Perhaps your startup business model is not necessarily based on acquisition, but hey, who doesn’t want to get acquired by a huge company? I’d be glad to get the scoop first:-)

Of course, startups can still succeed with business models such as selling advertising, affiliates programs, charging a subscription fee, launching a product, licensing software, etc, but what about startups that don’t have a revenue generating business model such as twitter and seesmic that keep getting funding?

I won’t go into all the details and specifics of the various ways that startups could get funding such as personal funding, angel investors, incubators and venture capitalists. But there are a few things to consider when positioning your startup for funding or an acquisition. (Note: I’m not suggesting acquisition as a business model that startups should build their sites around).

Here are a few suggestions:

1. If you want to start a Nigerian online job recruitment site, for instance, think about huge online recruitment companies such as CareerBuilder.com who would naturally have an interest in acquiring your site in order to expand their businesses, especially if they are keen on emerging markets.

2. Once you identify companies that may be interested in your site, you could develop products and services that have a strategic fit with the overall business line of that company. Perhaps they haven’t yet exploited opportunities and services that your site is already providing or offering. This is more reason for that company to be interested in your startup.

3. Research to learn about what kind of startups they have funded or acquired in the past and for what reasons? Although the purchase price may be undisclosed, you could understand the acquisition strategy of that company from the reasons they provide on their press release for such an acquisition or funding.

4. If you have a startup and you are waiting for sponsorship, you might wait forever. Investors would naturally want to see a “business” in a startup first before making a move. They’ll want to know what kind of return they would expect on their investments, if they must invest in your startup. So develop a revenue generating business model such as advertising and affiliates in order to jumpstart your startup.

5. Search the market industry for competitors. If your startup must be acquired or funded, look around you to see what sites might also qualify for VC funding or an acquisition and strive to be unique with your unique product or service offering. Ask yourself: Is the site be a complementary service or a competitor?

What other suggestions can you contribute to the community?