Venture Capital and Angel Investing Explained

Venture capital (VC)

Venture capital (VC) is a type of private equity and funding. VC is often given to startups with outstanding growth potential or to businesses that have had rapid growth and seem well-positioned to keep growing.

The majority of venture capital is often provided by wealthy individuals/investors, investment banks, and other investment companies. Such investments cone in monetary and other forms such as managerial or technical expertise. For investors that put money up, it can be dangerous, but the prospect for above-average profits is a tempting reward.

High stakes in a company are created and sold to a select group of investors in a VC investment through independent limited partnerships set up by these venture capital firms. Such partnerships can occasionally be made up of a group of related businesses.

One significant distinction between venture capital and other private equity transactions is that the former frequently focuses on start-up businesses looking for initial substantial funding, whereas the latter typically finances bigger or more established businesses looking for an equity infusion or an opportunity for the owners to distribute part of their shareholdings.

Companies opt for venture capital for different reasons, such as to expand their current operations or to fund the creation of new goods and services. Several vc-backed businesses may run at a loss for several years before turning a profit because launching a business requires a lot of capital.

Similar to private equity funds, venture capital funds manage their portfolio of invested companies according to a sector expertise. For example, a venture capital firm focused on the healthcare industry would invest in a portfolio of ten businesses developing innovative medical devices and technologies.

A venture capital is typically set up as a partnership, where the investors are the limited partners and the VC firm (and its principals) are the general partners. Insurance corporations, pension funds, university endowment funds, and affluent individuals are a few examples of limited partners. They are also known as passive investors.

Angel Investing

Angel investing is a high-risk type of investing done by wealthy individuals interested in high potential growth startups or businesses.

Many entrepreneurs turn to angel investing as their main source of capital because they consider it more appealing compared to other, more exploitative funding sources.

Angel investors may contribute one-time capital to help a startup boost its business or continuing funding to help a business to deal with early stage challenges. An angel investor is typically a wealthy person who contributes seed capital to enterprises, frequently using their own finances.

Who is an Angel Investor?

Wealthy individuals who support small businesses or entrepreneurs financially are referred to as angel investors, sometimes referred to as private investors or seed investors. These investors often do so in exchange for ownership stock in the startup or company. 

Angel investors may be successful businesspeople themselves who have knowledge or expertise in the sector they are investing in. In addition to their financial involvement, they can offer the new company advice, connections, and knowledge.

Angel investors want to see their investment develop and produce large returns in the future in addition to supporting startups and innovative business concepts. As a result, they may closely monitor the startup's operations and participate in decision-making to make sure the money they invested is being spent properly.

How to become an Angel Investor?

Becoming an accredited investor is typically a requirement in order to become an angel investor. This means as an accredited investor your income must be $200,000 or more over the preceding two years (or $300,000 with a spouse), or you must have a net worth of at least $1 million in investable assets, whether you are single or married.

Such investors are probably better prepared financially to bear a loss in the case of any because angel investments are regarded as high-risk investments. 

These investments tend to be high-risk and they make up about 10% of an angel investor's total portfolio. Most angel investors have extra cash on hand and are seeking investment possibilities that would yield higher returns than those offered by conventional investment options.

Differences between a venture capitalist and an angel investor

Venture Capitalist	Angel Investor
A venture capital consists of professional investors known as venture capitalists who invest money raised from bigger finance companies, institutions, and individual investors in early-stage and high-growth startups.	An angel investor is merely one person or a group of persons who make investments with their own funds.
Larger amounts of money, later stages, greater valuations, and significantly lower risk are the norm for VC investments.	Angels often take on more risk by investing smaller sums of money sooner in a startup initial stage, however, at lower valuations.
Compared to angel investors, venture capitalists typically have credentials in financial management or corporate investing.	Angel investors may not necessarily have knowledge in financial management, but may be accredited investors.
VCs typically fund businesses that have previously launched their goods or services and can demonstrate that they have garnered some attention. Business owners or entrepreneurs can seek venture capital when they're ready to grow their business and need money for things like infrastructure, marketing, product development, labor, and expansion.	Angel investors typically provide funding to assist a business launch its product or service. There are businesses that require modest sums to launch their initiatives and, in the early phases, are aiming to handle the business without significant assistance from investors. This is where angel investors step in.
A VC won't invest in a start-up for at least 6 months. This is owing to the fact that they will perform due diligence, research, and other activities that will enable them to assess the viability of investing in that particular organization.	Angels have the ability to act quickly because they frequently operate alone or have a personal stake in the company.