Angel Investor Insights
For the first 11 years & 2 startups I founded, run and exited, I didn’t raise any $$$ at all. I was simply “very lucky” to be confronted with tremendously challenging times, that put me in a position to choose only from 2 things: A) we either would have started making revenues — or B) we would have ☠ (!) died. I went for A. At cloudplace and now at swaaag (my startups #3 + #4), fundraising was always part of the plan, but NEVER the purpose. Funding is a necessity and not a goal! Because this and many other funding related questions are often misunderstood from upcoming entrepreneurs — on my mission to share what it takes to be a startup entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, I had the great pleasure to interview Silicon Valley AngelList Investor Ross Uchimura, to discuss angel investment insights.
Off the record: If you like the no-BS style — you are reading/watching the right thing by the right author, therefore make the time, unlock the 10 minutes by tweeting this post. You are the man / woman!
Ross’ has been in finance his entire career and investing in startups since the first tech bubble. Based in Silicon Valley, Ross is an active AngelList investor focused on — but not limited to: fintech, tech cannabis, real estate and edu tech.
In a couple minutes of your time watching the video, you can expect to hear / learn about:
- What sparks an angel investor’s interest
- Why the team makes or breaks it
- What are founder’s key attributes angel investor’s want to see
- Why acting partly open doesn’t lead anywhere
- Why team behavior is crucial
- An Investment use case
- Description of a great CEO & her team he invested in
- Investment preferences
- Why a startup Ross invested in took off
- When is a due diligence easy
- How to approach angel investors best
- Why and what Angel Groups to consider
- What to prepare to pitch to an angel investor
- Syndications and its importance throughout angel investors
- Communication advice
- What turns angel investors off
- When is a deal intriguing
- Key reason why angel investors turn down deals
Read also my related angel investment post: You are an angel!
(!!) And, the most genuine way of showing virtual appreciation for a writer is to share & tweet. In case you haven’t done it yet … I’m looking forward to it! Thank you for reading/watching this and stay tuned for next week’s post.
Originally published at whatittak.es.
