This table shows the typical sources that are best based on your company’s stage of development. Your mileage may vary.

Read more: What kind of capital should an entrepreneur raise?

Very hard, maybe 1 in 400 deals a VC looks at will become a closed deal that they invest in.  Most go in the circular file. More than 90% of companies never get any outside investors of any kind.  This does not include bank loans based on assets and cash-flow which is much easier to get because the banks (not investors really, they are lenders) have security and do not take risks like early-stage investors.

Read more: How hard is it to get funding from outside investors?

Yes, assuming you have not successfully closed a similar round of financing before, this is a good idea that will generate a large return on the investment. It is likely the difference between success and failure, or at least getting a deal done in six months instead of two years of very expensive “learning”.  The financing process is complex, and most will learn the hard way over many months or even several years of mistakes.  

Read more: Do I need to hire a consultant to help me raise funding from outside investors?

This is best answered by this diagram of statistical information. However, be aware these are the deals that report only and not all deals and so likely higher than the true averages because smaller angel deals are less likely to report to PitchBook.

Read more: How big are typical venture capital investment valuations at each stage of development?