in your business in exchange for money. They can buy common shares or preferred shares. If your investor only gets common shares, then that means you are on equal footing.

How much money do I need to invest to make $3000 a month? ›

According to FIRE, your portfolio should cover 25 times your annual expenses. Then, if you withdraw 4% of your portfolio every year, your portfolio will continue to grow and won't be compromised. We can apply this formula to the goal of making $3,000 a month like this: $3,000 x 12 months x 25 years = $900,000.

How much money do I need to invest to make $1000 a month? ›

Reinvest Your Payments

The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets.

Who gets the money when stocks lose? ›

When a stock tumbles and an investor loses money, the money doesn't get redistributed to someone else. Essentially, it has disappeared into thin air, reflecting dwindling investor interest and a decline in investor perception of the stock.

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