Two major forces are affecting the Angel asset class. First, entrepreneurs need less cash than ever to prove their business models and achieve an exit using agile lean techniques. This has created the rise of the “one-and-done” investment and has meant that VCs are becoming less important in the early-stage investment ecosystem. Second is the ability for Angels to co-invest and syndicate deals. This allows larger deals, which again pushes VCs into later-stage and even-larger-sized investments. Some of the most attractive Angel investment opportunities use technology-based barriers to entry to achieve competitive differentiation and high exit valuations. While Canada invests heavily in scientific research and development, it is difficult to commercialize these technologies and bring them to market with solid business models. Angels provide a vital bridge across this commercialization funding gap, filling the gap in the funding continuum between initial seed capital from “friends and family”, and the larger-scale investments made by venture capital (Global Angel Investing Community Trends – Plenary, NACO National Angel Summit, 2015). If funding is not available through this often-lengthy interim development phase, many startups fall into the “valley of death”, reducing the pipeline of businesses for later-stage growth and development. As summarized by Bryan Watson: “It was not that long ago that the majority of policy and support programs were designed primarily for supporting VC-backed companies only. Angels, a collective of individuals, were a difficult entity to develop policy for. The economic crisis of 2008 and crowding out of Angel investors in the Canadian market (Cumming & MacIntosh), coupled with increased sophistication of Angel groups, allowed Angels to communicate with all levels of government. This led to programs that Angel-backed companies could leverage to cross the funding gap while also helping offset the risk Angels faced.”
The Innovation Funding Continuum – Angels Fund Companies to Scale Up
Stages of Development
Ideation Proof of Concept
Seed
Growth
Maturity
Commercial Banks
Funding Companies to Scale Up
M&A/IPO $90M
Venture Capital $2M–19M
Angel Funding Bridge
Angel Syndicates & Funds $50K–11M
Angel Groups $15K–4M
Individual Angels $10K–2M
Crowdfunding & Accelerators $2.5K–1.5M
“Valley of Death”
Government & Incubators $10K–500K
Friends & Family $2K–300K
2 – 15 Years
How to Achieve Good Returns
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