Wade Bitaraf is a Venture Capitalist Investor at Plug and Play, Founder of Energy and Sustainability.

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Finding an investor who can not only provide funding, but also support business venture, is attractive to the startup. That’s exactly what entrepreneurs who work with Plug and Play get.

Now, more than ever, big companies are realizing that innovation is the key to their success. Indeed, to tap into the startup space, many companies are turning to venture capital (VC) firms and their accelerator programs. They are ready to access bright startup ideas and move them into the fold of their own company.

Let’s take a deeper look at what Plug and Play does, and how they do it.

Behind the Curtain at Plug and Play

Named as one of the most active investors in the world, this firm is a unique hybrid, meeting multiple solutions for startups. With a mission to make innovation open to anyone, anywhere, they bring startups together with the world’s largest corporations.

Their headquarters are in Silicon Valley and they service startups around the world. In fact, their portfolio includes over 400 early-stage startups. They also have worked with high profile businesses. A few of these include: PayPal, Danger, Google, Dropbox, LendingClub, Zoosk, SoundHound, CreditSesame and Skytree.

Their business operations focus on three key pillars:

Accelerator Programs

These programs are designed to be industry focused and help startups connect with Plug and Play corporate partners. Furthermore, they are suitable for startups of all sizes and require no equity.

Corporate Innovation

Plug and Play empowers business units by learning specific challenges they’re facing and finding solutions. These solutions include creating new product lines, increasing revenue, and improving efficiencies.

Investment

Plug and Play offers the ideal ecosystem to secure funding. They invest in over 250 startups a year and have connections with over 300 of the best venture capitalists in the world. Businesses are well positioned to tap into the investment-ready network at their disposal. Additionally, they are provided significant opportunities to meet VCs and pitch at events.

Investor Insights for Beginner to Seasoned Entrepreneurs

In this segment of our Investor Insights series, Wade shares his experience to give us a peek behind the curtain on what goes on at Plug and Play. In addition, he provides his insight on various investor topics including:

• Securing startup funding.
• The startup Accelerator programs.
• Why having co-founders makes it more likely to be successful securing funding.
• What investors may be looking for in a co-founding team.
• The potential impacts of giving away equity.