NAO Chairman quoted in today’s National Post

Andrew Wilkes, Chairman of the NAO, was quoted in Rick Spence’s coverage of last week’s ISCM event on Sources of Early Stage Financing in Markham, Ont. This article was featured in today’s issue of the Financial Post (National Post).

For the full article please select the link below:

Rookie: Step up to the plate
Startups are unnecessarily unprofitable
Rick Spence, Financial Post
Published: Monday, January 28, 2008

Andrew Wilkes (pictured above), Chairman of the NAO, has this simple advise for early-stage entrepreneurs looking for investment:

“If you’re not prepared to accept advice from a venture investor, don’t take their money.“

Company Valuation and Due Diligence – advanced company workshop on March 10

First Advanced Investor Ready Workshop on “Due Diligence” in Vancouver for Entrepreneurs and Angel Investors announced by Angel Forum – Vancouver.

Vancouver, BC, January 22, 2008 – On March 10 the Angel Forum of Vancouver will host an all-day advanced Investor Ready workshop for entrepreneurs and investors. The workshop: “Due Diligence and Company Valuation” will be held at Simon Fraser University’s Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver, BC from 7:30am to 5pm, followed by a networking reception.

For full details, please see the press release below:

Press Release – Company Valuation and Due Diligence – advanced company workshop on March 10

To register, visit the Company Workshop page at www.ANGELforum.org

Is Your Investee Company Going to Change the Future of Technology?

Attention Angels! Looking for a chance to leverage some exposure through MIT for your investee technology company? The Technology Review published by MIT is calling for nominations for the TR 35.

See below for the company line:

“Do you know a young innovator who is going to change the future of technology? If you know someone under the age of 35 whose work in IT, biotech, medicine, materials science, energy, or transportation is making a significant impact, nominate them NOW for the 2008 TR35 awards! Nominations close February 29, 2008.“

Again, this could be a great opportunity to generate some free publicity for your investee company. Please click the link below for application details.

TR 35 Call for Nominations

W. Daniel Mothersill featured in St. John’s Board of Trade’s Business News magazine

Please find attached a copy of the Business News article that appeared in the December 2007 St. John’s Board of Trade’s Business News magazine.

In the article, Dan offers his insights on Angel investors and their role as financiers of early-stage companies. This is a good read if you are an entrepreneur or are looking for a clear definition of what an Angel investor is.

December 2007 St. John’s Board of Trade’s Business News

W. Daniel Mothersill w/ St. John’s Board of Trade General Manager, Gail Ryan.

Gowlings Presents: Private Company Value “How to Create It, Sell It, and Manage It”

NAO partner, Gowlings, will be hosting a seminar for owner/operators of medium businesses around the topic of creating, selling, and managing their business.

This event garnered an overwhelming response in November and is being offered again due to demand for the session.

The event will be on the morning of February 12th, 2008 and will be held at the Toronto Airport Marriot Hotel.

This is a complimentary session. If interested, please follow the link below for more information and access to registration.

Link -  Private Company Value “How to Create It, Sell It, and Manage It”

Latest Issue of NOEG Link features 10 Tips for Angel Investors

This month’s issue of the NOEG Link newsletter is now available and includes some articles of interest for Angels. Specially, Michael Atkins, President of Laurentian Media Group, offers his 10 “rule-of-thumb” tips for Angels.

As well, the NAO’s own Bryan Watson has included an article on Relationship Equity and the importance it has in today’s network economy.

For the full newsletter and access to the aforementioned articles, please access the PDF link below:

NOEG Link – January 2008

ENJOY!

NAO Board of Directors Take it to the “Next Level”

On Nov. 28th – Nov. 29th, 2007 the National Angel Organization Board of Directors conferred for a two-day strategy session dubbed “Taking the NAO to the Next Level.” Throughout the meetings, the participants worked through a facilitator to discuss the strategic goals of the organization and to develop new projects for the upcoming year and beyond.

As a result of these sessions, the NAO will have a series of new projects and events to announce throughout 2008. Stay tuned as announcements will be made in the near future!

Again, the NAO would like to thank its Board for its support and involvement. In particular, NAO would like to thank the following for their participation:

Andrew Wilkes
W. Daniel Mothersill
Matey Nedkov
Ian Bandeen
Michelle Scarborough
David Pamenter
Alkarim Jivraj
Henry Vehovec

In particular, we would like to thank our event partners at Intrepid Equity Finance who made the event possible through their sponsorship.

As well, we would like to acknowledge the excellent work provided to us by Doug Emerson and the team at Managerial Design. Doug and his team worked with us to draft an effective agenda, facilitate the discussions, and develop the meeting output. Managerial Design’s assistance in this process was integral to its success and we look forward to working with their organization again.

Link – Nice return rate for angel investors

A recent article from the Press Register (Alabama) discusses some relevent Angel statistics published by the Kauffman Foundation re: Angel returns.

Most notably, the Kauffman publication states that of the 86 Angel groups surveyed, the average IRR (internal rate of return) was 27%. As well, the research revealed that the 539 investors surveyed averaged a 2.6 times return on their investment(s) in 3.5 years.

For the full article, please following the link below:

Nice return rate for angel investors
Press-Register
Sunday, December 02, 2007
K.A. Turner

(please hit “Print This” on the right-hand panel to see the full article w/out having to provide any personal information)