NAO Board of Directors On Retreat

November 28th & 29th, Toronto:  The NAO will hold a Board of Director’s retreat and facilitated strategy session.

Study Reveals High Returns for Angel Investors

A recent study conducted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has made some interesting comparison findings between Angels and VCs (RE: better returns for Angels). For the full story please select the link below for a further explanation of these findings and more:

Angels Soar Above VCs
Source: Hedge Fund Daily
11-15-2007

CVCA Event on Valuation Featuring NAO Chairman

Please see below for the full details for the CVCA’s event next February focusing on Valuation. The NAO’s own Andrew Wilkes will be there as a guest speaker:

‘The Art & Science of Valuation at Different Stages of Company Development’

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
1:30 pm- 5:00 pm EST
Toronto – Please join us for a Networking Lunch at 12:30 pm

This event will be video conferenced into Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax and Fredericton

This session will explore the principles, concepts and issues related to the valuation of companies from time of initial investment (at various stages) through to time of exit. Within this discussion will be weaved anecdotal accounts and examples of the various valuation methods employed by angel, venture capital, private equity and strategic investors/acquirers. The impact of the current economy and capital markets on the valuations of private companies will also be presented.

Our speakers include:

David Adderley, Partner & COO, Celtic House Venture Partners
Sandra Bosela, Partner, EdgeStone Capital Partners
Tim Lee, Senior Vice President, Investments, GrowthWorks Capital
Sanjay Nakra, Managing Director and Team Head, TD Securities
Gemma Postlethwaite, Vice President, Thomson Financial
Beth Shiferaw, Vice President, ONCAP
Chris Wormald, VP Strategic Alliances, Research in Motion
Andrew Wilkes, Chairman, National Angel Organization

This event will be invaluable to private equity and venture capital investors, entrepreneurs, service providers and finance professionals.

Please see agenda attached. Register now as we expect a sell-out event!

ON-LINE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Special Discount:
4th Person from the same company free!*

*Special Discount: In Toronto the 4th person from the same company is free: Video conference attendees may spread discount over other sites.

CVCA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its PD 2007/08 Series Sponsors:
PricewaterhouseCoopers
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Chubb Insurance and HKMB International Insurance Brokers.

CVCA – Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association
MaRS Centre
Heritage Building
101 College Street, Suite 120-J
Toronto, ONTARIO
Canada, M5G 1L7
Phone 416 487-0519
Fax 416 487-5899
E Mail cvca@cvca.ca Web Site www.cvca.ca

‘The Art & Science of Valuation at Different Stages of Company Development’ – PDF

W. Daniel Mothersill Takes NAO Training to “The Rock”

November 21st to 23rd, St. John’s: NAO President W. Daniel Mothersill will conduct a “Taking Your Business to the Next Level” workshop for growth-oriented businesses. This workshop will be hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Angel Network.

Feedback on this program has already received praise from those who have gone through the program.  An attendee from a previous training session in Thunder Bay had this to say:

“This program is a MUST for all CEO’s wishing to take their business to the next level, whether you’re in start-up phase or have 25 years behind you.

The quality and honesty of the guest speakers, the significance of the material, and the delivery of the workshops will provide you with realistic goals that you will need to achieve if you’re looking to grow your business. I highly recommend this program.” – Irene

NAO Chair Andy Wilkes to Present at CVCA Seminar – POSTPONED

November 21st, Toronto: Andrew Wilkes, NAO Chair, will present on Angel valuations at a Canadian Venture Capital Association seminar. This session will be webcast to a number of major centres across Canada.

POSTPONED: Stay tuned in early 2008 for the new date of this event!

NAO to Particpate in ACCT 3rd Annual AGM

November 18th to 20th, Toronto:  The NAO will present on Angel financing and investment structures for academic-based startups to the Alliance for the Commercialization of Canadian Technology’s (ACCT Canada) 3rd Annual General meeting. ACCT is a national organization of academic based research organizations; universities, colleges, hospitals, polytechnics and is also linked with the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT) among others.

First Angel Investment Showcase A Success!

Toronto, November 16, 2007 – On Friday, November 9th the Angel Investment Showcase (AIS) Program was launched in Thunder Bay, Ontario. This program engages relevant regional and sectoral stakeholders to promote and develop an active Angel investor community while showcasing high-potential local investment opportunities.

The Thunder Bay AIS, the fist of its kind, featured collaboration between the Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway, the National Angel Organization – Ontario, and the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre. It featured 5 investor-ready companies seeking to secure the financing necessary to take their operations to the next level. These companies ranged in focus from a health and safety focused e-Learning platform, to a franchise opportunity, to materials processing industry asset management software, to an intelligent, pilotless, surveillance and monitoring aircraft.

