Inc Magazine has a great post here about all the different options for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital. They cover everything from credit cards to angels and hedge fund debt financing.

From the angels perspective the article says,

For years angel investors have invested alongside VCs and private equity firms in syndication deals. Lately, however, angel groups and larger investors have begun to use the same term sheet, says James Geshwiler, managing director of CommonAngels, a group in Boston. This closer working relationship between angels and institutional investors has driven more angel money into deals worth between $2 million and $5 million. Deals of this size accounted for 45 percent of all reported angel investments in 2005, up from 35 percent in 2004, according to the Center for Venture Research.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.25.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Entrepreneur

Brad Feld brings us useful information again. This time he provides us with some sample board meeting minutes. A great resources for those of you stepping into an investment where you might have to help out with early board meetings.

In general, the philosophy among most VC-backed companies - promulgated by the law firms for these companies - is to keep the board minutes “light.” They should cover the substance of the meeting and have any specific votes, option grants, or board level issues documented, but they should not contain extensive details about the presentations giving in the board meeting.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.25.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Entrepreneur, Resources, Uncategorized

Brad Feld, with Mobius Venture Capital, writes “Is it angel investing or for profit philanthropy” and talks about a podcast he did with David Cohen and Kimbal Musik on angel investing.

Scott Converse also has some good comments on the podcast here.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.24.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor

Ed Sim at Beyond VC offers another post on tough questions entrepreneurs must answer about their business.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.19.2006 :: Comments
Entrepreneur

Paul Graham, with Y Combinator, in his traditional fashion unleashes a very comprehensive post on “The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups“

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.19.2006 :: Comments
Entrepreneur

The Houston Chronicle writes that even though overall angel investing has increased 15% to 12.6 billion in the first half of 2006, the percentage of that money that went into early stage companies has dropped from 48% to 40%. The funding gap continues to grow though they are optimistic “the funding environment for new entrepreneurs is unlikely to get any worse”.

They give 2 reasons for this:

1. VC coming into the deals after angels are pushing into even more mature deals, and some of these ange groups are beginning to act more like VC funds.
2. Angel groups springing up all around the country allow angels to get beyond the sub $500,000 investment fairly easily

1. John May, from the Angel Capital association, disagrees stating that many of the smaller deals just don’t get reported.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.17.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Industry Stats

The Houston Chronicle writes that even though overall angel investing has increased 15% to 12.6 billion in the first half of 2006, the percentage of that money that went into early stage companies has dropped from 48% to 40%. The funding gap continues to grow though they are optimistic “the funding environment for new entrepreneurs is unlikely to get any worse”.

They give 2 reasons for this:

1. VC coming into the deals after angels are pushing into even more mature deals, and some of these ange groups are beginning to act more like VC funds.
2. Angel groups springing up all around the country allow angels to get beyond the sub $500,000 investment fairly easily

1. John May, from the Angel Capital association, disagrees stating that many of the smaller deals just don’t get reported.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.17.2006 :: Comments
Uncategorized

Heres a recap of all the articles coming out of Union Square Ventures

• What we focus on
• Other things to look for
• A company needs traction
• Why early stage investing
• Take the lead
• The new business development

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.17.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Resources, VC

Union Square Ventures good tips about “not following very well” or taking the lead themselves. Lead investing was a top priority for them with Union Square Ventures, and here they cover why.

Also, Seattle PI covers more details on leading deals and dictating the terms. Great information for new entrepreneurs faced with navigating angel investors and term sheets.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.17.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Resources

The Wisconsin Department of Commerce has qualified several small businesses for it’s investor tax credits.

Evan Bartlett :: Oct.17.2006 :: Comments
Angel Investor, Taxes, VC