Partnerships, Use of Loans, Co-Investing... Pros & Cons

[Trevor Deeter]

Hello all!

What are the differences in Partnerships, Investor, Co-Investor, Angel-Investors, Silent-Partners... I'm finding a lot of varying terminology and while it seems like they may all be the same thing, it's best I put it out there to be certain I'm clear.

Unless we "Partnered/Co-Invested" with someone who had more experience than us, we'd likely just want a situation where we would have control over most crucial decision-making. Since we are just starting out and will just be approaching less-experienced friends and family for investment, we want to make sure we choose the structure that best suits the situation.

We're aiming for a contract that is pretty much them lending us money without being able to get involved in our ground-level operations. Is this considered a silent partner?

Any pros and cons for each title? Differences?

Thanks for any assistance