Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. business plan entrepreneur investor startup value' Marty Zwilling.

Business Plan 274

Business Plan Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence 274

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Angel investors come from a variety of ages, backgrounds, and professions. I’m not your average angel. I’m not active in an angel group. I live in a small town surrounded by farms and I made my first angel investment at 29 because my dad said it was a good idea. So, who are these unlikely angels?

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. business entrepreneur lifestyle startup'

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Silicon Valley Due Diligence 250

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2017

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his latest book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Angel Investor 190

Angel Investor Accredited Investor IRR Angel Groups 190

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Angel Investors vs. Angel Groups. What is an angel investor? Angels are often former or current entrepreneurs themselves, as well as business professionals and corporate leaders. What is an angel group? They decide together whether or not to invest in the presenting entrepreneur.

Angel Groups 51

Angel Groups Angel Investor Software Review Accredited Investor 51

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Start early on this one, or you will lose the opportunity. Build a prototype product.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

There was a lot of consumer internet activity again…resurgence of things, but it was still mysterious, venture capital was still kind of closed, 1st time entrepreneurs had a lot of questions that were unanswered, and there was still some sort of hand waiving around all the financing stuff and so we took it on….”. was starting. investors.” “It

Technical Review 288

Technical Review Venture Capital Silicon Valley Software Review 288

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

My suggestion is to get some of the angel groups – notorious for slow decision-making and hat passing – and pool their money into a small fund structure of say $5-10 million. It creates recycled capital + 2nd-time entrepreneurs … on steroids. Recycled Capital has played a very important role. Maker Studios.

Community 378

Community San Diego Silicon Valley Los Angeles 378

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Most angel investors are seeking psychic as well as financial benefit from their investment.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. Explore investor websites and conferences.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Silicon Valley 120

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 8, 2013

The Brandery provides each company with $20,000 in seed money, training sessions with other entrepreneurs and industry experts, and networking with more than 60 mentors who work with startups to provide insights and help grow each idea into an investable, scalable product.

Ohio 174

Ohio United States Angel Groups Startup 174

Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

These angel investors generally invest $25,000 to $100,000 in a round totaling $250,000 to $1,000,000. million and is established by negotiations between the entrepreneur and the angel investors. Earlier this month, I reported on the most current survey of angel groups: 2011 Valuation Survey of North American Angel Groups.

Valuation 146

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

To begin with, it is important to understand some basic facts about the world of entrepreneurial finance: There are many more entrepreneurs than there are investors, with the result that only one company out of every 400 that seeks venture funding actually receives it.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Angel Investors vs. Angel Groups. What is an angel investor? Angels are often former or current entrepreneurs themselves, as well as business professionals and corporate leaders. What is an angel group? They decide together whether or not to invest in the presenting entrepreneur.

Angel Groups 40

Angel Groups Angel Investor Software Review Accredited Investor 40

Gust

JANUARY 5, 2012

But, the SEC limit on the number of shareholders is not the only issue entrepreneurs should consider. If large amounts of capital are required for startup companies to dominate a market, then the preferences of larger investors, such as angels and venture capitalists should be paramount in importance to entrepreneurs.

SEC 131

SEC Angel Groups Technical Review Private Equity 131

David Teten

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

Like virtually the entire tech industry, I am particularly in favor of Startup Visa , which has the goal of stimulating our domestic startup community through acts to keep our foreign-born entrepreneurs in the United States. Our goal is to source and fund great entrepreneurs, regardless of personal, industry, or academic background.

Government 146

Government Technical Review New York Offshore 146

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2015

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his recent book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor IRR 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

As an active angel investor myself, I understand how the process works, and I see the disappointment in the eyes of entrepreneurs who approach angel groups for funding and often get turned away for not being timely or prepared in the minds of potential investors. Simplicity is preferred at this stage.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Groups 120

Up and Running

AUGUST 19, 2014

An angel investor is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. An angel investor is a high net worth individual who invests their own money into startup companies in the hopes of gaining a return on their money. Angel from Eugene, OR.

Angel Investor 161

Angel Investor Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 161

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2017

Many aspiring entrepreneurs try to raise capital, without first understanding and complying with government and state rules for disclosure, securities registration, private offerings, and accredited investors. Many entrepreneurs see fund raising as a part-time task, behind high-priority solution development efforts.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Accredited Investor Due Diligence Equity 220

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 1, 2013

This week, I spoke to one of the longest running and most active angel groups in the country, the New York Angels. Luckily for all of us, including the New York Angels themselves, the ecosystem has bloomed. An angel belonging to a group could find more dealflow. For entrepreneurs, it's quite the same.

Angel Groups 135

Angel Groups Angel Investor Aggregator New York 135

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. These groups are now largely run by volunteers at no cost to entrepreneurs.

