10. Angel investing at its best is a really risky business. But risky does not lose money. Bad risks do.
9. Experience for an angel investor begins after you write the check.
8. Vetting an entrepreneur? The best I can do is meet their spouse and the people who used to work for them. In other words, inspect the fruit.
7. The initial investment is all about vision and promises. The second investment is all about performance and results.
6. Angel investing is a contact sport.
5. When the entrepreneur isn’t sure who might buy it and why, and the angels jump in to help, you know those angels won’t invest. At least not now.
4. The bigger the money, the harsher the accountability.
3. When I am talking to an entrepreneur, my lungs fill with air. The entrepreneur moves my thinking from what is to what can be.
2. In our hearts, we angels know we are unqualified to pick winners and losers. But that’s not how we act.
1. I learned I was managing the tension between the entrepreneur’s dream and my money, and getting this balance right meant success or failure for both of us.