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Angel Investor List

Are you trying to find angel investor funding?

A good place to start is to find a list of angel investors.  The more investors you know, the better chance that one of them will be a good fit to you and your business.  Start fundraising long before you need it because the process usually takes a long time.

An angel investor list

A quick search on the internet for angel investor lists should provide you with numerous angel organizations.  You will usually not be able to view the contact information for individual angels, but you can discover the group’s requirements for presenting or submitting your business plan. 

Why Some Angel Investor Lists Are Better Than Others

Since most angels invest close to home, you will want to find groups in your area.  This could prove to be more difficult depending on where you live.  You can try contacting your chamber of commerce or local university business professors for leads as well.

Another important criterion for your list of angels is their preferred industries.  Most angels will not invest in industries in which they have no familiarity or experience.  They try to hedge their risk by capitalizing on their knowledge.

Finally you should realize that a list of angel investors in a group or organization may be beneficial because of the potential for a larger deal.  Angels in organized groups can pool their knowledge and resources, and if your company attracts their attention, you could get a larger deal than would have been otherwise possible.

Helpful Hint

Basically at bare minimum you need to find a list of investors customized to your needs with respect to typical funding amount, industry, and geography.  By doing this, you maximize your chances of attracting an angel that could seriously consider investing while eliminating angels that might be interested but cannot or would not invest anyway

One website that allows you to do all of this is www.Invstor.com.  The Invstor.com Network connects investors and entrepreneurs primarily in two ways.  First, you can sign up for a subscription.  A subscription allows you to view the contact information for all the members.  You can do a search for investors by state, preferred investment amount, and industry, or any combination of the three. 

Alternatively, you can post a “Request” which gets broadcast to investors on the network specifically seeking deals similar to yours.  A Request is similar in function and format to a classified advertisement.   You can also become a member for free and put your business information in your profile.  Investors will be able to find your business when they are browsing for new opportunities, and you may be able to find funding this way.

What if no angel list fits my needs?

If you prefer not to use the internet in your search for angel lists, your best option will be to utilize your personal network of contacts.  The primary sources of deal flow for angels are usually their own friends and acquaintances.  This is because they can trust their contacts.  Startups are high risk, and to minimize that risk they need to be able to have full confidence in an entrepreneur.

So if you already know an angel, contact them and see if they want to invest.  If they do not, they can probably still provide you a list of other angels that might be interested.  Otherwise, tell as many people as possible that you are looking for angel investors.  You may get a referral to the individual that becomes your angel. 

What's next?

You need to do several things before contacting a potential investor.  First, be sure you can present your idea in a concise yet easy to understand and interesting fashion.  Your grandma should be able to understand your basic idea.  If you go into too much detail initially, the investor may lose interest.

Second, be sure that you have thought through as many possible objections to your idea as possible and are prepared to answer them persuasively.  Brainstorming with others may help a lot.

Once you contact them, try to find their motivation for investing.  Some angels invest pure for financial reasons.  Most however have other non-trivial reasons.  Some want to stay current on the latest developments in an industry.  Others want to put their knowledge and experience to work.  Some just like to help beginning entrepreneurs.  Regardless, their motivation will determine the amount of time they want to invest in your company even after the deal is complete.  Some will want a position on the board or control over some daily operations while others will be hard to reach after the deal is completed.  You need to be very clear on the expectations for both of your roles in the company.  A good compromise must be reached or the deal should not be completed.  If an angel makes exorbitant demands and you have no other offers, you may have no choice but to accept them.

Summary

If a professional angel investor is what you need to get your business off the ground, an angel investor list can be a great resource.  Be sure to find an angel that is a good fit to you and your business.  Be patient and stay persistent; it will take awhile to raise money.