What are the Things Angel Investors Look for in a Startup?

[Jasz]

An angel investor is a private individual who invests money in a business venture. If you are trying to attract one, it's important to understand that they are not looking for the same things as a traditional venture capitalist or bank loan officer. A bank loan officer may invest in your business because they can see that you have experience and solid financials. An angel investor may be more interested in your dedication and passion than your experience or financials (though these will still be important to them). Angel investors typically look for the following qualities:

Dedication—do you have an unwavering commitment to making your business succeed?

Passion—are you so excited about your business that it's infectious? Do you love what you do?

Thoroughness—have you prepared everything necessary to attract an angel investor (e.g., performed industry research, identified all potential demographic groups, etc.)?

Connections—do you know people who might be able to help with your business? Do those people know other people who could help, too?

 

[Yusra3]

Angel investors provide critical early funding to startups in exchange for equity shares in promising ventures prior to higher series VC rounds. Key attributes they analyze closely include: an innovative product/service with distinct competitive edge and growth forecasts over $1 billion; an executable business plan and scalable financial model; intellectual property protections; a skilled, scrappy founding team showing subject matter expertise, hustle and leadership ability to persevere through inevitable unforeseen challenges.