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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Enterprise Investment Scheme Under Threat

The Office of Tax Simplification will be reviewing all tax reliefs and allowances ahead of this year’s budget. The Enterprise Investment Scheme will be one of those tax reliefs under the microscope – but as investment through the scheme has slumped, the real question is, will it be missed?

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2011 – Year of the Business Angel?

2011 will be the year of the business angel as all the Business Angel as all the latent angel investors who didn’t bother risking it in 2010 decide this will be the year to jump in and live dangerously.

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Early Stage Funding – Why your First Shot is your Best Shot!

Investors talk and investors remember.

It is quite common for me to send out an executive summary to an investor or investment group only for them to say something like, “Yes, I know of this company. Are they still looking? We took a look at this last year and told them to come back once they have a little more traction. Have they got any sales yet/did they get the product out?”

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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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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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Why Business Angels Committed Less Cash in 2010

Far from plugging the funding gap, the latest statistics from the US reveal that business angels are now committing less of their cash in new business according to figures released in the first and second quarters of this year.

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How to Negotiate with Business Angels

In these difficult, recessionary times it’s become harder than ever for SME’s to raise money to finance their working capital and expansion. Banks seem to be closed to business and institutional money is very hard to come by for small companies. So, potential deals with business angels represent a life-line for SME’s.

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Should Business Angels Charge for their Services?

Paying to pitch is it a good idea or bad idea? This question stirs up a lot of anger amongst entrepreneurs and even some business angels, but business angel networks and consultants are on the whole keen to defend the idea. So who is right?

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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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