TechAngels Romania

🥁Drum rolls, people! We announce a new partnership with Startup Moldova in which #TechAngels will get even more closer to the Moldovan founders community by also formally generating opportunities in participating in workshops/ training sessions, discussions that respond to founders specific interests. Our previous interactions showed a vibrant and dynamic community which we are happy to join. #growingtogether #proudsupporter #angelinvestors #startups 

Happy to have been able to support Seeds of Bravery, 😊 a project developed for boosting the Ukraine tech ecosystem. ➡ As part of the project startups are invited to submit their pitches and will get through a selection process for grants. ➡ In parallel it aims to train entrepreneurs and support the integration of the Ukrainian innovation ecosystem into the European network. ➡ Malin-Iulian Stefanescu, our VP, represented #TechAngels, together with investors from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. He pointed out the rapid developments in the CEE tech community, the ups and the downs of the financing raising process and many more. #growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups #techecosystem

When formulating an investment thesis, asking the right questions is crucial. We selected 10 key questions from well-known angel and venture investors to help with your thesis setting or reviewing. ➡ 1. “What problem are we solving, and does this problem exist for a large enough customer base?" /Steve Blank, one of the pioneers of lean startup movement. Understanding the problem a startup addresses is essential for evaluating its potential impact and market demand. ➡2. "Do I have a unique insight or understanding of this sector that others might not?" /Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder). You need to invest in sectors where you have insight or expertise. This allows you to assess the viability of the technology and make informed decisions. ➡3. Is this startup targeting a niche market that could expand significantly over time?"/Peter Thiel. Investing in a startup with a small market limits its growth potential. Aim for markets that can support scalable businesses. ➡4. "Does this team have the passion, persistence, and experience to turn their vision into reality?" /Ron Conway, (SVAngel, investor in Google and Facebook) The quality of the team is often more important than the product, especially at an early stage. Great teams can pivot and execute well. ➡5. "How does this startup plan to make money? Is the revenue model sustainable and scalable?" /Chris Sacca (Twitter, Uber investor). Even great technology can fail if there’s no clear path to revenue. Understanding the business model is crucial for assessing profitability. ➡6. “What unique advantage does this startup have that can protect it from competitors?" /Warren Buffet. He talks about "economic moats" — a sustainable competitive advantage that keeps competitors at bay. While he primarily invests in public companies, his principle applies to startups too. Startups face competition from incumbents and other startups. A strong competitive advantage is necessary for survival and growth.  ➡7. "How can I leverage my connections, knowledge, or resources to help this startup succeed?"/ Jason Calcanis. As an angel investor, your network, experience, and advice can be critical to the startup's success. ➡8. "What are the possible exit opportunities for this startup, and what is the timeline for those exits?" Fred Wilson (invested in Twitter, Etsy). Knowing how and when you'll get a return on your investment is critical for managing risk and expectations. ➡9. "Am I okay with losing this investment? Does this startup have a risk profile that matches my overall portfolio?" /Naval Ravikant (AngelList) Angel investing is high-risk, and you need to be prepared for the possibility of losing your investment. ➡10. “Is the market ready for this innovation? Is this the right moment for this startup to gain traction?"/ Bill Gurley (Uber investor). Timing is crucial for startup success. Even a great idea can fail if the market isn’t ready. #growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups #TechAngels

Our #PitchDay Tuesdays are just around the corner. For us they are the highlight of the week, the whole year round: meeting with new teams and discussing new ways of supporting the growth. It is a rolling process, so. whenever you feel ready to discuss with our members, all with a long track record at high level, in all the walks of business, with local and international experiences, just fill in the form on our website @www.techangels.ro. #growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups #founders 

All the advancements we see, such as artificial intelligence, remote working, big data, and cybersecurity are rapidly changing the way we work and live. 🚀Staying ahead is essential to remain relevant. At the @Work Evolution Summit, you’ll gain practical insights into how these trends are revolutionizing the way we work, with concrete examples and actionable strategies to help you lead your team into the future 💡The event includes inspiring sessions, hands-on workshops, and access to cutting-edge tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Jira Service Management. 🔦These sessions are designed to provide decision-makers with the knowledge and resources needed to implement best practices in project management, service management, work management, and knowledge management. Follow the news from Work Evolution Summit 2024, which is exploring the future of work and reserve your seats. ⬇️ If you are a #TechAngels member check with our Executive Director the conditions for discounts. See you all there! #ProudPartners #growingtogether

