Dorset Business Angels (DBA) hosted a brand-new event with the aim of encouraging more women into Angel investing. The webinar entitled, the ‘A-Z of Angel Investing’ was hosted by UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) CEO Jenny Tooth OBE, who shared many golden nuggets of wisdom and experience from her years on the investing scene.
UKBAA is the trade body for Angel investing across the UK and Jenny has been CEO since 2012. Jenny gave insight into the network, which has over 200 member bodies from across the industry: 84 Angel Groups with over 15,000 Angel represented by these group, 30 Venture Capitalist Funds, 17 Online platforms, 25 Accelerators and 62 Associates.
Jenny explored what a Business Angel is and the opportunities. An Angel investor profile was described as someone investing their own capital and making their own decisions, using either spare wealth or financial resources, taking shares in return for providing equity capital but also providing support, advice and expertise to their investee business. “A lot of men and women investing nowadays do alongside their day jobs, it’s not just something to do in retirement. It’s not always about the money that is being invested, it’s about the value-added and seeing what you can do to help and make a difference to the business.
“Angel Investing can be fun, exciting and sociable. I would always recommend doing with others and joining a syndicate, never invest alone. There is a level of altruism in that very often it’s the opportunity to make a real difference to your local economy and the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint – it can take between 8 – 12 years to get a return and a business success. Build a portfolio of investments and make sure it’s mixed, don’t put all your investments into one particular niche or field. Your investment does not need to be huge, with opportunities starting at around £5,000. Start small and build and grow.”
When asked what to look out for in a business Jenny advised, “The people in a business make all the difference. Do they have the necessary commitment, passion and drive? Is the business scalable, does it have the right business model to be able to build and grow? How innovative or disruptive is it in its niche? How far will your money help it to stand out?”
Joining Jenny for a discussion was seasoned Angel Investor Bridget Connell, who started investing after a corporate career including stints at logistics giant DHL and mobile phone operator Telefonica. She sits on the advisory board of the Angel Academe syndicate and works as a mentor and executive coach. She is listed as a UKBAA’s top 20 women angel investor and describes her investment lens as ‘female-founded tech businesses’ with an interest around teams and people.
Bridget described her journey into Angel investment. Her advice was clear as she described how she found her 1st deal. “I went to a few different investment syndicates to get a sense of what they were like and how it worked – I eventually settled on one that made me feel very comfortable and I liked the people involved. I learned that Angel investing is a team sport! I also did some courses, I read and I attended different pitch events. I wanted to understand, learn and explore before engaging with Angel Investing, it was certainly an education. I would suggest sitting through due diligence in your syndicate, look and learn, hold your nerve and remember, you don’t always have to invest.”
“Angel investing has been fascinating and so enjoyable and has led to me meeting all sorts of interesting people.”
DBA Chairman Don McQueen said, “We are thrilled at the success of our event. We had over 40 people attend and the feedback we have received has been excellent. We are really hoping to improve and encourage more women onto the investment scene, younger investors too. Videos of the event are available to view online and we would urge anyone interested in Angel Investing to take a look. Our new pitch event takes place on 14th June and registrations can be made online www.dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk
- The main presentation: https://youtu.be/nsws6JHyN08
“We would like to offer thanks to our event sponsors, Saffery Champness Accountants Partner Liz Brierley, Ellis Jones Solicitors Partner Kate Brooks and Senior Investment Director Hannah Dampney and Financial Planning Director Amanda Cook from Investec Wealth & Investment. Each shared their relevant professional and financial areas of expertise to support the Angel investing process. The success of the event was certainly a team effort!”
About Dorset Business Angels
DBA was formed in 2013 with the aim to bring investors and entrepreneurs together to accelerate the growth of early- stage businesses. DBA provides quality, private equity investment opportunities to local high net worth (HNW) and sophisticated investors (SI).
Four times a year companies are invited to attend an event at which they pitch their business to the savvy Angels in a Dragon’s Den type scenario. Angel investment might come from a single investor or it could be 2 or 3 Angels pooling funds together to support a company. Any investments are in the form of an equity investment and not a debtor’s loan. Investments are made across all sectors.