These companies presented to the Northern Ontario Capital Network, the local Angel group, and stakeholders from the local community including representatives from Thunder Bay Ventures and the Lakehead University Technology Transfer Office. These local investors and stakeholders were also joined by a number of representatives from Angel groups from around the Province with an interest in building inter-Angel group relationships for the purposes of co-investment.

Jim Nobel, Regional Coordinator of Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway is quoted as saying, “Eyes were opened and jaws dropped in Thunder Bay this past week. It is safe to say that a great step forward has been taken to elevate our Northern Ontario Angel program to a new level and create a community of local ambassadors for this program.”

Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway Podcast – Angels in Northern Ontario

Discussing the curriculum delivered in Northern Ontario over the last two weeks, W. Daniel Mothersill examines the need for investor readiness and the characteristics of companies that are of interest to Angel investors.

Click here to listen to the full podcast.

To learn more about the entrepreneur training for high-potential companies, please visit CEO Fusion.

If you are an Angel investor interested in learning more about the best practices of Angel investing or to find out if there is an Angel group in your local area, please visit the National Angel Organization site.

Angel Investors in Groups Achieve Investment Returns In Line with Other Types of Equity Deals

The Angel Capital Association, a partner of the National Angel Organization in Canada, is a peer organization dedicated to fostering and developing Angel groups to help maximize the performance of groups of angel investors. As part of that mission, the ACA and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation have released the largest study on the financial returns of Angel investors in North America on November 12th.

The full report can be found on the Kauffman Foundation website. Some points of interest, detailed in the report include facts such as:

• Angel investors participating in organized angel groups achieved an average 27 percent internal rate of return on their investments
• More hours of due diligence positively relates to greater returns;
• Angel investors that interacted with their portfolio companies at least a couple of times per month by mentoring, coaching, providing leads, and/or monitoring performance experienced greater returns.

In Canada, the National Angel Organization, is currently conducting two studies to develop more detailed information about the Angel Activity in Canada and why Why R&D Performing Firms Disappear. To participate in either of these, please click the links above.

Flocking Togeather: “These Angels Like to Work as a Team” – NYTimes

Angels, no matter if they are here in Canada or south of the border, are coalescing into Angel groups to help mitigate their personal risk and exposure while also being able to attract better investment opportunities. Today’s article in the New York Times by Julie Connelly explores this trend towards Angels forming groups to invest.  

BUSINESS / SMALL BUSINESS   | November 14, 2007
These Angels Like to Work as a Team
By JULIE CONNELLY

NAO in Whistler for Annual Western Canadian Angel Group Presidents’ Forum

November 15, Whistler: The NAO will again participate in the Annual Western Canadian Angel Group Presidents’ Forum.  The event is a working session for Angel group leaders who will tackle common challenges in sustaining the success of their respective organizations.  All participants are affiliate members of the NAO.

NAO President in Sudbury to Present on Valuations for Startups

November 13, Sudbury: W. Daniel Mothersill, NAO President, will present on valuations for startups and participate in a panel discussions at a day-long event created by the Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway.

Becoming an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur is geared at business owners who want to attract Angel investments to grow their companies beyond the local markets. The CEO Fusion e-learning platform for start-ups will also be presented to the participants.

NAO – Ontario to Host Angel Investment Showcase in Thunder Bay

November 6th to 9th, Thunder Bay: The NAO, in collaboration with the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre and the Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway, will conduct four days of interactive sessions on raising capital and galvanizing business growth for 10 entrepreneurial and established companies.

At the conclusion of the workshop, select companies from the group will participate in the first ever Angel Investment Showcase, a program developed under the Angel Network Program by NAO – Ontario to promote and develop an active Angel investor community while showcasing high-potential local investment opportunities.

Media attention for this event has already been garnered. Please see below for more details:

Entrepreneurs can pitch their plans to investors
Source: TBsource.com
11 – 6 – 2007

NAO and CEO Fusion Launch New Publication for Entrepreneurs

November 5, Toronto: NAO, in collaboration with CEO Fusion, launched its first publication geared toward making entrepreneurial companies investment ready today. Taking Your Business to the Next Level: Becoming an Investor Ready Business was authored by W. Daniel Mothersill, NAO President.

The publication focuses on the basics of starting, nurturing, and succeeding in the creation of high-growth companies.

“It’s about assisting Canadian companies to be the best (not necessarily the biggest) in niche or disruptive technologies sciences, services, or products,” said Mothersill “It’s about market penetration outside the borders of Canada, commercializing innovation that is currently warehoused or sitting stagnant, and helping to transform companies whose founders want to make their enterprises significantly larger and better.”

The content, hosted on-line on CEO Fusion’s e-Learning platform, is tailored to be used in conjunction with a series of intensive multi-day NAO workshops that are being conducted in Canada during 2007 and beyond.