Category: Investor insights

When it comes to investing in startups, investors are not only evaluating the potential of the business idea but also the qualities of the founders behind it. Startups can have an innovative product, a large market opportunity, and a sound business plan, but without the right team behind it, success can be elusive. This is even more the case in 2023 with investment more difficult to secure.

Based on several interviews with prominent angel investors, we explore the key traits that investors look for in startup founders. From passion and grit to adaptability and communication skills, we delve into the qualities that can make a startup founder stand out and increase their chances of securing investment. read more

Businesses are missing out on huge commercial opportunities due to a lack of gender diversity in early stage business investment. This is the message from experienced investor Roxane Sanguinetti in our latest Meet the Investor interview. Tackling the gender funding gap was her motivation in joining Alma Angels, which backs female and/ or minority founders. It is now 350 angels strong. As well being an investor with Alma Angels she is co head of the London chapter of Women in ETF’s.

In a wide ranging interview she discusses how to create a more level playing field, why it matters, the sectors that she is drawn toward investing and the common qualities of founding teams she has backed. Why dedication is what you need… read more

For our latest Meet the Investor Interview we chat with Addy Windsor-Clive, an investment manager at Regenerate Ventures. Regenerate Ventures is an EIS VC fund focusing on Early stage AgTech investments. She discusses her motivation in supporting startups tackling the ‘broken’ agri-food supply chain, her desire to see a more diverse set of founders within agriculture and the trends transforming the ag-tech sector.

What led you to investing in start-ups?

I started my career in Venture Capital and that’s where my love for it began and helping startups reach their true potential. read more

‘Founders need to be passionate, driven, and fully committed in the longevity and future of their company.’ These are the words of experienced investor Noel Duigan describing what he expects from entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas. As someone who has personally invested in 12 businesses in the past year his advice is worth its weight in gold.

We are delighted Noel has given his time for our latest Meet The Investor interview. He discusses the reasons he invests, his typical ticket size, the red flags he looks out for, how founders should update investors and top tips for anyone raising for the first time.
read more

 “If you don’t see it, you can’t be it” says inspirational investor and founder Andy Ayim MBE. The quote describes his philosophy in setting up the Angel Investing School with the aim of empowering a new tribe of diverse angel investors for the benefit for the whole startup ecosystem. In our latest interview this game changing investor discusses his motivations, advice to aspiring angel investors, how he finds deals and where the best investment opportunities lie in this tougher climate. read more

Andrew Craissati has had a storied career with over 20 years in senior roles across investment banking, Universal Studios, National Geographic, the David de Rothschild family office and the Virgin Group. Working closely with the country’s most famous entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, Andrew gained remarkable insight of the world of early stage investing. 

 As a founding member of the Bricks, an early-stage investment firm, for the past 12 years he has used his personal experiences in supporting companies. Not just with capital but with constructively designed support and value-additive skills and knowledge. For our latest Meet the Investor interview, he discusses the benefits of angel investing, the most exciting markets for investment at this time and an unorthodox but effective approach for identifying the top performers. read more

David Pattison left school not knowing what he wanted to do. He ‘fell’ into the media side of the advertising industry. With two partners he founded globally renowned advertising business (PHD) and had a successful exit.

For the past decade he has been a hugely successful angel investor, working as a chair, mentor or adviser for a variety of businesses and CEOs. Acting as a ‘wingman’ watching CEOs and companies’ backs and witnessing first-hand the ups and downs of start-up and young company life. read more

The angel investment world is still overwhelmingly male. Data from the UKBAA suggests only 13% of business angel investors in the UK are women and it is a similar picture worldwide. Lack of access is one of the biggest challenges of gender inequity. There is an urgent need for more successful women to speak up and show others the way. One of the key reasons is that more female investors means more female entrepreneurs are likely to receive support. 

One such woman is the incredible Marla Shapiro- CEO of HERmesa – a UK based angel syndicate, 2022 finalist Angel Group of the Year at the UKBAA awards, investing in extraordinary female (co) founded start ups.  We speak about her continually growing portfolio of exceptional women led start-ups, her drive to support female backed business and what she sees as the fundamentals of a founding team. read more

What is the magic formula that turns investor interest into action? In the last of our fundraising top tips blog series, we consider ‘the million dollar question’ of why investors back early stage businesses.

We have identified the top reasons based on the accumulated wisdom of startups who have successfully raised via AIN over the past two years, based on dozens of interviews. So exactly what are the top factors that will encourage an investor to become part of your cap table? 

1. The strength of the founding team

This came out as the number one reason startups received backing. After all, at this early stage, often pre-revenue, traction may be  limited. Investors are taking a gamble that any early stage company will go onto a significant exit and ensure a significant return. They need to have faith in the founding team to deliver. The old adage that ‘people buy people’ is proved out here. read more

Angel investors generally invest early in a startup’s life, meaning that if they identify successful investments, there is potential for huge returns. One of the key steps for angels to assess investment opportunities is looking at metrics and benchmarking against other similar companies. 

To be clear, every sector, and indeed every startup, will have different relevant metrics, but these should be of use as a starting point:

Churn rate 

A company’s churn rate is the percentage of customers that cancel in a given period. It’s of particular importance, in that acquiring new customers is typically considerably more expensive than acquiring new customers.  read more