the Frank Peters Show

Angel Investing 101 Hits the Mark

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:55:45 -0800

Dave Berkus and I had a great turnout and we're getting some positive feedback after presenting "Angel Investing 101", a training class for new angel investors.

Thank you for such a wonderful presentation. Your professional delivery and ability to correlate your own personal experiences made for a truly great learning experience.
I sure wish I had you as a professor in business school. My only regret is that I did not have the benefit of your knowledge twenty years ago.

Truthfully, I would have canceled every appointment and spent another 5-10 hours.

Again, thank you for enriching my life.

J.F.

First Kiss

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:15:09 -0800

Was it the first kiss? It's been a long time...

So I can't remember the last time I saw a presenting entrepreneur get kissed after his presentation. No, not by the investor, by his wife; still it was just one of many stand out moments at the Founder Institute's graduation in La Jolla tonight.

The Funded's Adeo Ressi created FI to groom entrepreneurs and tonight he graduated 10 teams from the 4 month intensive. Local angels serve as mentors.

The results? Pretty impressive, and romantic at times.

I look forward to sitting in again.

Angel Investing 101

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:43:40 -0800

Here's a snippet of Angel Investing 101, Part II. Dave Berkus and I teamed up to present this training class for new Tech Coast Angels members in Orange County. I feel like Bruce MacCormack of the Bellingham Angels shamed me into doing this!

We had a great turn out with members traveling from Los Angeles and San Diego to attend.

Stay tuned for more...

Andrew Farquharson, Incube Ventures

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:19:08 -0800

Do you dream of it, too? Going from entrepreneur to angel investor to venture capitalist...

Meet someone who's done it: Andrew Farquharson of Incube Ventures, a life science VC firm in San Jose that's just out of stealth mode.

Andrew's got some great stories to share...

Show #301 (31:02) Listen

Angels Get 110x in Green Dot IPO

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:21:38 -0800

The Tech Coast Angels rejoice as Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT) goes public. The original investors waited 9 years for this IPO, but it's worth it: as much as 110x returns for those who jumped in originally! Congratulations!

Take a trip back in time, 200 interviews ago, to listen to Steve Streit tell his amazing story.

Show #101 (33:45) Listen

Suspect Returns to the Scene of the Crime

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:57:38 -0800

[The] Tech Angels have been very responsive to us. Wanted to pass on this news release. Ginny Creighton KGTV 10News:

San Diego Police Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lieutenant Ernie Herbert
Date: July 21, 2010 (Wednesday) Homicide Unit
Time: 0900 hours (619) 531-2275

ARREST MADE IN JUNE 8, 2010 MURDER

San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit detectives have arrested Kent Thomas Keigwin for the June 8, 2010, murder of La Jolla resident John G. Watson.

Prashant Choksey, Mumbai Angels

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:45:47 -0800

Growing pains in a young angel group?

Many of us have been there...

It's a small world when it comes to early-stage investing. That's what you'll think after meeting Mumbai Angels' Prashant Choksey. Educated in San Diego he returned home to eventually organize one of only two angel groups in India.

In any group you'll see the 80-20 rule: most of the work done by a subset of the membership. Listen to Prashant's plans to incentivize these big contributors and keep them active.

Show #300 (29:37) Listen

Ray Leach Goes to Washington

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:27:43 -0800

JumpStart Inc.'s Ray Leach, a frequent guest on the Show, joins AOL's Steve Case, Yahoo's Jerry Yang and others on the new National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Read the press release.

Small Time Angels

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:56:46 -0800

"You guys have been hurt," the entrepreneur was telling me. "I get the sense most angels have a $2-3 million dollar net worth and this downturn in the market has hurt you."

These were astute insights from a frustrated entrepreneur who invested a lot of time pursuing angel investors. He was smart, articulate, funny and dedicated; he just had lousy timing.

Continue reading in the London-based Business Angel Blog.

VCs Feel 7 Year Itch

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:38:05 -0800

2010 Q2 fund raising for VCs was the lowest level in 7 years, according to the NVCA.

Angel Investing 101 - Sold Out!

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:09:58 -0800

Ten days ago I was nervous, only 5 people had signed up and that included me and Dave Berkus. I needn't have worried because now we're oversold for the first presentation of Angel Investing 101: A Training Class for Angel Investors.

Stu Roberts, Orange County president of Tech Coast Angels, had the idea after listening to Bruce MacCormack talking about the benefits of the training he does for members of the Bellingham Angels. Why don't we do the same here at home where we've seen a surge in new members? I took the liberty of volunteering Dave; I'd "carry his bags" and cover the basics if he'd cover leveraging our angel strengths into growing companies, including board service and coaching, of which he is expert.

Maybe because the price is right (free), or maybe there genuinely is serious interest; whatever the case, we're over capacity for the conference room. We're over sold!

Around the World with John May

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:05:54 -0800

Angel investing from a world-wide perspective, that's what you get from the 2010 Hans Severiens Award recipient and Angel Capital Association Chairman Emeritus, John May.

Show #299 (33:06) Listen

Angel Investing by the Numbers

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:18:24 -0800

FastIgnite's Simeon Simeonov published this article a few days ago and it continues to attract a lot of attention. In case you missed it:

"With high-tech companies needing less capital due to advancements in technology, startup development methodology and online marketing, we have seen a Renaissance in angel investing. While angel investors participate in part for the excitement of engaging with entrepreneurs and placing bets on the future, they also do it for the expectation of significant financial returns. Various studies of angel investing published in the last decade estimate aggregate returns to angels on the order of 18-37% per year, well above market. The catch is that 50-70% of angels make less than what they invest. Returns are very unevenly distributed and this begs the question to what extent is portfolio theory fundamental to angel returns."

Continue reading "Angel Investing by the Numbers"

Angels Just Wanna Have Funds

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:10:12 -0800

For all the risk you take as an early-stage investor, wouldn't you love a 2 for 1 match?

JumpStart Inc's CEO Ray Leach and Tech Coast Angel Dave Berkus discuss angel funds and in Ray's case, he enjoys great support from the state of Ohio where they've recognized the importance of angel investors in creating jobs. Dave and I groan with jealousy as Ray describes the $3.5M Ohio has granted to 2 native angel groups.

Dave has his own news: today he announces the new TCA sidecar fund, the Angel Capital Fund. No government matching, but it does have many well thought out features that your angel group will want to implement.

These new funds mean more money for entrepreneurs.

Get ready for some exceptionally good news!

Show #298 (45:16) Listen

Tony Clarke, British Business Angels Association

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:58:43 -0800

What incentives does the UK offer angel investors? How do they encourage early-stage investment?

Warning: jealousy alert!

Let's ask Tony Clarke; he should know. He's the President Emeritus of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN), Chairman of the British Business Angels Association (BBAA) and co-chair of the World Business Angel Association (WBAA).

Looking to brush up on international early-stage investing approaches? Tony can cite how it's done in many parts of the world and why more countries are keen to learn the best way to encourage and promote business angels in their countries.

Show #297 (36:14) Listen