Business Angels: 4 ways to increase investment success

Due Diligence is often seen as not possible or relevant for an early-stage investment. Yet many business angels lose money on the majority of their investments

Can due diligence help?

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Board meetings in an era of rapid execution

Guest writer Nic Brisbourne from The Equity Kicker blog and DFJ Esprit, Venture Capitalists, reviews some new ideas about how to run board meetings in startup and fast growth companies.

One of the ideas is to run weekly blog updates on the key metrics and not wait for monthly meetings. Would it work? It will if there is commitment says Nic. Read on for more…..

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Secret of startup success: Does your startup learn?

The Startup Genome report has some surprising findings.

For instance, it all depends on the team and its ability to learn.

Also, the report states that customer acquisition is the priority at all stages (and never product).

Surprised? Then read on…

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Understanding the Business Angel Investment Stage

Many inexprerienced entrepreneurs are unaware that Business Angels will only be with you for a short while!

That is, their role is usually to provide gap funding between friends and families and the professional Venture Capitalists.

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Should anyone be allowed to pitch to Business Angels?

It costs money to get money.

So, should we worry about the vulnerable entrepreneur who might pay his money to pitch to business angels even though his chances of raising funds are slim?

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The big Team problem for Business Angels

Business Angels come from all sorts of back grounds.

Many are successful, some very successful.

However, does that mean that they will always pick a good investment? No…

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Inflation – Should Business Angels and Entrepreneurs Worry?

The short answer is yes and no it’s really down to how well prepared they are. Here’s why inflation can be both good and bad news for entrepreneurs and angel investors…

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Angel Investing – Nurturing Start-Ups

This should be an exciting time, you’ve waded through all those investment proposals and found a business that feels right, one that you believe has the potential to give you a profitable exit in 3 years. So what next? Will you be a ‘guardian angel’ or a hands- off angel investor?

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Don’t Make an Angel Investment before…

Okay, you’ve hunted down the best business proposals, you’ve sorted through the angel networks and found a good supply of deals… now, your network wants you to investment, the entrepreneurs appear credible – and hungry … do you press the button and write the cheque?

Or… do you continue with your due diligence?

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3 Questions every Business Angel must ask – and every Entrepreneur needs to Answer

There are three questions that every business angel (or Venture Capitalist, for that matter) will ask, and hence, these are the three questions that every entrepreneur and investment proposal needs to answer. That is, assuming the entreprenuer wants to get funding.

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The Secret Philosophy of Angel Investing

Can having a grasp of ancient philosophy lead to more successful outcomes for business angels?

The usefulness of studying philosophy at university came up in a conversation I had recently. What is its relevance in today’s world? Can ancient Greek philosophers like Plato teach us anything about how to conduct ourselves in an environment so far removed from Greece thousands of years ago?

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Conversations with Investors – Chapter Two

Many meetings are wasted because founders did not take the time to match their opportunity to the investor’s interest. The lesson for this chapter is the need to match the presentation to the experience and tendencies of the investor – to realize that each investor is unique and will respond better if approached in terms they understand.

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The 3 Most Important Things a Start-up Needs

In order of priority, the 3 critical factors that will have a big influence on the success of a start-up in today’s economic climate are:

- people
- people
- people

You’re about to make a decision about funding but before you do, does your start-up have…

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A New Model of Angel Investment Emerges

If you’re thinking of becoming a business angel which would you rather, wait for a windfall that may never arrive or see a return spread over the length of your commitment?

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Conversations with Investors – Chapter 1

In this series of articles, I will describe several discussions that I had with investors in the Washington DC area. They range from angel investors to senior partners in well established funds. I have known most of them for many years. That allowed us to cut through the usual PR crap and get to the heart of the process of reviewing investment opportunities.

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Silicon Valley of the Dinosaurs – Leaner Business Angels Replacing VCs

Has venture capitalism model of investment had its day after a decade of decline?

In venture capitalism, meaningful changes don’t take place overnight. Performance is often measured in decades. Unfortunately the results of the last decade make grim reading, not just for VCs but also for those start-ups who depend on them.

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The 10-Minute Interview – Angelsden Co-Founder Bill Morrow

Bill Morrow, Angelsden co-founder and former city banker, set up the UK speed funding pioneers in 2007 after several years researching the business angel market.

He remains a firm believer that plenty of funding exists out there for good business ideas. He also believes that most business angels will see a return on their investment inside three years…

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How business angels source investment opportunities

Businesses are starting up everyday. Many remain starved of the vital funding and help they need to grow but how does your typical business angel find those businesses, let alone invest in them?

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Should Business Angels Adopt an Aggressive VC Approach?

Anyone who watched this week’s brutal episode of Dragons’ Den may have been surprised to find Theo Paphitis talking about sticking pins in his eyes and Duncan Bannatyne behaving a bit like a spoiled toddler who’d just been handed a carrot instead of a lolly – should business angels adopt the modus operandi of the VCs in Dragons’ Den?

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