Equity 411

Equity Angel Groups Accredited Investor Due Diligence 411

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2010

If you are new to the startup space and angel investing, you probably don’t realize that some groups of angel investors charge entrepreneurs a fee to pitch to their groups. He calls these a scam, and “angel group” payola. Others , including noted angel David S. Find and fix that first.

Angel Groups 234

Angel Groups Entrepreneur Angel Investor Due Diligence 234

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. Excellent detailed resources are everywhere, including a new book, “ The Startup Checklist ,” by serial entrepreneur and founder of the New York Angels, David S.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

NZ Entrepreneur

DECEMBER 10, 2020

Ice Angels chair Michael Murphy liked what StockTrim were doing and was happy to become chair of StockTrim’s board of directors and become one of the first investors. “He He got us in front of the Ice Angels and a number of them invested,” Sutton says. “I He found many private investors were interested in him as much as StockTrim.

Technical Review 105

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence Startup 105

Gust

OCTOBER 12, 2011

During the summer of 2010, I developed a workshop, A New ACEF Valuation Workshop for Angels and Entrepreneurs. To provide some reference points, I surveyed thirteen angels groups in North American to determine their recent experience in negotiating the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue companies. Boise Angel Alliance.

Angel Groups 125

Angel Groups Valuation Pre-Money Valuation St. Louis 125

Berkonomics

JUNE 26, 2014

Angel investors, particularly those in organized angel groups, are typically former entrepreneurs who have had successful liquidity events in their pasts, or executives of companies who’ve retired with the funds from their stock options. So how an angel responds to your pitch depends upon his or her background.

Liquidity Event 76

Liquidity Event Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Groups 76

Gust

JULY 12, 2012

The goal was to share our experiences in the realm of angel investing with an array of global audiences, by participating in various lectures, discussions and workshops. In all four countries we met passionate entrepreneurs who were eager to discuss their exciting startups, as well as angel investors looking to support them.

Community 121

Community Estonia Ireland Finland 121

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Of late, I have had a number of friends who have recently become more active as angels and have been trying to track down some of the advice from the event. Just yesterday, Adam Medros , SVP of Global Product at TripAdvisor and an entrepreneur advisor for NextView, just asked about when the next event will be. Why Invest?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 26, 2015

Of late, I have had a number of friends who have recently become more active as angels and have been trying to track down some of the advice from the event. Just yesterday, Adam Medros , SVP of Global Product at TripAdvisor and an entrepreneur advisor for NextView, just asked about when the next event will be. Why Invest?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Angel Investor Software Review Silicon Valley 120

Tim Keane

DECEMBER 14, 2009

  Some angel groups charge you money to pitch your idea to them.    One of the dangers of taking investment from individual angels, rather than through an angel group or investment firm, is that they have less reputation to protect.    Good angel groups, too. 

Burn Rate 60

Burn Rate Angel Groups Seed Stage Startup 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

Of course, you need to listen for biases, but local angel group leaders can quickly tell you who the bad angels and good angels are, and what kind of terms they typically demand. Network with other entrepreneurs. A successful entrepreneur-investor agreement better be the beginning of a long-term relationship.

Due Diligence 241

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Offshore Angel Groups 241

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2022

Gust claims to have facilitated over $1 billion of investments in 650,000 startups to date, via connection through their platform to over 85,000 angel investors in 190 countries. AngelList has featured over 3 million businesses for potential investors in a format that is, effectively, a social network for entrepreneurs and angels.

North America 337

North America Accredited Investor Angel Investor Angel Groups 337

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

If you are new to the startup space and Angel investing, you probably don’t realize that some groups of Angel investors charge entrepreneurs a fee to pitch to their groups. He calls these a scam, and “Angel group” payola. Others , including noted Angel David S. Find and fix that first.

Angel Groups 237

Angel Groups Angel Investor Due Diligence Seed Stage 237

Tim Keane

OCTOBER 8, 2008

By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. « The Whitehorse Daily Star - good advice for entrepreneurs | Main. Last week, our angel group reviewed a business with an online lie detector technology.     What does that mean for entrepreneurs? 

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Groups Wisconsin 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

This software platform is used by most local Angel organizations for managing deal flow. It powers over 1,000 investment Angel and VC groups in 80+ countries. This one claims to be the world’s largest single Angel investor network, with 1,100 accredited investor members throughout 27 chapters on t3 continents.

North America 289

North America Rhode Island Accredited Investor Angel Investor 289

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust. Most entrepreneurs start asking for money from this tier, when they have very little more than an idea. Successful startups are all about the execution.

Liquidity Event 224

Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur Accredited Investor 224