A tiny island near Amsterdam. Packed with Angels & Startups. No pitching allowed!

…an unconference that wants to break down the last virtual barrier in the startup world.

That’s Angel Island.

The early days of the startup ecosystem in the Netherlands are over, it has stretched far beyond the realms of Amsterdam. Rapidly evolving, startup hubs are found in every city, government programs have brought support, volunteers have build startup community out of passion and more and more successful business have emerged.

But…there is something missing. Something most countries in Europe still lack… their own active angel community, maybe even their own “PayPal Mafia”. The first successful Dutch founders are starting to become active in the investment scene, bringing knowledge and capital. But beyond that the real potential lies in the ‘uninformed capital’.

What do I mean with uninformed capital? There are a lot of traditional family owned businesses that want to diversify and spend cash for equity at an early stage. The problem is they lack the experience on how to valuate and assess really early stage companies — when there is actually no proven product/market fit, no proven business model and a lot of uncertainty.

We want to help the brave and the daring.

The ones that have the perseverance, the talent and the ambition to take a leap and start investing in startups. I wanted to help enable this and create a community-driven festival that will engage a new generation of angels to interact with new tech startup founders.

Together with community leaders from all over the Netherlands we set out to create a spectacular event that levels the playing-field for startups and investors.

Imagine. A tiny island. Packed with angels & founders. No pitching allowed. No assholes allowed.

What is Angel Island —

We wanted to create a new experience, let go of the traditional pitching and investor meetings. That is why we rented an island for a day. We will bring 150 angel investors, 250 founders and 50 virgin angels (yes, I know that’s not a term yet) from all across Europe together for a day of extreme networking experiences. During our time on the island there will be a program that will challenge everyone to participate and build connections in a new way. Leave your business cards at home!

The event will not only broaden your network but will also teach you how to interact with investors, or founders for that matter. Give you insights in the best practices to follow as a founder or angel. Identify the right startups. And most importantly what deals to make or not to make.

…Of course we’ll end with a kick-ass party!

We are curating the right founders and angels to join us in this experience on the 28th of September. As everyone is a participant and we want to maximise the value for everyone. Access to Angel Island is invite only, if you want to be part of it request your invite here: angelisland.co

Angel Island is an initiative build upon the premise that founders & virgin angels just need to be information-enabled & connected. I don’t believe great founders or investors need much more from us.

For me, the reason to put my time and effort towards creating this is because I’ve been on both sides of the table. I want to create an environment where angels and founders can work together to grow companies and create value upon a foundation of trust. I know from experience how tough it can be to find the right partners.

We will set everything in motion to create a relaxed vibe. Pretty sure they will our curated guests will do the rest.

Together with Camille, Wout, Victoria, Dennis, Ivan, Marcel, Daniel, Nick, Hans, Anouk, Huub, Andrea we hope to bring together all the elements to create a fantastic happening.

Hope to see you on Angel Island!

*request your invite here: angelisland.co