Are you looking for an angel investor in Florida?

An angel investor is usually a wealthy individual who invests his own personal money in various businesses.  This is true not only in Florida, but around the nation.  Many times angels invest during the beginning stages of a company, after the business has received funding from the entrepreneur, family, and friends.  The typical angel investor is a male between 45-55 years old with significant business success in some industry. 

To find an angel investor in Florida, you need to follow the same principles that work anywhere.  Angels usually see many more deals than they can seriously consider, so they have developed criteria to eliminate some quickly.  One of these criteria is location.

Why should you look in your area of Florida first?

Many times angel investors want to be involved with the business in some aspect.  In any case, they want to be able to contact you easily after they give you money.  It is much easier for them to communicate like this if they are within several hours driving of you.  So your best chance of finding an angel investor will be to find one in your area.  If you do not live in Florida, the chance of you receiving funding from a Florida angel investor is decreased.  If you are a Floridian, you will need to look for angel investors that are relatively close to your area.

The angel investor "deal filter"

Angels also filter many deals by industry.  They prefer to understand and be familiar with the industry in which they invest.  Some want to use the contacts and knowledge they have gained through experience, and they can only leverage this in their particular industry.  Many times you will not be able to find their preferred industry prior to talking with them.

Lastly, most angels have a limited range of investment.  You will need to spell out clearly your desired amount of funding and find out whether that is within their range.  If not, some angels may be convinced to form a syndicate in order to raise the necessary money.

Where can you find a Florida angel investor?

A quick search online for a Florida angel investor may provide some fuel in your quest for funding.  One of the largest collections of angel investors on the internet can be found at www.goBIGnetwork.com.  The Go BIG Network allows you to search for investors based on their preferred investment amount, industry, and investor type.  Simply become a member (it’s free and only takes a minute) and enter a concise version of your idea in your profile.  At this level investors can see the information you enter and contact you if they are interested.  If you want access to the contact information of investors, you can purchase a subscription.  This allows you to take a more proactive approach to the fundraising process.

If you would like to make it easier on yourself, you can post a “request.”  The request is very similar to the idea of a classified ad.  Investors looking for businesses similar to yours will see the information and can contact you.

How to prepare for a Florida angel investor

Not only should you be clear on the amount of money necessary, you should also be able to describe when and why you need it.  Investors will require you to give up equity or pay interest depending on how a deal gets structured, so you should think about what you are willing to sacrifice to get the amount of money you need.  The earlier in the company’s history the investment is made, the more you will have to give up due to the increased risk.  Finally, you need to have a timetable for when and how you plan to give the investor a return on his money. 

When you have successfully found a Florida angel investor that fits the basic criteria and have answered those major points, you will be on your way to securing funding.