AngELs
Equation and its member groups are committed to providing members with a variety of investment opportunities. Your group membership includes access to numerous monthly events that bring together a diverse group of experienced accredited investors, who themselves have varied knowledge in a wide range of sectors. As successful businesspeople and entrepreneurs, your fellow members bring smart money to the table and are able to offer their expertise to portfolio companies and in the shared Due Diligence process.
In the angel year (Sept. to June), Equation and the member groups host many Investment events showcasing, quality, pre-screened companies.
- 10 investment meetings, showcasing 2-4 companies seeking angel investment. You will see each company pitch followed by open Q&A. After the Q&A the founder(s) leave the event for an “in-camera” discussion among the angels.
- Deeper Dive meetings. For each presenting company, Equation hosts the first Deeper Dive meeting for angels who are interested in additional Q&A with the founders. Deeper dives are scheduled for 2 weeks after the investment meeting and typically last 2 hours.
- 10 Best of Meetings- co-hosted by a local group and its innovation ecosystem (Incubators and Accelerators). Angels get to see the best of the local community including companies that are seeking funding, mentorship and/or the opportunity to pressure test their pitch with angels.
- 10 Education Sessions. Covering a wide array of topics, Equation’s Member Education Series is designed to keep members informed about the current events in angel investing and the business sectors in which you make investments.
Equation Angels’ efficient and curated internal processes also enable investors to focus on what matters most – providing a professionalized asset to educate promising entrepreneurs and start-ups and maximizing return on investment.
Your involvement in the group as an angel investor may range based on your interest and availability. A member may be very active (bringing great companies to the angel groups, leading other angels through the deeper dives and into due diligence or helping the Equation and group staff screen companies in the pipeline) or passive (joining in deals with investment dollars only). Individual members decide which angel deals they want to participate in.
Want to become an Angel?
Angel investors are a key piece of the start-up, innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. They provide capital and mentorship to early-stage companies to help them bring new products and services to market.
Broadly speaking, angels are high-net-worth individuals who have a desire to support entrepreneurs. Angels must declare themselves as accredited investors, defined by the Ontario Securities Commission as
An individual who owns, or who together with a spouse own, financial assets exceeding $1,000,000;
or an individual whose net income before taxes exceeds $200,000;
or an individual whose net income before taxes combined with that of a spouse exceeds $300,000.
Angels come from all walks of life, they are successful entrepreneurs, they are senior executives at multi-national corporations, they are professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, Insurance Brokers etc.), they are scientists, accountants, and engineers. Most importantly they have desire to use their own knowledge of business, contacts and capital to support early-stage companies as they bring the next world changing business ideas to life.
To become an Angel, please apply through your local angel group. Requirements for membership may vary by group.