What do you need to get started as an Angel Investor?

Angel Investing may conjure images of people in business suits with wings and halos to match. However, it is far less supernatural and quite within your reach. The term “angel” originated from the Broadway Theater when wealthy individuals gave money to propel theatrical productions.

It was solidified as a term when used by a professor at the University of New Hampshire when he pioneered a study on how entrepreneurs raised seed capital in the USA. Angel Investing is still fairly misunderstood in this market, but it is an important part of a vibrant early stage business ecosystem.

Viktoria Business Angels Network (VBAN) brings together local and international investors to make investments in a syndicated manner by pooling their expertise and funds and investing these in early stage ventures. We believe that funds and expertise through connections and mentoring significantly increases the chances of success for startups. Our focus is the tech sector in East Africa.

Our aim is to help early stage investors professionalize their investment processes through training, facilitate deal making in a syndicated manner and assist the angels in management of their portfolios. Our expectation is that these interventions will create better returns on investor’s funds while having an impact on the ecosystem.

Do You Need Training?

What would you need to get started in Angel Investing? What are the risks? Should you create a portfolio of investments or double down on a few opportunities? How big a portfolio should you create if at all? What are the financial and non-financial rewards to doing it? These are some of the questions answered in the VBAN 2018 Master Class Series. Our first session titled Early Stage Investing Strategy will be held during the Nairobi Innovation Week, on Tuesday 6th March and will look at how to create personal strategies for angel investing.

How can you use a portfolio approach to angel investing and therefore increase chances of success as an angel investor? This session will also take a look at the stages of angel investing including deal sourcing, deal structuring, valuation and value addition.

What is the value to you?

According to the 2017 Venture Finance in Africa Research carried out by VC4A, a strong team of founders is the key driver of venture success in Africa. This was the single most unique characteristic across the startups that are making commercial progress. It is imperative that you be able to identify this and other characteristics of the business you will invest in. More than that however, these training sessions will allow you to be able to value and analyze the deal and allow you to negotiate a win/win relationship with the entrepreneur.

Furthermore, you will also learn how to add value to an investment you have made to ensure better chances of success in your portfolio. You will learn new skills and be able to apply current skills in new ways. There is also the added benefit of meeting and networking with like-minded people.

What is the next step?

Sign up for our “Early Stage Investing Strategy” Master Class here taught by Stephen Gugu an entrepreneur, angel investor and lecturer at Strathmore Business School. You will also hear from Ari Korhonen a co-founder of Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN) and a board member of the European Business Angels Network (EBAN). Ari has been a successful technology entrepreneur for 20 years and a full time business angel for over 11 years. He has made investments in 34 companies and participated in 107 investment rounds. For more information on this session and to get the 2018 Calendar, call +254(0)735639921 or email info@viktoria.co.ke