Monthly Archives: February 2013

Angel Investing – Diligence: to “due” or not to “due”…….

Investment StrategyDue Diligence is defined by Merriam Webster as “research and analysis of a company or organization done in preparation for a business transaction (as a corporate merger or purchase of securities)“.  When it comes to Due Diligence in Angel Investing, there are many schools of thought. With the advent of Angel List and other online platforms as well as a myriad of crowdfunding sites, it is possible to make investments in early stage companies without ever actually meeting the entrepreneur.  Conversely there are Angel Groups like Golden Seeds, of which I am an active member, whose members conduct a rigorous due diligence analysis of potential investment opportunities. And there is every variety in between. Continue reading

Angel Investing – What it’s all about

Collaboration concept in word tag cloudLast week I had the opportunity to attend the Golden Seeds Innovation Summit. During this annual event, CEOs from the Golden Seeds Portfolio Companies, Golden Seeds Members, LPs in the Golden Seeds Funds and guest speakers come together for two days in NYC. It is a venue for the CEOs to update current and potential investors about their companies and also to interface with one another, a powerful networking opportunity. In addition to hearing about the progress of our portfolio companies, members are able to attend sessions on topics including; positioning for exit, brand building, trends in various industry sectors, and many others.

To me, angel investing is so much  more than just writing a check, as I discussed in an earlier blog post. The ability to interface with our dynamic CEOs and to collaborate on investment opportunities with a great group of investors, like my colleagues at Golden Seeds, is “What it’s all about“. Each time I participate on a deal team, in addition to sharing my own expertise, I always learn something new. I follow my companies on Twitter and other social media venues and try to be a supportive “angel” (which means not trying to micromanage but being strategic with both advice and input). I feel extremely privileged to be a part of the Golden Seeds national network and look forward to investing with them in 2013.