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Nrinder SinghMinerva angel investors come from a broad range of business backgrounds. They offer their extensive knowledge and expertise helping tech start-ups and SMEs. Here, Nrinder Singh talks about his philosophy and experiences investing through the Minerva network.

What’s your background and what led you to becoming an angel investor?

My background is in technology financing from a commercial and risk perspective, with companies including  GE, HP and Xerox.  Over the years I’ve helped smaller tech businesses grow, too.

I left the corporate world 10 years ago to focus on investments, mainly in assets and property. About six years ago I began investing with my own capital, which meant I could choose the businesses that I wanted to invest in. That appealed to my desire to help smaller, more innovative companies get their tech ideas off the ground. It was at that point I became an angel investor.

What attracted you to Minerva?

I’ve been investing through Minerva for about four years. I was first introduced to the network while working with start-ups through Aston University. Minerva is an established Midlands-focused angel network that is unique in the way their prime objective is to connect smart innovation with smart capital. That idea really appealed to me.

I wanted to offer my experience and expertise to small businesses with great ideas, to help and support them in financial, risk management and other complex areas such as commercial contracts. Minerva provides that combination of investing financially and investing myself in new companies in sectors and areas that I’m passionate about.

Minerva has close ties with academia, such as the University of Warwick Business School, so it sees many opportunities for tech innovation and new business start-ups.  It attracts a lot of companies precisely because it’s not a venture capital (VC); that makes Minerva much more approachable for small companies looking to fundraise at an early stage.

What value does Minerva offer potential investors?

Minerva offers investors a way to find exactly the kind of businesses that they want to invest in. In that respect Minerva is more like a matchmaker than a typical VC group. It’s not looking to make a profit. Minerva’s purpose is to connect businesses with the right investment opportunity and the right investor. That means an investor who knows the sector, has an understanding of what the company does and wants to see their investment not just pay off financially, but also do some good in the world.

Investing through Minerva gives me the freedom to be as hands on or hands off as I want to be. Some investors like to be very involved with the companies they invest in. Some prefer a backseat. I’m happy with either – it’s whatever’s right for the businesses. Some companies need and want a lot of help and guidance. Others don’t. It’s all about what value I can add, getting over early hurdles and obstacles and taking advantage of opportunities.

It’s also about pointing the business in the right direction and using my expertise and sector knowledge to get the word out and help gain momentum with strategic introductions, getting the product or idea the right exposure.

What does Minerva offer you as an angel investor?

I could invest in companies whose sole purpose is to sell more products, to sell more units, trainers, gadgets or whatever. And that’s fine. But as an angel investor with Minerva, I’m able to invest in companies that are innovative and disruptive, giving them an opportunity to take new technology to market.

For example, I became the lead investor with a particular company, through a university, because I believed in their technology which has the potential to help more than a million people avoid premature blindness. Investing in MedTech that will make a significant difference in people’s quality of life gives me a positive social impact return on my investment.

With Minerva, investors can share their expertise, pooling their knowledge and experience to help each other find and better understand investment opportunities. It’s helped me grow, both as an investor and as an individual.

Minerva’s large and diverse investor base means there are experts across the network in a wide range of sectors and areas. Minerva is very supportive too, offering an educational series looking at, for example, due diligence, shareholder agreements, contracts and tax, something that I have found useful regarding EIS tax and how efficient angel investing can be.

What advice would you give to people who might be interested in becoming an angel investor?

My advice would be to come and see what Minerva can offer. Attend an event and talk with other angel investors. There will be a lot of experience in the room and there is absolutely no pressure to invest. It’s about finding a company that fits your investment criteria, regardless of how long (or how quickly) that takes.

Being an angel investor means going over and above just investing capital. It’s great when there’s synergy between the investor and the company in some way so that you get something out of the investment that’s not solely about the financial return. What I really like about Minerva is that it looks to match innovators and market disruptors with like-minded investors who are passionate about what those companies have to offer.

Want to find out more about Minerva?

Minerva Business Angels is one of the UK’s fastest-growing angel investment organisations. The network began in 1994 and is part of University of Warwick Science Park Ltd. Run in its current form since 2010, Minerva supports more than 90 companies having raised over £63m of investments.

Minerva Business Angels is the second most active angel network in the UK, the second most active investor in green economy scale-ups, and the most prolific investor in the Midlands.

To find out more about Minerva Business Angels and whether you are eligible to become an investor, contact us today.

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    samantha tubbMinerva angel investors come from a variety of business backgrounds, offering their extensive knowledge and expertise. Here, Samantha Tubb, investment angel, talks about her investment philosophy and experiences investing in tech start-ups through the Minerva network.

    What led you to becoming an angel investor?

    For many years I worked as a management consultant to the financial services industry. Initially specialising in risk-based capital calculation, as my career progressed I began to focus on risk organisation and governance — understanding the tensions between highly analytical, centralised risk functions and customer facing areas of banking and insurance organisations was fascinating.

    The consulting lifestyle was, however, incompatible with having a young family and so from 2009 I began to test the angel investment waters, building on my experience of consulting to provide hands-on help as well as financial investment in start-ups’ growth journeys.

    What’s been your journey so far with Minerva?

    I first invested as a Minerva angel with a company called Elementaryb. They have created a financial risk management platform which, given my background, really hit a sweet spot for me.

    I met the Elementaryb CEO and co-founder, Karen Rudich, at a Minerva networking event at The Shard where she gave me a snapshot of the product and the company. I recognised the potential immediately and reached out to Karen to arrange a one-to-one meeting to talk further – it’s great to find like-minded people to work with.

    The company was still at a very early stage but had a great baseline product with strong growth plans, and that’s what I love. After getting the background financials, meeting the team and seeing the realities through a product demo and candid discussion, I decided to invest. I now hold a non-exec chair role with the company.

