Angel Investing – “Back to School”

As a parent, Septembers were always filled with the chores of “back to school” – books to be purchased, sharp pencils, the search for that perfect lunchbox….. As an angel investor, September also puts me in a “back to school” frame of mind. At Golden Seeds, I have the privilege of overseeing The Knowledge Institute, which houses our Investor Training Series. Our fall sessions in New York begin in September when members are back from summer vacations. In preparation for our training sessions, I am constantly looking for new resources, books, etc. to continue to enhance or improve our training materials.

Although by no means an exhaustive list, here are some resources that I have found to be quite helpful:

Angel Resource Institute: The ARI provides great education programs through its Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Power of Angel Investing series of seminars and workshops.

Angel Capital Association: The ACA is the professional and trade association supporting the success of angel investors. Check out their Webinar Series which covers topics from the Jobs Act to building a portfolio. In addition the ACA runs a series of events which provide great sources of information. Consider attending the upcoming Leadership Workshop in Ohio and the Annual Summit next Spring in San Diego.

Pipeline Fellowship: Pipeline is an angel investing bootcamp for women that works to increase diversity in the U.S. angel investing community and create capital for women social entrepreneurs

From my Bookshelf:

• Newly released Angel Investing – The gust guide to Making Money & Having Fun Investing in Startups by David S. Rose, CEO of Gust and Founder of New York Angels. This is a great read from a true pioneer in the angel investing scene.
• What Every Angel Investor Wants You to Know by Brian S. Cohen, Chairman of New York Angels, and John Kador. Written in the first person and filled with anecdotes, war stories and wisdom gained from Brian’s many years of angel investing, this book is both a fun and insightful read.
• Term Sheets and Valuations by Alex Wilmerding. A very helpful resource on the nuances of Term Sheets.
• Early Exits by Basil Peters.  This is a very informative read on exits from the perspective of the angel investor.

In a recent post, I compared Angel Investing to Brain Fuel, as it provides the opportunity to be in a constant state of learning. Please add to the comment section below any resources that you have found to be helpful in the never-ending process of learning.