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Angel investor clubs are hot in the US, and now they’re growing in Southeast Asia
Elite angel investor clubs are a new trend in the US, as shown by Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of its top 10 favorite groups. Angel investment clubs are made up of high net-worth individuals who have banded together with an appetite for investing in promising companies. Many clubs don’t allow their members to be passive participants, and so they have to invest in order to hear presentations about emerging ideas from passionate entrepreneurs.
In Los Angeles, there’s Tech Coast Angels and in Seattle, there’s Alliance of Angels. In New York, we can find Golden Seeds and Chicago has the Hyde Park Angel Network.
What all these groups seem to have in common is that their members are increasingly optimistic about tech firms, but remain unaffected by the valuations and hype that get thrown around Silicon Valley. Angel groups also seem to show a preference toward entrepreneurs who have previously built up a company to relative success, as opposed to first-time founders with novel ideas.
See: 5 reasons to become an angel investor in Indonesia today
Right time for angels
As the startup and investment scenes in Southeast Asia are heating up, these angel investor clubs are popping up across the region.
Shinta Dhanuwardoyo, one of Indonesia’s most well-known serial entrepreneurs and angel investors, believes angel investing in the archipelago is just what the doctor ordered. Dhanuwardoyo is the founder and CEO of Bubu, a Jakarta-based web development firm established in 1996, which also claims to be one of the very first internet companies in the nation. Dhanuwardoyo is also known for her role in IDByte-X, a digital conference and investment workshop organized in partnership with Angel Labs, an angel investing bootcamp for wealthy folks around the world.
Dhanuwardoyo cites a Harvard Business School report that says angel funded startups have a higher chance of survival than other startups. For this reason, she is now putting together a club for international high-net-worth individuals who are interested in becoming angel investors in Indonesian tech startups, a group envisioned to be similar to Angel Labs.
“A number of times, I have been approached by friends both in Indonesia and Silicon Valley who are interested in investing in Indonesian tech startups,” explains Dhanuwardoyo. While her upcoming initiative is a relatively new idea in Indonesia, it’s not the first of its kind in the region.
In no particular order, here are five angel investor clubs in Southeast Asia that caught our eye.
1. BANSEA
BANSEA is is a bona fide dinosaur, having been around in Singapore since 2001. In addition to being an angel group itself, the organization has connections to angel groups in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Europe, and the US. BANSEA members must have investment experience in several sectors and track records in building successful companies, according to the group.
BANSEA organizes 10 to 12 events per year for its members to meet and listen to short pitches by startups that have been shortlisted. Members may or may not invest as a group. While there can be collaboration on due diligence, members exercise autonomy in making investment decisions. Members benefit from an informed and collaborative approach to angel investing, says BANSEA.
2. ANGIN
Founded in 2012, the Angel Investment Network Indonesia (ANGIN) is a relatively exclusive group of angel investors in the archipelago. ANGIN is under the Global Entrepreneurship Program Indonesia (GEPI) with a focus on growth of early-stage startups through funding and mentoring.
Originally, the group was for women investors and entrepreneurs only, but recently it opened up its scope to include everyone. The group’s investment criteria is that founders must be Indonesian citizens who are competent and committed. Startups must be in the early stages of development or expansion. The investors primarily back businesses that focus on consumer products, tech, and social innovation.
3. Angels Den
The world-famous Angels Den expanded into Singapore in 2010, then into Hong Kong and Malaysia the following year. The organization matches growing businesses and entrepreneurs with experienced angel investors to provide the funds and mentorship they need to grow further, according to the group. The organization runs an angel-led crowdfunding platform where investors and experienced business people put money into pre-vetted small and medium-sized enterprises.
Angels Den also offers business funding clinics for entrepreneurs and offline pitch events, where founders present short one-to-one elevator pitches to a variety of investors.
4. ManilaAngels
ManilaAngels is a Philippines-based private network of angel investors. The group was established in November 2013 to facilitate networking and investment in the high-tech space. According to the group, its members are innovators, business leaders, venture capitalists, and high-net worth individuals with an eye for backing disruptive technologies.
The group runs “Angel Dinners” in which it facilitates business opportunities between startups and angels. Entrepreneurs are invited to submit their best ideas in a two- to three-minute video pitch. The four videos that receive the highest scores are then invited to pitch live in front of the angels.
According to the group, if a wealthy person wants to join ManilaAngels, they must have a track record of founding, managing, and building successful businesses as entrepreneurs, investors, or operating executives. The candidate must also commit to be an active member of the group, attending monthly meetings, identifying and evaluating investment opportunities. They must also commit to investing at least US$25,000 and participate in at least one transaction per year – assuming ManilaAngels provides a sufficient number of “quality leads.”
5. Startup Angels
Startup Angels is a global organization with investors and startups in more than 50 countries.The group aims to offer ways for new angels to learn about startup investing, and for expert angels to learn about new markets. Startup Angels looks to cultivate a network of experienced investors, introduce angels to new startups, and provide tools and training to help fledgling angels know which company is the best fit for them.
The group holds workshops, summits, and destination events to meet other investors and explore the latest trends in startup investing. Currently, Startup Angels’ only Asian market is Bangkok, Thailand.
6. Malaysian Business Angel Network
The Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN) is the official trade association and governing body for angel investors and angel clubs in Malaysia. According to the organization, it strives and aims to put forward the agenda of angel investing for the benefit of members, the angel ecosystem, and startups. MBAN is responsible for the accreditation of individual angel investors and angel investors clubs. It spreads awareness and training for angels, and monitors angel investment statistics in Malaysia.
(Update 4/6/15: The Malaysian Business Angel Network was added to this post retroactively.)
Editing by Steven Millward and Judith Balea; lead image from istolethetv.
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