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Apologies if I am wrong, but I get the feeling that you have a whole lot of enthusiasm (which is great) but not much experience in actually running a larger business. If this is true, you are going to have quite a battle on your hands, as investors are really looking for experienced management. If you do lack this kind of experience, you might want to bring some people on board who will give the investors additional comfort.

Also, I think you're making two mistakes with how you're going about raising money. The first is that you're asking for too much. It's highly unlikely that you're going to get anywhere near $5 million from an angel investor. You might get someone who can invest those kinds of funds over time, but at this stage you should be asking only for what you need to hit whatever the next major milestone is in your business.

I'm really thinking that you should be looking for $1 million or less (like maybe even a few hundred thousand). You need seed capital, not $5 million. (And to suggest that $25 million is a "drop in the bucket," at least in my opinion, just shows that you need to get advice from someone who understands how capital is raised. $25 million is a "drop in the bucket" to no one when it comes to raising money for a new company.)

The second mistake that I think you're making is using a non-disclosure agreement. Most serious investors (at least professional venture investors...maybe individual angels are different) will not sign an NDA, period. They see so many business plans and they don't want to be accused of stealing someone's idea when they invest in Company A, which happens to do the same thing (or close to it) that you do. If you ever get to the point where you are ready to go in front of true venture funds, just know that most of them will not sign this document.

You should have an executive summary that does not give away all of the details and use that as a means of gauging investor interest.

I can tell that you are very passionate about your business and product, and that enthusiasm can take you very far, but I think you should locate someone who can help you navigate the capital-raising waters.

Best of luck.

Based on a quick Google search, I think this place is your first stop:

http://www.greenriver.edu/businesscenter/

The site is self-explanatory, but the goal is to get wired into the angel and venture capital community.

SBDCs like this can be a great place to start, but I do not know how far they will take you. There could come a time when you need to hire someone to help out with this effort. (As you said, you're already pretty business with your current position.)

If you do decide to hire someone to help you write a business plan or prepare your presentations or otherwise hold your hand through the capital-formation process, please know that you must tread carefully. For some reason, this industry draws all kinds, if you know what I mean.

The business of helping small businesses raise capital is chock full of people who over-promise and under-deliver.

Even though I am just about clear across the country, I'd be happy to help you assess any future service providers in your area. I can usually tell pretty quickly if someone has a clue as to what they're doing.

I wish you well.

Paul

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Paul Broni

Growth Curve Services, Inc.

http://www.growthcurveservices.com