Our Best Program for New Investors
About the Angel Investor Academy
The Academy
The Angel Academy is a one year program that helps interested high-net-worth individuals to become qualified Angel Investors.
Taught by renowned international and local Angel Investors, the Angel Academy consists of training sessions, mentoring and investment guidance. In exclusive pitch events, participants will learn how to discover and professionally vet the most investable companies. Together, participants select the most promising of these high-growth Startups for investment. Our international and local experts will teach you the necessary knowledge and guide you through the entire investment process.
What is an Angel Investor?
Angel Investors are individuals who invest their own money into high-growth Start-ups in return for an ownership share in the company. Angel Investors further help their portfolio companies with advice and provide access to their business networks. Because of the very high risk involved, Angel Investors are looking for companies that provide at least 20 to 30 times return over a 5 year period.
What makes the Angel Investor Academy unique?
The best Trainers & Mentors
Classes are taught by some of the most experienced and successful local and international Angel Investors.
More than just Training
The Academy consists not only of training sessions, but includes mentoring and applied investment guidance from highly experienced investors.
Mentorship & Guidance
Participants experience the entire investment process through selecting and investing together in promising high-growth startups.
Free Co-investment
Hivos will commit a 50% matching fund to be given to startups as a grant. Hivos reserves the right to disapprove the deployment of the matching fund based on its own assessment.
Academy Details
Training
The Angel Investor Academy will be taught by efino, a Swiss based, early-stage investment and training firm lead by the renowned European Angel Investor Brigitte Baumann. efino has successfully trained countless investors around the globe and developed and refined the curriculum for the Angel Investor Academy for many years.
Brigitte Baumann was named European Investor of the Year 2015 by the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) and one of the most influential Women in the Start-up and Venture Capital space in Europe in 2016. With over 30 years experience in bringing new technologies to the market in the US and Europe, and over 15 years experience as an Angel Investor, Brigitte is undoubtedly one of the most senior figures in the European investment space.
Participants will receive 5 online and 5 face2face weekend workshops over the course of one year. Training is split into introductory and advanced lessons, with four investment pitch events in addition to the workshops. In addition, the team of efino will be ready to answer any investment related queries participants may have during the Angel Investor Academy.
| Stage | Description | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Angel Investing | Basic content for new investors with no previous experience on Early Stage Investment | Online workshops |
| Advanced Angel Investing | Training for investors to learn about the full investment cycle while simultaneously building a portfolio of startups | 5 face-2-face workshops in Egypt |
| On-site experiential learning | Investment sessions for the participants of the group led by experienced investors and coaches | 4 pitch events held during the second half of the Academy |
selecting startups
The academy will hold regular investment pitch events where a small number of specially selected high-growth startups will pitch their business concepts to the participants.
All startups will be thoroughly vetted before they are allowed to pitch, but the Angel Investor Academy participants are required to ask the right questions and perform their own due diligence on each company. This process is part of the learning experience of the Angel Investor Academy and will be guided by efino and HIMAngel, our experienced local investment partner.
The pitch events will teach the Angel Investor Academy participants how to discover and select potentially investable companies. From learning to ask the right questions all the way to due diligence, the structured and guided concept of the Angel Investor Academy will fully prepare the participants for all upcoming and future investments.
CLOSING DEALS
Having selected one or more startups in each of the four pitch events held during the Angel Investor Academy the participants will be guided through the entire process of closing the deal
From learning how to negotiate a term-sheet and investment agreement to setting up a suitable corporate structure, the Angel Investor Academy endeavours to convey all necessary knowledge to complete future deals.
Our experienced lawyers as well as of course the team of HIM Angel and efino will assist in the task.
Timeline
Conditions For Participants
The net cost of each participant in the Angel Investor Academy is approximately 8.000€. GIZ will cover the entire cost for all accepted participants. No additional cost for participation is required. All we ask participants to do is invest 170.000EGP into a company of their choice.
Participants are required to commit to the entire one year program and endeavor to join all trainings and pitch events
Participants are required to set aside 170.000 EGP to be invested as part of the group throughout the one year Academy program
Each participant will pay 50.000EGP as a refundable deposit at the start of the Angel Investor Academy. Once the participant has invested 170.000EGP into startups, the deposit will be refunded to the participant. If less than 170.000EGP is invested throughout the duration of the Angel Investor Academy, the deposit will not be refunded and instead used as a grand (donation) to help local entrepreneurs.
FAQs
Organisation
We originally planned to start the Angel Invest Academy with the opening Workshop on the 11th of April. However, given current circumstances we have decided to wait with the first face2face weekend workshop until September 2020 and limit communication to online workshops until then. While this does not change the overall makeup of the Angel Investor Academy, it does change the timeline slightly.
Perfectly valid question and certainly one that has no straight forward answer. We believe YES. In crisis lies amble opportunity for any investor, a sentiment not just shared by Warren Buffet. While the current crisis will certainly be detrimental for some industries, other will thrive. Our friends from Dcode, one of Egypt’s most sophisticated Economic & Financial Consultants, have created this beautiful infographic to highlight the potential winners and losers.
