ENCOURAGING ANGELS

The Great Eastern Investment Forum, one of the UK's leading business angel networks and part of the NW Brown Group, on the 16th August launched a new campaign 'On the side of the angels', designed to demystify the activities of business angels, to encourage new angel investors and to support the existing angel investment community.

The campaign aims to:

· Highlight the potential rewards - both financial and personal - of this high risk, high return asset class

· Help potential business angels understand the benefits and risks of being a business angel ·

Help early stage companies understand how business angel finance works and how they can access it

· Create opportunities for sharing experiences between experienced active angels and 'virgin' angels considering investment for the first time; and

· Support the angel community through information and education and by campaigning for a simpler regulatory environment.

Launching the campaign, Hugh Parnell, director of GEIF, said: "Business angel finance is a crucial element of the economy, without it many entrepreneurial businesses with unique and marketable ideas would simply not get off the ground. There is obviously a large risk when investing in such early stage companies and we make sure that potential investors are aware of this. But the potential upside, should a company fulfill or even exceed its potential, is enormous.

GEIF is keen to ensure that more people understand exactly how angel finance works, for example, angel investors often offer business experience as well as their own personal capital, making it a markedly different type of investment. Although definitely not an asset class appropriate for everyone, angel investment will appeal to numerous high net worth individuals who are, currently, simply unaware that they have what it takes. Furthermore, GEIF is considering ways in which it can facilitate 'congregations' of angels, thereby spreading the risk undertaken by each individual investor.

Through a long-term information and education campaign, and through continuing to do what we do best, which is introducing quality early stage companies to prospective investors, we hope to help the number of active business angels across the country grow."

GEIF's campaign includes a number of events especially designed to welcome and inform people who might be interested in becoming angels and the launch later this year of 'How to be a business angel', a booklet that will set out in detail practical considerations for prospective investors.

The first event will be held on 16 September at the Q.Ton Forum, Cambridge Science Park. The event will enable existing and potential angels to hear experiences from both sides of the angel investment relationship and find out why the Government sees business angels as important and how it plans to support them.

Representing the angel perspective, John Caines, GEIF business angel and Chairman of SWAIN, the Regional Business Angel network for the South West, will talk about the lessons he's learned and why he invests as a business angel. Marie Wold of OnRelay, a technology company successful in sourcing GEIF angel funding last year, will talk about angel financing rounds and ongoing relationships with investors.

During the afternoon session, existing and potential angels will be able to listen to 'elevator pitches' delivered by six early stage companies seeking business angel investment, followed by closed-door meetings allowing the angels and companies to discuss the investment opportunities in more detail. For more information about these events, please contact Andrea Blakesley on 01223 720213 or email geif@nwbrown.co.uk

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