What is an Angel Investor?

Welcome to the Investors Trading Academy talking glossary of financial terms and events.
Our word of the day is “Angel Investor”.

An Angel investor is a person, business or group that provides financial backing for small startups or entrepreneurs. Angel investors are usually found among an entrepreneur's family and friends. The capital they provide can be a one-time injection of seed money or ongoing support to carry the company through difficult times.
A Business Angel investor uses their personal disposable finance and business or professional experience to invest in the growth of a small business, generally in start-up or early stage. Angel investors can make investments on their own or as part of a syndicate.
Angel investors invest in early stage or start-up companies in exchange for an equity ownership interest. Angel investing in start-ups has been accelerating. High-profile success stories like Uber, WhatsApp, and Facebook have spurred angel investors to make multiple bets with the hopes of getting outsized returns.
The typical angel investment is $25,000 to $100,000 a company, but can go higher.
Here is what angels particularly care about:
• The quality, passion, commitment, and integrity of the founders.
• The market opportunity being addressed and the potential for the company to become very big.
• A clearly thought out business plan, and any early evidence of obtaining traction toward the plan.
• Interesting technology or intellectual property.
• An appropriate valuation with reasonable terms.
Angel investors give more favorable terms than other lenders, as they are usually investing in the person rather than the viability of the business. They are focused on helping the business succeed, rather than reaping a huge profit from their investment. Angel investors are essentially the exact opposite of a venture capitalist.

By Barry Norman, Investors Trading Academy