Angel Investment Network Blog

Ask a sample group of people why startups fail, and, assuming they have a vague understanding of the modern world,  they’ll give you a host of different reasons. Misfiring team. Poor product. No market. No business model. Delusional founder etc. And undoubtedly, they are all true depending on the circumstances in which the particular startup failed.

But there is a root problem to many of these problems. And it’s a simple one: a lack of tracked data, or perhaps simply a wilful ignorance of it. Data is the only means of empirically measuring the performance of your startup and building good practices upon proven foundations. In other words, tracked data gives you actionable insights where you would otherwise be guessing. Build upon what you already know to be true and your chances of avoiding ultimate failure will be much greater. read more

Understanding how investors think is an essential tool for every entrepreneur. Only when their thinking processes have been demystified can you attempt to negotiate with confidence.

This infographic, visualised from investor Paul Graham’s famous essay “The Hacker’s Guide to Investors” by Anna Vital from Funders and Founders, is your pocket guide to getting inside their heads.

This infographic explains each component of an elevator pitch to ensure you hit the highs and provide all the necessary information.

What’s your top tip for entrepreneurs pitching to investors?

This infographic shows the power of social media and what social media marketing can do for your business.

What’s been your business’ most successful social media strategy?

Last year VC firms invested $11 billion in the software sector, according to a report from advisory firm PwC.  Check out this chart to see the other top sectors where venture capitalists were putting their cash.

Your website’s landing page is one of the most important aspects of online marketing.  A landing page is the first page a visitor sees, and affects the decision of users, whether to go ahead with the purchase or not.  To have a high converting landing page, you should keep testing your page until you find the content, layout and design that give the best results.

This infographic was compiled from research by SCORE to determine if online advertising in the form of banner advertisements, paid social media promotions and pay-per-click (PPC) ads have offered significant value to small businesses and if they will continue to do so. It gives stats on how many small businesses currently use this marketing technique, how much they spend on online advertising, average click-through rates and the typical return on investment for ads placed on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. read more

This infographic charts the evolution of 18 big-company logos, beginning with Coca-Cola in 1886 and Pepsi a decade later, and continuing through the Yahoos and Googles of the late 20th century.

With well over 1.2 billion Facebook users, to make sure your marketing efforts are effective and efficient.  Here are a few key tips to master the basics of Facebook marketing…

This infographic breaks down the way an entrepreneur goes from idea generation through to initial public offering.

If you’re an experienced angel investor looking for new opportunities, you may find what you’re looking for by investing with a group instead of individually or with a few friends. According to an article published on Phys.org, the benefits of working as a group include better deal flow, diversified portfolios, due diligence and evaluation, along with social interaction with other investors. If you’re just getting started with angel investing, participating in a group gives you the ability to learn from more experienced investors, helping you limit the risk of going in blind or unprepared. read more

The Journal and Dow Jones VentureSource are tracking companies that are valued at $1 billion or more by venture-capital firms. The club is becoming less exclusive as venture capitalists funnel large sums of capital in the best startups. Today there are more than 30 such companies in the U.S., Europe and China.

If you are an entrepreneur seeking funding for a new business, there are a number of funding sources available for consideration. However, not all funding options may be suitable for you. When determining which type of funding is most appropriate, it is important to determine how much control you are willing to give up and what sort of payment schedules are realistic for your new venture. Although many entrepreneurs are hesitant to give up partial control of their new business, angel investors are a smart way to raise capital quickly. read more