    Over the years what have you got out of being an angel investor?

    I’ve learnt a lot about myself and about people. In my original career, which I loved, I worked with big businesses such as global banks, but with that there was a social impact piece missing. That’s a big deal for me.

    Elementaryb offer risk-based financial management capabilities to start-ups and SMEs, a segment that often gets priced out of the market by larger companies and corporations. Being an angel investor means I can choose to support and champion those smaller and newer businesses that can make a difference.  There’s also significant risk involved but my approach is to make sure I go into investments with my eyes open and never invest more than I can afford to lose.

    What does Minerva offer you as an angel investor?

    Minerva gives me the opportunity to invest in new start-ups. I enjoy problem solving and the intellectual challenge of working with early stage tech businesses. I also like the interpersonal challenge of working with new people.

    Most of all I like knowing that my investments are actually creating something that shapes a business’s culture, helping to drive its success and ensuring that end users will find real value in a product. It’s the idea that I can help create something that helps a particular segment of society that really needs to be helped, from edtech to femtech.

    I looked across my portfolio recently and found that over 50 percent of the companies I have invested in have a female founder or co-founder. I was shocked by that. I hadn’t set out to invest specifically in female or minority-founded businesses. I put it down in part to my preferences as an investor being catered for by the diverse businesses that Minerva proposes for investment.

    What value does Minerva offer potential investors?

    I’ve worked with other angel networks and what I really like about Minerva is that it is open and inclusive. It’s not just about groupthink investing, which I found other networks have on occasion been inclined to do.

    Minerva offers angel investors interesting and diverse opportunities and encourages them to offer their experience as well as finances to support business founders. This in turn adds great value to a company and, as an investor, maximises the likelihood of positive outcomes.

    What advice would you give to people who might be interested in becoming an angel investor?

    I’d say start to get comfortable with the type of business you want to invest in and do a lot of background research into potential investments.  Be comfortable with how much you want to invest and don’t be in a hurry to invest – there are lots of great opportunities out there and I find that the fit of investor and start-up is sometimes as important as providing funds.   Also, find a network or just a couple of trusted fellow investors who you can bounce ideas off – that’s been really important in my investor journey.

    Finally, work out how much you want to be involved with the businesses that you invest in. Some investors might, like me, want to operate at a hands-on level; others prefer to be silent. Whatever level of involvement you want, how much or how often you want to invest, with Minerva the choice lies completely with its investors.

    Want to find out more about Minerva?

    Minerva Business Angels is one of the UK’s fastest-growing angel investment organisations. The network began in 1994 and is part of University of Warwick Science Park Ltd. Run in its current form since 2010, Minerva supports more than 120 companies having helped raise over £20m, leveraging more than £60m of investments.

    Minerva Business Angels is the second most active angel network in the UK, the second most active investor in green economy scale-ups, and the most prolific investor in the Midlands.

    To find out more about Minerva Business Angels and whether you are eligible to become an investor, contact us today.

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      Register for Zoom Webinar with Q&A

      https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/403890386017

      This webinar in the Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up investment series looks at SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) and EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme). We will explain what these schemes are and why they are important to investors. The session will explain the process to apply and what information you will need to prepare.

      The established premier pitching competition of the West Midlands is back Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up. The pitching competition is the region’s most prestigious event for growth focused businesses.

      The Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up competition will provide the opportunity for ambitious businesses to improve your ability to win investment while simultaneously boosting your business’s profile.

      In support of Minerva Birmingham PitchUp and to encourage greater engagement between our local successful business people with our local entrepreneurs we a running familiarisation program for those interested in finding out more about investing in our high growth start-ups and scale ups . This is the second webinar in a series of 8 covering the important aspect of Term Sheets and Shareholder agreements.

      Through the series you will get chance to chat to experts , experienced investors and academics on being an angel investor.

      We aim to break the myth on type, age profile, investment levels and what is actually an angel investor.

      Introduction to Business Angel Investing For the Potential Angel Investor

      Term Sheet

      The objective of this session is to introduce potential angels to:-

      1. What is a term sheet & what to look for in one

      2. What is a shareholders’ agreement

      3. What to look for in such an agreement e.g. preference shares, tag along, pre-emption rights

      4. What important phraseology the investor needs to be aware of

      5. Any do’s & Don’ts

      6. Q&A

      If you miss it the event, it will be recorded and made available if required

      https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/391583124667

       

      For more information please contact enquiries@minerva.uk.net

      We are excited to be holding Minerva Summer Event next week.

      For more information about Minerva please contact enquiries@minerva.uk.net

      We are back in Loughborough next week after 2 years.

      For more information about investment please do get in touch at support@minerva.uk.net.

      Please note our London Minerva Event has had a date change – the new date is Thursday 30th June 2022.

      For more information please email events@minerva.uk.net

      Looking forward to our event at The Shard London this month.

      For more information please contact enquries@minerva.uk.net.

      From

      Minerva Team

      Register for free: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/310444867957

      Wednesday 25th May at 12:30 – via zoom

      Your customers are on a journey and social media plays an important part in that journey. The discussion will touch on the role that paid, earned, owned and shared media have across the customer journey and how your organisation should think about creating and communicating value to prospects and customers at the right place and time.

      Professor Emma Macdonald is Professor of Marketing at Warwick Business School where she leads modules across the suite of Warwick MBA and EMBA programmes. She consults and conducts research in the areas of sustainable customer behaviour, partnerships for sustainable innovation, understanding customer value, creating customer experience, and leading customer centric organisations. She has published in Harvard Business Review, Admap, and leading academic journals including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Journal of Service Research. Prior to joining the academic world, Emma worked in telecommunications (Cable & Wireless Optus), market research and with innovative start-ups.