Welcome, CSI Entrepreneur

• Own a significant equity stake in the new business.
• Build the business and team in your own way.
• Use your knowledge of a vertical or niche market.
• Devote your full time to the new venture.
• Dominate your niche market.

Read a personal message to potential CSI entrepreneurs from Mark Leonard. This letter offers some words of assurance and why you may be uniquely suited to build in a niche market. 

What criteria are most important for receiving startup funding? 

VMS Ventures will look for the following for your business venture:

• A passionate team willing and able to build a great software product. 
• A niche market or vertical where Constellation Software operates.
• Opportunity for $10MM in annual revenues. 
• A sponsoring Constellation Software business unit (they validate your team & niche market).
• An earned secret- deep industry knowledge that you earned from operating in a niche market.

Our investment committee reviews the above and will consider an investment if we are comfortable with the team, niche market, and investment opportunity. When idea is in its early stages, the most important criteria is a passionate team. The second most is your niche market. We understand that your business model will change as you learn more about your niche market. But changing a team is much tougher than changing a business model!

How do I apply for an investment from the fund?

You should start by emailing Karl Schabas. Include a description of your idea and why you believe it meets the criteria of the fund. We will then arrange a follow-up call to discuss further. If appropriate, we will then move onto discussions about pitching and term sheets. 

Keep in mind that all fund investments will require a business unit sponsor from within Constellation. Sponsors validate the people and the niche market you are pursuing. If you already have a business unit leader that supports your application, be sure to include this in your email. We look forward to hearing about your idea! Any further questions, feel free to reach out to karl.schabas@vmsfund.com. (All information stays between you and Karl).