Venture Capital is money provided by professionals who invest alongside management in young, rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significant economic contributors. Venture capital is an important source of equity for start-up companies.

Professionally managed venture capital firms generally are private partnerships or closely-held corporations funded by private and public pension funds, endowment funds, foundations, corporations, wealthy individuals, foreign investors, and the venture capitalists themselves.

Private Equity or Private Capital is a broad term which commonly refers to any type of non-public Ownership Equity securities that are not listed on a public exchange. Since they are not listed on a public exchange, any investor wishing to sell private equity securities must find a buyer in the absence of a public marketplace. There are many transfer restrictions on private securities.

Private equity firms generally receive a return on their investment through one of three ways: an IPO, a sale or merger of the company they control, or a recapitalization. Unlisted securities may be sold directly to investors by the company (called a private offering) or to a private equity fund, which pools contributions from smaller investors to create a capital pool.

Angel Capital is a form of private venture capital that comes from a single individual or a small network of investors, rather than a large firm. And unlike a regular venture capital firm, which will provide funding for growing businesses for expansion--as well as to help save failing businesses--angel capital investors will usually only provide start-up capital for new businesses.

An angel capital network may consist of only a handful of investors, 10 or fewer, or it may have two or three hundred or more investors, all pooling their funds together. Angel capital investors are wealthy individuals and provide the money for their investments out of their own pockets. The amount invested will usually be less than with a standard venture capital company, though: a few hundred thousand dollars to a million or two, at most.