A #TechWeekInReview with expansion plans, geographically and technically. ➡ QuickLegal raised a 368k euro financing through a EIT Digital grant. The startups helps companies to automate invoices reimbursement with AI help and also offers a marketplace connecting entrepreneurs with appropriate legal advice. ➡️NS Edge, a Romanian co-founded cybersecurity startup, helping companies to detect in real time cyberthreats from big volumes of data, opened a 2.5-million-euro financing round to expand in the CEE and US markets. The US based startup targets especially big companies which can use the solution in parallel with existing ones and can also benefit from its very low resources consumption. ➡️@Sera plans a significant financing round in the next 1.5 2 years to ensure its further expansion to international markets. The startup, offering a platform that helps greenhouse managers monitor and intervene all the plants growing conditions, already raised 4 million euro to build and launch its solution. The solution helps with creating a digital twin for the greenhouse, being also of help in determining best course of action for each greenhouse, making comparisons in efficiency between different interventions, type of cultures, etc. #growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups #growsmart #smartgrowth

📢 Exciting times ahead at the European Angel Investment Summit in Brussels on October 15-16! Whether you're a #startup looking for funding or an angel investor ready to invest in the next big thing, this event might be for you. This year's focus? Deep tech, defense tech, and generation-defining pitches! ✨ Don’t miss out on connecting with Europe’s top investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders. If you want to pitch apply ⬇. If you are a #TechAngels member you might want to take the opportunities offered by being members of EBAN by checking with our Executive Director or the messages on the internal platform message board. #EAIS2024 #Innovation #angelinvestors #startups #StartupEcosystem

Evaluation⚖️ (assessing the potential)and valuation🪙, (assessing the financial value) are two subjects placed top in investors’ interest and are topics on top of our group discussions list too. For a conversation starter here ⬇️are the most popular methods of evaluation. What is your take on these? Do you use any of the below? Do you have other ways to establish that a startup, which is already aligned with your investment thesis, is investible? Let us start pondering on the matter and meet soon to discuss, debate, share experiences. ❎Revenue Multiple valuation method This method involves applying a multiple to the startup's estimated revenue. The multiple varies by industry, the startup's growth rate, and the market. For example, fast-growing tech startups may be valued at a higher multiple of their actual revenue. ➕ Advantage: It's simple and provides a quick valuation. ➖Disadvantage: It does not take into account all aspects of the startup, such as investments in development, infrastructure or innovation capacity. ➿Cost-to-Duplicate method. This method evaluates a startup on the basis of the costs required to replicate the product or service it offers. It takes into account all the costs of developing the technology, recruiting the team and creating the necessary infrastructure. ➕Advantage: Useful for early-stage startups without significant revenue. ➖Disadvantage: Does not reflect future growth potential and brand or market value. 🧮Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method This method involves estimating the startup's future cash flows and discounting them to present value using a discount rate that reflects the risk associated with the startup. It is a traditional valuation method often used for mature companies. ➕Advantage: Provides a detailed valuation based on future cash flows. ➖Disadvantage: Requires precise estimates and is difficult to apply for early stage startups that do not have stable cash flows. 🔎Comparable Analysis This method involves comparing the startup with other similar companies that have been recently valued or sold. Multipliers such as price/revenues or price/EBITDA are analyzed and adjusted according to the specifics of the startup being evaluated. ➕Advantage: Provides a benchmark based on recent and actual market transactions. ➖Disadvantage: There can be significant differences between the companies compared, making the assessment less accurate. 🧩Berkus Method This is a simplified method that assigns a value to each important aspect of a startup, such as idea, prototype, team, business relationships and traction. Each category is given a specific monetary value, and the sum of these gives an estimate of the startup's value. ➕Advantage: It is an affordable method and can be applied at early stages. ➖Disadvantage: It is more subjective and less accurate than other methods.

#growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups #techecosystem🤝

14 days left until our next #PitchDays season. ➡ We meet almost every Tuesday and discuss with 3-4 teams each session. ➡️You get 130 + possible investors and partners, our members are experienced in business, have a wide range of interests and expertise. They believe in true collaboration and are ready to support, advice, open doors or just stay away, if the case. 💡Prepare your pitches and submit your applications at www.techangels.ro. It is a rolling process and a very opened and welcoming atmosphere. #growingtogether #angelinvestors #startups.