There is much debate as to whether investors in early stage companies benefit from reviewing  financial projections and business plans. The earlier the stage of the company, the harder it is to “predict” what the future pathway will look like. Without a having an opportunity to review a business plan however,  it is difficult for investors to understand how the company intends to spend the funds raised and what it hopes to accomplish with those funds. In reviewing plans/projections from early stage companies, I like to be able to answer the following three questions: What will be th ..read more

One of the first topics I covered on WomenInvest was “Are you ready to become an Angel Investor?” I thought I would dust off this prior post and update it given all the changes in the startup ecosystem over the past decade. The term “angel investor” is used to describe a wide variety of investors in early stage companies. From the reality-show world of Shark Tank where entrepreneurs are grilled in front of a prime-time audience to established professional networks of angel investors, including Golden Seeds and New York Angels (both of which I am a member), it is clear that there is more t ..read more

January is always a great month to reflect back on investment decisions made in the prior year, and hopefully gain some intelligence to aide the process of investment selection moving forward. This past year, the combination of a worldwide pandemic and national political upheaval, provided unique challenges to the startup community, founders and funders alike. Stressful times tend to magnify both the strengths and unfortunately the weaknesses of leaders. Whether it was the ability to quickly shift to a remote working environment, understand and respond to changes needed in the business model ..read more

The New Year is great time for reflection, especially when entering a new decade. Looking back over the past ten years, the ecosystem of Angel Investing has experienced a number of innovations, seen new players enter the market and even added some new terms to the lexicon. A few highlights include: Angel List – created in 2010 by Naval Ravikant and Babak Nivi as a deal sharing platform, Angel List now serves as a source of talent for the startup community and provides syndication opportunities within the VC community. “The Unicorn Club” – coined by Venture Capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013, the t ..read more

Over the past few months, I have had several people reach out to me to ask my advice as to how to become an angel investor. So I thought it timely to put pen to paper to provide my take as to how to consider investing in this asset class. There are obviously many approaches to exploring this question; this is just one woman’s view! When considering becoming an angel investor, consider the following three questions: How much money do you plan to allocate to this asset class? How much time do you want to spend in sourcing and reviewing possible investments, mentoring entrepreneurs and getting in ..read more