“Illinois Entrepreneurs, Meet Illinois Angel Investors”

Illinois entrepreneurs searching for seed capital in the Prairie State have a new way to link to local investors.

A new website called Funding-Illinois.com provides a free matching service for angel investors and entrepreneurs, opening communication between the two, often estranged parties. The site has already gathered a handful of investors with $1.6 million to invest in local start-ups.

“More than 90 percent of angel investment deals happen within a six hour drive of the investor’s home,” said Funding-Illinois.com CEO Brock Blake. “Local entrepreneurs and investors just need a way to find one another. We hope to bridge the communication gap that is keeping so many great ideas from blossoming into successful businesses.”

Aspiring entrepreneurs and accredited investors can register free of charge on Funding-Illinois.com. Entrepreneurs then place their business plan and contact information on the site where registered investors may log in, review business proposals, and contact entrepreneurs.

“I guess you could say we’re kind of like an eHarmony.com for businesses (referring to the popular online dating service),” Blake said with a smile. “We are helping entrepreneurs and investors meet and engage in communication that will lead to a lasting business relationship.”

Funding-Illinois.com is a member of the FundingUniverse.com family of sites that provide a similar matching service for entrepreneurs and investors in other states throughout the U.S.

Funding-Illinois.com also provides the DealFlow Suite of services for organized angel groups. The service enables angel groups to draw from plans posted on the FunidngUniverse.com family of sites, discuss them online, and rate them as a group. In addition, angel groups may use the software to evaluate plans that have been submitted to them privately through Funding-Illinois.com.