Where can I find REAL private investors / lenders?

Serge,

Marketing for capital is not unlike marketing for customers. It requires a plan, a budget, a good story and a lot of time and patience.

You are right to not trust intermediaries as they are pre-disposed to take your money as a fee and not deliver much value.

I would check some of the government programs that may be available with the SBA or EXIM bank. Also check with SCORE.org and you might find a good mentor who has experience with getting product built in Asia and sold here in the States. Also if your product has any DOD applications definitely check out the SBIR program which offers grants for R&D.

The rule of thumb is, the farther down the road you take your idea the less you will have to give up as an equity partner.

Hello Serge:
I agree with Gary 100% - a well developed business plan - and then canvassing venture capital or financing options that will give the project the time and attention deserved is critical. I must plead ignorance as I don't know what a "deficit industrial product" is, but depending on what it is, the market and channels you are pursuing and the price point and financing required you may want to look at some really wonderful fund raising options. One I have heard great things about is "kickstarter.com", with a lot of successful fundings, one example in particular in the news quite a bit lately - Priority Bicycles - had hoped to raise $30,000 over 30 days. They raised $30,000 on 2.5 hours. By the end of the 30 days they had raised over $550,000 and launched the product and company. The CEO was just on NPR - check it out. Good luck! Brenda