What is an angel investor (2024)

FAQs

What does an angel investor do? ›

An angel investor is a wealthy person who invests his or her own money in a company—usually a start-up—that is in the early stages of development. Angel investors expect to take ownership positions in the companies they support because their capital is unsecured—they have no claim on the company's assets.

For early-stage companies, angel investors typically invest between $25,000 and $100,000. For more established companies, angels may invest up to $1 million. The amount of money you can expect to raise from angel investors also depends on the stage of your company.

An angel investor is an individual who invests in startups usually in exchange for an agreed-upon percentage of ownership in the company. So, while by definition these Shark Tank hosts are, in fact, angel investors, they look and act differently than the angel investors who invest beyond the tank.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, has become an influential angel investor, providing early-stage funding for companies like Facebook and Airbnb. Ron Conway, known as the “Godfather of Silicon Valley,” has a vast portfolio of successful investments in companies such as Google, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Angel investors operate under a different set of rules. They provide you with the money you need to get going and, in exchange, they get an ownership stake in the business. If your startup takes off, then you both reap the financial rewards. If the business fails, the angel investor doesn't expect you to pay them back.

Loss of control

The primary disadvantage of the business angel funding model is that business owners commonly give away between 10% and 50% of their business start-up in exchange for capital. After investing their money in a business start-up, most business angels take a proactive approach to running the business.

The effective internal rate of return for a successful portfolio for angel investors is about 22%, according to one study.4 This may look good to investors and too expensive to entrepreneurs, but other sources of financing are not usually available for such business ventures.

Angel investors are typically high net worth people who fund startups or early-stage businesses in exchange for stock or ownership in that company. This makes them a good source of funds for newer businesses that want to avoid taking out a small-business loan.

Requirements for Becoming an Angel Investor

To be considered an accredited investor, an individual must have at least $1 million in net worth and earn $200,000 or more annually ($300,000 as a married couple). You can find accredited angel investors online at the Angel Capital Association website.

How many angel investors lose money? ›

50%-70% of individual angel investments result in a loss of some capital, according to the most authoritative academic data; the same is true for VC deals. and in any dataset there will be “unlucky” investors in the left hand tail of the distribution and some “lucky” ones in the right hand tail.

An angel investor is also referred to as a private investor, seed investor, business angel, or informal investor. Federal law dictates that securities cannot be sold unless they are registered or if there is an exception. For instance, an accredited investor is an exemption.

Usually, meeting the standards of being an accredited investor is a prerequisite for becoming an angel investor. This means that your earned income must be $200,000 or more for the past two years ($300,000 with a spouse) or your net worth, alone or with a spouse, must surpass $1 million in investable assets.

Angel investors look for companies that have already built a product and are beyond the earliest formation stages, and they typically invest between $100,000 and $2 million in such a company.

So, while there is no guarantee that investors will be able to get their money back if they're not happy with the progress of a startup, there are a few scenarios in which they may be able to recoup some or all of their investment.

Angel investors may also offer mentorship or advice to entrepreneurs. They have a responsibility to make sound investment decisions and work closely with the entrepreneurs they invest in.

It's typically between around 10% and 25% but it can be as much as 40% or more. Angel investment is most suitable if your business has growth potential, and you're willing to give up part ownership in return for investment.

Less risk: When you receive funding from an angel investor, there's typically less risk than if you take out a small business loan. Unlike loans, you're not responsible for paying back the funding from an angel investor because they receive equity in exchange for financing.

An angel investor typically gets paid through a return on their investment, either when the company they invested in goes public or is acquired. This return can be structured in the form of a one-time payout, or through a series of payments over time.