[1] The term is also used not as a measure of rate, but simply to refer to the stream of offers or opportunities as a collective whole.
[2] The most famous and successful venture capital firms regularly receive hundreds of business plans each month.
Other sources of deal flow are investment bankers and "finders", who expect to receive a fee (from either the company or the investor) for making the introduction.
To create and maintain sufficient deal flow, venture capitalists and angels spend much of their time doing business development, raising their profiles by giving speeches, writing blogs, and networking with others who also work with early-stage companies.
VCs and angels regularly attend conferences and "venture fairs" where multiple companies pitch their businesses to investors.