Where are the Canadian super angels?

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Boris Wertz asks where are all the Canadian super angels?

“So when I check Angellist, the most important directory of angels in North-America and Europe, I only find 3 Canadian angels (of a total of 350 registered on the site), two in Vancouver (Danny Robinson and myself) and one in Edmonton (Kevin Swan).”

While Angellist is not the comprehensie list of global angel investors, it is the best list of Internet and mobile investors around. It has folks like:

There are angel groups in Canada. You can see the great work that our friend Bryan Watson at the National Angel Capital Association is doing to educate and advocate for angel investments, they provide a great list of angel groups in Canada. There are the efforts of groups like Maple Leaf Angels and the work of Randall Howard with the Golden Triangel Angelnet. And you can see the work that ad-hoc events like Founders and Funders to connect angels with emerging technologies and early-stage companies and founders.

However there are less well know angels like:

The thing that makes Angellist so amazing is the self-service nature of first person connection. You don’t need to know the right people. It provides one click, direct access to the key players in the economy of emerging companies. It’s something that is missing from the Canadian scene. The best part of Angellist is that Nivi and Naval validate and reference check all of the angel investors, so the wannabes are edited out. This is an edited list of the best angels actively doing deals.

Here’s hoping that more Canadian angels take the time to complete their Angellist profile.

Comments

6 responses to “Where are the Canadian super angels?”

September 16, 2010

bwertz

Thanks for picking up this topic, David – let’s hope that we get more “public” angels in Canada!

Reply
September 16, 2010

Jeremy Campbell

I want to raise angel funding this fall/winter and find it very difficult to connect with these people. It seems like most of these angel networks want to see full business plans before they will even meet with you, but what I keep hearing from the scene in the US is that full business plans are pretty much dead now. How about just allowing entrepreneurs to send over executive summaries because business plans while may provide some direction for a company, are pretty much guesses at best for young startups.

I really wish I could have made it out to funders and founders, that event would have been very beneficial to myself and my company. If any angels read this and want to hear more about my promising new media startup, please get in touch (jeremy(at)socomedia.com), thanks for writing this article David!

Reply
September 17, 2010

Bwatson

David – Thanks for the kind words. Many Canadian angels (including the super angels – and we do have some) shy away from publicity. Let this be a challenge to our Angel community to join the Angellist and get the recognition they deserve as integral to the funding ecosystem in this country. I have long argued that being active in the community and putting yourself out there as an angel helps combat adverse selection, increasing the odds of better returns. I think this alone is reason to populate the Angellist. Also, it should be noted that the list has a section on how the Angel should be contacted, usually through an introduction from a peer. I submit that this, or being a part of an Angel group, are great ways of being both open about your interest in investing and having a controlled mechanism that keeps you from being bombarded by opportunities.

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September 17, 2010

Suziedingwall

Look, I’m just a gal with a practice to run, but here’s what I know: super angels do not want to be outed. They are not looking for more deal flow, which is what this kind of list generates. Nor do they need recognition: they got all the recognition that they need building the wealth that allows them to invest. The kind of investing they typically do comes from a place of legacy building: who can they invest in, and what can they support, that will stimulate the next generation of great Canadian businesses in the industries they know? If you want a super angel, look for the Canadian giants in your vertical.

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November 4, 2010

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