Frederick, Maryland (PRWEB) November 17, 2017
Mid-Atlantic Angels (MAA) announces its schedule of angel investor events for 2018. MAA continues to actively contribute investment capital for early-stage company growth for the region. The aim is to help create successful businesses while generating a return on investment for MAA member investors.
It might be said that MAA investor members live on the “wild side” with their investing. Per the Angel Capital Association’s (ACA) latest “Halo Report,” the median investment by an individual angel investor is $35,000. This capital helps companies grow and generates a return on investment that can be re-invested by investors in other opportunities and contribute to regional economies. BUT, it’s risky. While the average return is 2.5 times investment (250 percent) over 4 years, 70 percent of these early-stage businesses fail to deliver any return.
MAA Managing Director Mark Greathouse notes, “MAA has been fortunate to have three of the five companies its members invested in since 2015 well on the road to success. Given the riskiness of start-up businesses, sustaining this success rate means MAA must be highly-selective in assessing invest-ment opportunities. To ensure readiness to pitch investors at our Shark-Tank-like angel events, candidate companies are screened using 20 key business criteria before facing MAA investors at a Pitch Review.”
Investors must be members of MAA to have the privilege of investing in the early-stage companies pitched at its events. Angel events are followed by due diligence meetings in which investors get into the nitty-gritty of reviewing investment term sheets and questioning the entrepreneurs in greater detail. The object is to mitigate risk so far as possible before the investor opens his or her checkbook.
Greathouse notes that the success of an MAA-type operation in the Frederick area is dependent on maintaining a resource of investors ready to invest. “We seek investors yearning to take an active role in MAA by helping to identify, screen, and assist early-stage companies seeking investment capital; attend several of the investment and screening meetings and lend their experience and informed opinions to the discussions surrounding potential investments; contribute to the operation of the MAA network, including actively participating or leading in due diligence, identifying investment opportunities, or serving on the boards of directors or advisory boards of portfolio companies; and intend to invest at least $25K each year into companies presented to MAA or in the MAA portfolio. MAA member benefits include exclusive early access to superior investment opportunities at Pitch Reviews and Angel Events, opportunity to co-invest with highly-qualified fellow angel investors; and membership in the Angel Capital Association.”
Headquartered in Frederick, MAA actively feeds the Frederick economy by advising and obtaining investment capital for emerging technology companies through its five annual Capital Cycles. Investment options include “opt-in,” syndication, and equity crowdfunding. As a gateway to private equity capital, MAA is excited to help entrepreneurial businesses flourish in Frederick County and the region. Businesses seeking capital are invited to the Entrepreneur Inquiries page at http://www.MidAtlanticAngels.com, while prospective investors may inquire about membership on the Investor Inquiries page.