Top 5 Questions Raised by Angel Investors

by Jess Lee

Funding is the number one challenge for most startups!

Perhaps you may have been rejected by bankers for a small business loan application for your startup, but there is angel investment as an alternative.

Angel investors are private individuals or firms that use their own money to invest directly into startups or businesses at early stage. So, you need to have all the groundwork covered before you approach one. In short, you need a sound business plan that outlines your strategy for rapid business growth with ideal projected revenues over the next 3 years.

There are many angel investors join groups and work together, so you may have one or more investors look at your business. Usually, one of the investors will present on behalf of an entrepreneur to the rest of the group. Decisions about investments are made at the meeting. For this reason, it's important that you network your business community as wide as possible so that you can benefit from more referrals.

Generally, angel investors should look at the following measures:-

1. Your management team's credential and ability to run the show.

2. Your product or service unique selling points.

3. The feasibility of capturing market share.

4. The viability of your profit margin.

5. The exit strategy for the investors that can be attained in not more than 5 years.

In reality, only 3 out of 100 companies who applied are successful with angel investors, and the success rate with venture capitalists is even lower. In other words, failing which of the criterion above will doom to failure!