AaAaAeA{Aa idea is to create an
angel network in Lebanon,AaAaAeA{AaAaAeAo explains Nicolas Rouhana
"Even though they get a real buzz out of their involvement, this certainly isn't a hobby," says Harry Stott, Director of the University of Warwick Science Park's Minerva business
angel network.
Since 1998, Oprah's
Angel Network has raised more than $35 million in donations from the public.
To find
angel networks, start with the Internet and try several combinations of key words such as "angel capital," "angel investors," or "angel finance." Several choices will appear.
The second factor which biases the average investment size upwards is that it seems reasonable to assume that investors who pay subscriptions to join business
angel networks will comprise more serious and wealthier informal investors who are actively seeking investment opportunities and so will invest more frequently and make larger investments.
The fund is planning to partner with venture capitalists, economic development groups and
angel networks. About half of its investments are supposed to be in western Pennsylvania companies.
Business
angel networks have also been shown to be effective as a conduit to financing early-stage companies.
The fund has been launched by a partnership of three of the UK's leading
angel networks: OION, GEIF in Cambridge and SWAIN based in Bristol, with fund management provided by Cambridge-based NW Brown Group.
'We're pleased to be able to report an increase in the number of deals completed after what has been a pretty lean two years for business
angel networks throughout the UK and Europe, although we see these figures as only the start of an investment revival' XAnos ended March 2005 with a very strong dealflow pipeline in place and we expect to see a further rise in activity over the rest of the year.'
"However the present `matchmaking' model, adopted by most UK Business
Angel networks, does not mobilise the full power of angel investing.
Angel networks are popping up across the country, creating databases that connect investors with businesses that need seed money or expansion capital.
IAN has been functioning with the UK Trade and Investments and UK-based
angel networks as it anticipates to establish its presence there.