We are taking a maximum of 20 participants to ensure training and mentoring remains effective and everybody gets the chance to invest in the best companies.
Maybe. This is a pilot and we will evaluate based on interest whether to do another round next year.
Yes of course. We do however require you to attend at least 70 percent of all sessions. You also need to participate in at least one of the DD processes that will teach you the applied side of business angel investing.
Please use the sign up button below or at the top of the page. We will get in touch with you soon. If you have any question please email us at lisa-marie.schmidt@giz.de
Yes. Or local partner HIMAngel and the team from GIZ will remain available to you even after the Academy has ended. At the same time, every participant of the Academy will become a member of Egypt Angels, and we invited to the regular meetings, where you meet the Egyptian Angel Investor community. This will enable you to build a broad network and help you make successful investments after the Academy.
Training
A total of 10 training sessions will take place. 5 face-2-face weekend workshops in Egypt and 5 online workshops.
The training material will be sent to you prior to the session and it will be composed of a presentation and, depending on the topic, some introductory videos. We recommend to review the material before the session starts. Afterwards we might provide additional material depending on the topic of the workshop.
We will send the dial-in information some days before each session takes place. The coaches will be available 30 min before each session to help you set up the session, in case you need any assistance.
Investment Capital
You should plan to invest at least 170.000EGP. If you want to invest more that is also fine. We recommend that you set this money aside before the beginning of the program.
The 50.000EGP required deposit is a first payment towards your 170.000EGP investment. It is also a security to ensure each participant is fully committed and has the required funds. The deposit will be kept for the duration of the Academy – or until you have invested 170.000EGP.
The 50.000EGP deposit will be due before the start of the Angel Investor Academy.
The deposit will be kept in a separate bank account until it is either returned to the depositor or donated to entrepreneurs.
If you do NOT invest at least 170.000EGP in any of the companies we present to you OR during the one year academy your deposit will not be refunded. Instead, the 50.000EGP you deposited will be donated towards promoting entrepreneurship in Egypt.
Pitch Events
There is no fixed number, but we are aiming to present to you approximately 4 startups per session, so 16 startups in total.
We are generally happy for you to go and find other startups to invest in! After all, learning to be a successful investor is what the Angel Investor Academy is all about. However, if you find a potential company we ask for you to share your finding with the other participants of the Academy. This gives us the possibility to assess viability and perform due diligence together and thus reduces risk for you as well as the other participants. Besides, 170.000 EGP is generally not sufficient as a single investment anyhow and thus participants must likely pool their resources to invest together.
We would prefer you do not do that. Angel Investing is not just about financial returns but also about having fun, making new friends and cooperating. We believe you learn more and and be more successful if you invest together with others. If you are absolutely determined to invest on your own then the Angel Investor Academy is probably not the right program for you.
In principle, the idea of the Angel Invest Academy is to teach you new skills and help you invest in new startups. However, if you already invested in a successful startup and you are willing to share that startup with your fellow participants and the startup fits our criteria in terms of ticket size etc. then this is something that could be considered.
Partners
HIMAngel is an Angel Investment Fund, founded by Dr. Khaled Ismail in 2017, HIMAngel supports startups and helps them to grow. Added to their investment, they also offer startups mentorship, early-stage business building, and direct connection with stakeholders.
efino is an early-stage investing platform that encourages novice and experienced investors to grow by supporting startups passionate about making a difference. We’re currently focused on the Swiss and EU markets. We curate connections between like-minded investors and highly-vetted entrepreneurs at the forefront of innovation with the talent, drive and determination to succeed.
Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation that seeks new solutions to persistent global issues. With smart projects in the right places, they oppose discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. Hivos provides financial support to organizations working in Africa, Latin America and Asia, it provides advocacy and it supports knowledge sharing in particular in the field of social change, digital activism and rural innovations.
A regional (non-governmental) development organization founded in 1992 by UNDP, the AFESD, Arab countries, and hosted by GoE. RITSEC has been a leader in introducing the region to the Digital Age and Information Society. RITSEC has been instrumental in 1) introducing the Internet to Egypt, Arab World, and Africa, 2) building information and decision support centers, 3) a world leader in digitizing culture, 4) introducing software engineering in the region, 5) establishing RITI, 6) E-learning, 7) ICT for development, 8) Africa Information Society Initiative, and 9) planning and mobilization of the New Egyptian Museum.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development working on behalf of the German Government. Operating in Egypt since 1956, GIZ provides technical expertise, develops capacities and delivers effective solutions in close partnership with local governmental and non-governmental organisations. GIZ Egypt currently employs around 300 national and 50 international experts. GIZ supports Egypt in its efforts to achieve the “Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030” in order to create better social and economic prospects for the Egyptian people
Ecosystem Partners
