Who is Business Angel or angel investor?

An angel investor or Business Angel is an entity that helps the Project with its financing, i.e. with advice in other areas. The Business Angel is an experienced or former entrepreneur, usually a C-level executive who is not thrown around by market cycles.

In the Czech Republic, Byznys Anděl is a slowly emerging term, but in Western countries it is often part of financial plans, especially for projects that carry big visions or have a social impact. For the first time in the Czech Republic, he spoke about Radna Williams‘ Global Trends in Angel Investing in 2017 thanks to the CzechInvest agency.

Randy Williams is the founder of Keirets Forum, the largest angel investor network, a community of accredited angel investors and venture capitalists.

In 2017, the first Startup Report study was also created, which maps the Czech business environment with the aim of cultivating and reflecting the ecosystem of startups from the perspective of investors and providing relevant information to laymen and demanding investors. Its initiator is the founder and director of the CEE branch of Keirest Forum, Daniel Šenkýř.

How does the Angel Investor help with financing?

An angel investor typically takes a 10-20% stake in the company and gets paid through a return on their investment. (10-20% is also the recommended amount of an angel’s investment compared to the angel’s total investment portfolio).

The return takes the form of a lump sum payment or a series of payments, but it can also be in the form of a share of the company’s equity or receiving a share of the profits. Karel Obluk, former CEO of AVG, investor, Partner of the Evolution Equity Partners fund and president of the Czech Business Angels Association, estimates the return on investment in the Czech Republic over several years (often ten or more).

Addressing the Angel investor

Compared to VC (Venture capitalists), Business Angels are suitable investors for smaller Projects with lower investment amounts.

They can be addressed by an Early Stage Entrepreneur who is just finalizing their Product and an Entrepreneur who has already passed their first sales and pilot phase dates. Although it is customary for a Project or Product to be partially unique, carrying elements of innovation and a wider social impact, athletes, for example, once sought their investors in the same way.

They created a presentation, now a „Pitch Deck“ and introduced themselves as a Product with a request for support.

You have nothing to lose by contacting an angel investor or an association bringing together investors. You will learn to present your business plan clearly, concisely and effectively. You get to know a new environment and new contacts, even at the cost of failing. Many famous Projects were rejected at first (Star Wars, Avatar).

Abroad, Business Angels represent the second largest source of external financing for newly established businesses. They contribute significantly to economic growth and technological progress. The European Commission has called on EU countries to support angel investments, especially across borders.

Interesting Information about Angels

• Many Angels do not decide in which part of the world they invest.
• There are associations of Angelic women that specialize in specific fields, not just IT, for example.
• There are approximately 34,500 angel investors in Europe.
• BA’s European leaders include large markets such as Germany and France.
• Angel investors invest smaller amounts in start-up projects. In the EU approx. 10,000-200,000€ per Project.
• Up to 75% of angel investments take place in the same or neighboring country.
• The EU is dealing with a strategy to support the role of Business Angels for thriving startup ecosystems. Why? Because if Angel investments were to slow down, it would have a significant impact on the startup economy in Europe.
• BAE (Business Angels Europe) motivates member Angels to build a portfolio of 6-8 startups at the same time as part of the risk management of angel portfolio diversification.
• In 2021, the total volume of angel investments in the USA was more than USD 29 billion, and over 69,000 companies received funding.

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