As we enter 2023, investors’ thoughts may start to wander to the next big thing in the tech industry. We have asked leaders in the venture capital business to weigh in with their thoughts and considered the tech trends we’ve identified. There’s an overwhelming consensus that over the next few years, applied artificial intelligence (AI) will play an ever-increasing role in our everyday lives: from cleaning our homes, to automating some of the work we do.
Just when most South Africans were getting ready to bask in the summer sun after a long and chaotic year, the impending threat of South Africa landing on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global greylist is a cloud casting a shadow on our summer break. And rightly so.
In some of our previous articles, we’ve discussed what angel investors should ask before investing. Once an ideal investment opportunity has been identified and it’s been decided to move ahead, a term sheet will be drawn up that lays out the basic terms and conditions for investment.
Author: Abu Cassim 10 January 2022 Investing in startups can be tricky and can seem daunting, particularly if you’re new to it. Can you make money? Absolutely! Can you lose all your money? Yes. Investing in startups is a risky strategy and you should be aware of the risk from the outset. This blog, along with […]
Author: Abu Cassim 29 October 2021 From our previous blog you’ll recall that syndication is simply when a group of investors club together to invest in a specific opportunity. The syndicate is led by a lead investor while the rest of the investors take on the role of a backer. The reason for a distinction in […]
Author: Abu Cassim 28 October 2021 What is syndication? Let’s break it down… Syndication is simply when a group of investors club together to invest in a specific project. These investors can be any natural or juristic persons, including: trust and companies. The investment can be done through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) or as […]
Author: Abu Cassim 13 November 2020 What are your first thoughts when you hear about Africa? Culture-rich, potential, struggle, colonialism, game-drives, or perhaps hot weather? How easily would your mind connect terms like entrepreneurship, business growth, investment funds, or unicorns with our continent? Your mind is probably moving straight towards tech centres right now, like Silicon Valley. Africa, regardless of […]
Author: Abu Cassim 26 October 2020 In this blog, we cover the following additional six categories of questions that every angel should ask before investing: progress in the business, marketing and customer acquisition, risks, intellectual property, financials, and financing rounds. These questions will go a long way to helping you understand how your money will be […]
Author: Abu Cassim What every angel should ask before investing 26 October 2020 It’s easy to get bowled over by an innovative idea, or an entrepreneur that brings a flood of passion to the table. In many ways, angels are fighting a current to maintain their objectivity. Multiple meetings are suggested before taking the plunge and making […]
Author: Abu Cassim 9 September 2020 Doing a thorough assessment of a business is always a challenging task, more so under current conditions where first engagements are often hosted virtually on Zoom. To fund or not to fund? There are many factors to consider before saying the three-letter magic word, Yes. First impressions go a long way […]
Author: Abu Cassim 24 August 2020 There’s a common misconception amongst angel investors that the investment process is some quick and efficient undertaking. We’ve managed to close an investment deal in two weeks, but that was a complete outlier. Most investments take longer than you’d like, at least that’s if you do it right. On average, it’s […]
Author: Abu Cassim 31 July 2020 It has been said that the most remarkable quality of a leader is their ability to lift others as they rise. There could not be a more appropriate quote to describe the relationship between a mentor and mentee in the world of entrepreneurship. It may surprise some readers to […]
Author: Abu Cassim 20 July 2020 Whether you are new to the angel investor field or are an experienced investor, there are various considerations to take into account when looking to invest in a startup. In this blog we explore factors that most angels look for in a startup. Each angel will apply certain preferences […]
Author: Abu Cassim 13 July 2020 You walk into your first pitch night. The room is alive and buzzing with people anticipating seeing solutions that will shape the future. After chatting with a few participants, you sit down with a cup of coffee to hear the first pitch. The energetic founders start engaging your interest […]
Author: Abu Cassim 4 January 2019 (revised) In this blog, we review the Jo’burg startup ecosystem prior to the global events of 2020-2022. At the time, a Venture Burn survey found that most tech startups were based in Gauteng (55%), followed by the Western Cape (37%). A more recent desktop review in 2022, however, revealed that […]
Author: Abu Cassim 5 October 2018 “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water” – Rabindranath Tagore. You have to get wet at some point. So start by dipping your feet in to test the water. An angel investor’s first deal can be a pretty foreign experience. Many elements are […]
Author: Abu Cassim 21 September 2018 “Trust me, the projections are conservative. We are going to make millions together.” I’m almost certain this is a line they teach in startup school. The projections are always conservative even when they look like a hockey stick. True unicorns (mythical creatures) are the ones that hit their growth projections. […]
Author: Abu Cassim 15 June 2018 If you’ve researched angel investing prior to reading this, you will know that it’s not for everyone. It carries significant risk and it’s not a parking bay for your children’s education fund. On the other side of that coin, young companies offer an attractive return on investment when chosen […]
Author: Abu Cassim 1 June 2018 An investment thesis simply put is your personal angel investor playbook. It guides you through investments, ensuring a central theme in your decision making as opposed to a random shotgun approach. The thesis is set upfront in an objective manner but can be revisited as you learn about the […]
Author: Abu Cassim 18 May 2018 If you’ve read any of our previous blogs you are already familiar with some of the angel investor terms. At times the jargon can be pretty self-explanatory and at other times you may as well be reading a textbook on coding in Python. This is your A to Z, […]
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