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A Toronto-based founder came to Philly to get women excited about angel investing

As part of an Ellevate Philadelphia event, Female Funders founder Katherine Hague offered advice to women looking to break into angel investing.

At the Ellevate Philadelphia event for women interested in angel investing. (Photo by Kim Ramirez)

Since 2015, Katherine Hague has been running a challenge to make 1,000 women angel investors.
That’s why the Toronto-based founder of Female Funders spoke at an event that I organized last week, answering the question: “How do I get started in angel investing?”
Philadelphia’s funding ecosystem came together at PwC to talk to over 40 members and guests of women’s professional group Ellevate Philadelphia about early stage investing.
While most of the crowd had heard of angel investing before, many didn’t know the details and the nuances that go along with early stage funding. Hague shared some tips with us about how to get involved.

  • Invest up to 5 percent of your net worth, in 10 investments, over 2-3 years.
  • If you’re new to early stage investing, you should begin investing with an angel investment group or through a venture capital fund, rather than as a lone investor.
  • Check out 40-50 startups before writing your first check, which can easily be done by attending events such as a Dreamit Demo Day or local universities’ startup competitions or by visiting the website AngelList.
  • Learn from other early stage investors, not from startup founders who are busy running a business.

The event emphasized how much of a role community plays in early stage investing. Along with Hague, some of Philadelphia’s early stage investors from firms like Rittenhouse VenturesSafeguard ScientificsJumpstart NJ, Robin Hood Ventures and Osage Venture Partners, some of whom were also sponsors of the night, were on site to help educate the crowd. Women spent an hour mingling, asking questions and gleaning insights with the speakers and sponsors.
“Early stage investing is a lot easier to get involved with than I thought,” said Paige Carter, who works in business development at CEB (formerly Corporate Executive Board). “And now, I have a game plan for getting started.”
Many of the women said how exciting it was to see so many women interested in investing in Philly startups.
“It was exciting to see interest in the angel investing world from previously untapped sources,” said Jennifer Mantini, a partner a PwC. “Expanding the ecosystem to involve more players helps the entire community.”
Are you looking to get started in investing? Check out Female Funders for more information on Angel School.

Companies: Rittenhouse Ventures / Jumpstart NJ / Osage Partners / Robin Hood Ventures
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