I can remember the afternoon that changed my life like it was yesterday. I was just about to throw my hands up in dejection, having exhausted all of my resources for cash for my new business. I had hit up my parents, my brother and my sister, my uncles and aunts, my neighbors, your neighbors … you name it. But still, I had hit a wall. Either I would get the additional money I needed to take the next step, or I would be flipping burgers for minimum wage the following week. Then came that afternoon meeting with an angel investor.
What’s an angel investor? Let’s just say that this particular person, who shall remain nameless for the time being, provided me with real-deal seed funds to turn my brilliant idea — and it is brilliant! — into a reality. The meeting took all of an hour or two, and at the end, he shook my hand and said let’s do this.
“I don’t usually write checks after just one meeting,” I remember him saying. “But your idea has potential to become world-class,” he told me. “You might be small now, but when you take off with my help, you could have a big imprint on the industry, on the economy, on this world.”
“And that’s what I do,” he continued. “I invest in your promise of tomorrow because that tomorrow won’t happen without me.”
What’s more, this particular angel investor is experienced, having done this sort of thing for other entrepreneurs and “dreamers” like myself. So he and his well-heeled angel friends were chockfull of knowledge. And they share their expertise, like in the form of management advice and the names of the right contacts.
Now here I am, on my way to going big time. What’s my big idea, the innovations behind my company? Let’s just say you’ll know about me soon enough, and that it doesn’t involve me flipping burgers.
You might be asking yourself at this point, “Sure, that’s a nice story and all, but what does this have to do with me?”
Well, just think that there are thousands of inventors, entrepreneurs, and go-getters out there, each with a scheme to revolutionize their particular industry. Sure, not all of them are the genuine article like me (it’s like me to be pretentious!). But there are plenty of them who are.
Angel investors are crucial for these burgeoning businesses. Heck, angel investors are critical for whole economies to thrive. Yes, angel investors are that important. They fuel innovation with seed capital. They stimulate markets and economies by growing companies that can compete on the local, then the global, stage.
But what do angel investors get out of it? Of course, besides the obvious financial returns from investing in the next blockbuster business, you also get immense personal satisfaction that comes with any form of do-gooder-ism. Heck, they don’t call them “angel” investors for nothing. You get to wear a halo because it makes you feel good!
Then there is also the opportunity to meet other angel investors like yourself, with the same passion for innovation, the same keen eye for investments that can deliver on the promise of tomorrow. Like my angel investor told me, he belongs to a network where he can bounce ideas off of knowledgeable peers, tap into a channel of advice and research, and even meet new friends and young investors in need of mentoring.
Heck, his stories almost make me want to become an angel investor. That is, if I wasn’t so busy trying to succeed with one’s help!
I guess my point, then, is to encourage any of you out there who have the inkling to invest in startup companies and entrepreneurs. Again, without my personal angel’s help, my dream would have sunk quicker than lead. And there are so many others like me out there who have a dream, an idea, a spark capable of shaking up the world … if only they get help at those crucial early stages when such assistance is at a premium.
So for our sake, become an angel investor! Find your place among them and learn how to get started at sites like Venture Hype. Join forces with others like you and don the halo to invest in the promises of tomorrow.
* For series, references are published in the last installment of the series.
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Venture Hype has an interesting concept and an interesting format. It’s apparently well-read. Always good to be controversial and ask probing questions.
