Angel Investors : Giving Entrepreneurs Wings

Start on the right foot

Founded in 2008, the Anges Québec network brings together private investors who are interested in new businesses that are both ambitious and audacious. “Our work focuses on start-up innovation,” explains François Gilbert. “About 90 percent of the projects we fund would not have found money elsewhere.”

The financial angel strives to make entrepreneurs more knowledgeable and help companies perform better. “The primary objective of the entrepreneur is not to make money – it’s to realize an idea and their own potential. That is why we need to create a fair and equitable understanding between both parties,” says Gilbert.

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Profile entrepreneur

For Gilbert, the angel investor has a few points in common with the entrepreneur. “The angel investor builds a soul. He must have an excellent analytic sense and the capacity to look into the future. Like the entrepreneur, the investor is determined to change the world.”

Angel investors are interested in first contributing to a company’s growth by adding value to business projects in which they invest. To enable entrepreneurs to successfully bring their projects to fruition, angel investors do not hesitate to draw upon their own business expertise, network and time. “As financial angels, our role is to assess the viability of a concept and encourage the entrepreneur to improve by continuously adapting. A good idea never comes easy. It needs to grow, develop, and face the realities of the market.”

Submitting your project

To present a project to Anges Québec investors, entrepreneurs must submit their business plans through the network’s website. They will receive an initial response within the following two weeks.

If the project is selected, Gilbert and his members will call the entrepreneur to an initial presentation in Sherbrooke, Montreal or Quebec. This first meeting includes an eight-minute presentation and a question period of another eight minutes.

If the project interests the members of Anges Québec, a second presentation of an hour and a half will be organized a week later.

If this last presentation receives positive feedback, the negotiation phase of the terms and conditions of the agreement begins, legally binding the entrepreneur and the investors. According to Gilbert, “The entire process should ideally take three months, but sometimes it’s faster. On average, our process takes four months.”

Profiling candidates

The start-up trend is focused on high technology, and so Anges Québec is naturally interested in projects in the areas of biotechnology, electronic commerce and the software industry. However, these angel investors are keen on funding a broad range of good ideas.

Anges Québec has invested in many Quebec companies, including BonLook and Frank & Oak (e-commerce), Hexoskin (clothing technology), Marmott Énergies and SCL Elements (clean technologies).

“In Quebec, excellent training, notably in technology, gives entrepreneurs much more expertise in product development,” affirms François Gilbert. “They tend to be a little weaker in bringing products to market, commercialization and sales, so it is in these areas that we help out the most.”

Get going on your business plans!

Anges Québec in figures

165: The number of members in the Anges Québec network
719: The number of investments made by all members
5: The average number of investments per member
53: The number of companies Anges Québec has supported since its creation in 2008
600,000: The average investment per case in dollars
85 million: The total investment made by Anges Québec since its creation in dollars

Want to learn more?

Visit the Anges Québec website