By: Ken Kousky, BlueWater Angels and Krista Tuomi, American University Federal and state governments are beginning to recognize the important role that startups play in job creation. (A recent article by Neumark, Wall, and Zhang notes that they account for almost 20 percent of gross job...
That’s right, real deals need to address the tough fundamentals like valuation and corporate governance. It’s become popular to do “gentleman" investments where nobody gets there hands dirty. This also seems the easy way for beginners to get started. The real investors address the real issues that are...
Angel Options: The growth of Angel groups around the world has been facilitated by the use of standardized methods and tools. This has been vital in creating a more efficient seed-capital market. It has expanded startup opportunities around the country and not just in silicon...
The art of angel investing boils down to successful de-risking. There is a continual flow of new opportunities for individuals to convert savings into meaningful (both social value and significant financial return) investments. However, when the government steps in, the quality of its decisions is...
The Equity Crowdfunding Experience in the UK and Sweden: Implications for Angels Seventeen states and the District of Columbia now allow non-accredited investors to invest in startups located in their state. As more states follow suit, it is useful to look at data detailing other countries’ experiences....
Why don't we tackle the really BIG issue facing the growth of our economy - government and taxes. Contrary to most ratings and beliefs of what makes a state a good place for start-ups and entrepreneurs is NOT low taxes and less government. The actual data, tells...
I’ve been making trips around the state talking about the unique aspects of BlueWater Angels. As an angel network, we apparently are quite innovative. I really didn’t realize the extent to which our industry relies on cookie-cutter deal structures. That’s fine, since it leads to...
The hardest hit market for capital remains the very earliest seed rounds. Angels have always tried to leave this to the founders and for good reason. This is where the very basic commitment of the management team gets measured and where inventors morph into...
Venture Capital remains extremely concentrated on the coasts leaving tremendous opportunities for those willing to mine the midwest. Last quarter, Dropbox completed a single round that was bigger than the the total VC investing in most states. This includes Michigan where a paltry $120m was invested. That’s right, Dropbox...
We wouldn’t be wasting our lobbying dollars and good will if there were no issues with these events as things now stand...