The Great Startup Game

Raising Capital?: How Not to Get Scammed

Startup Scams

A reader sent me a link to an interesting read on one startup's experience with a conman.

iStole Your Startup: A Story of an iPhone Company Conman

Read the personal account here.

Always check out your angel investors to make sure they are legit.

There's more related reading on angel investors, venture capitalists, and what to watch out for strating here.

Angel Investors: South East

The Network of Business Angels & Investors of Atlanta, Georgia

The Network of Business Angels & Investors (NBAI.net) is a membership group that provides a safe haven for new accredited investors and seasoned sophisticated investors to socialize and consider qualified vetted private investment opportunities. Launch Funding Network (http://LAUNCHfn.com) is a strategic advisory firm helping entrepreneurs master the art of raising capital and producing events that give stand out companies the opportunity to pitch their investment opportunity to motivated angel investors.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: Angel Investor Capital at its Lowest in 10 Years

The NY Times reports that angel investor capital is at its lowest point in ten years. This should come as no surprise to any serious entrepreneur considering the state of the economy and market for IPOs.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP is as vibrant as ever in the American economy, but the capital that finances new companies is still in retreat. Venture capital is running at the lowest levels in more than a decade, and angel investors, who invest in far smaller companies than venture capital funds do, are holding back, too.

The reasons for the cutbacks begin with the recession. Angel investors — typically individuals with more than $1 million who join together to back start-up companies — have seen their net worth decline. And these days, many angels find they need to offer additional support to companies they’ve backed in previous years, rather than take on new commitments.

Then too, payoffs seem farther away. “The exit strategies are more difficult, public offerings are really not available, and acquisitions of small companies by large ones are fewer these days,” said Alfred E. Osborne Jr., senior associate dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a founder of its entrepreneurship program.(source)

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: Washington State

This angel investor blog emanates from the Great Pacific Northwest, specifically Washington State.

The blogger is an experienced entrepreneur and angel investor who shares his experiences and lessons with entrepreneurs.

Find out more about this Washington angel investor blog.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: Alaska InvestNET

Alaska has its own angel investor network, InvestNet, in Anchorage.

Alaska InvestNet strives to create a world-class private equity and entrepreneurial environment in Alaska.  We attract, educate and connect entrepreneurs, angel investors, service providers and venture capitalists.  Together, we work to energize Alaska’s economy by enhancing the number and quality of early-stage equity investments in local companies, creating wealth for investors and jobs for Alaskans. 

In an effort to strengthen Alaska’s startup economy, AIN is committed to the following goals:

• Deliver effective, high-quality private equity education programs for both entrepreneurs and investors;
• Coach and mentor top-tier entrepreneurs seeking risk capital;
• Provide a structured forum for start-up companies to present their business opportunities to early-stage investors;
• Increase the number of angel networks and angel investors throughout the state, providing organizational support, professional guidelines and investment opportunities;
• Partner with organizations statewide to build infrastructure that attracts and generates better investment opportunities throughout Alaska.

You can contact this Alaska angel investor network.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: How Angel Investors Should Look for Deals

How to get into quality deal flow as an angel investor.
How to be an angel investor

This is worth watching because it helps you to understand how angel investors operate, network, and find deals.

Angel Investors: Funding Universe (Utah)

Angel investor network Funding Universe invests in Utah startups.

At FundingUniverse, we are in the process of doing an intense research study on the current Utah angel investment market.  We are partnering with the heads of each of the angel groups to gather the information.  Here is a quick teaser on more information to come:

• 93 Utah investors surveyed
• 49 investors said that they are still actively investing (52.69%)
• 2 investors said that they were syndicating deals, but not leading any new ones (2.15%)
• 21 investors said they are no longer investing (22.58%)
• 21 investors said that they are not making any investments outside their current portfolio (22.58%)

I have spoken to several people about this survey and have received drastically different responses. One of the questions that I have is:  given the current state of the economy, are those statistics more optimistic or less optimistic that you had expected?

Contact Brock Blake of the angel investors network Funding Universe.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: Micro Funding

Angel Investors microFunding brings together investors, managers, and inventors.

microFunding is a wholly new way to help fund great business ideas. It really increases the chances of finding money for an idea, and making it into a serious business success. The rewards are based upon the well proven formula of at least ‘30 for the inventor, 30 for the investor and 30 for the management’.

Inventors are motivated to share their ideas securely and confidentially

Managers are motivated to put their time and reputation behind only great ideas with a real chance of succeeding, and his rewards arrive only on a profitable exit – and the sooner the better for everyone!

Investors are motivated to invest in ideas backed by experienced managers offering a lower risk/reward ratio.

Contact angel investors microFunding.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: Common Angels

Common Angels is another group of angel investors you can contact with questions about funding for your startup.

Contact angel investors Common Angels.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.

Angel Investors: My Virtual Angel

Angel Investors: My Virtual Angel is operated by angel investor Karen Rands.

Karen Rands got involved in the world of angel investing in 2001.   She left corporate world to join one of her clients as their VP and to help them raise their last bit of go-to-market capital. 

As Karen Rands got more involved in the world of angel investing, she had requests from high net-worth men and women and their money managers to recommend training so they could learn How to be an Angel Investor.   There was plenty of training options for public stock market investing and real estate investing, but nothing for private equity investing. 

Contact angel investor Karen Rands.

Just remember that all investors want to back concepts with real traction, not just an idea presented in a business plan. Learn How to Close Deals With Angel Investors.