On the 26th of September, Angel Island will be hosting an event in which they will combine the best of Amsterdam in one awesome package. This one-day event will bring 200 angel investors, 50 venture capitalists and 200 startup founders to a fortress situated on the island called Pampus. During the event, “The Most Valuable Angel” will be announced as result of the first ever European angel competition.
Finding the right angel
According to Angel Island, the toughest fear for a startup is not finding an angel, but finding that one particular angel that doesn’t only add money to the table. An angel that can be of added value could be crucial in the early stages of a startup. Ton van ‘t Noordende, Partner at Keadyn and Founder of Angel Island, stated the following: “The number one question I get asked by startup founders is “How do I find the right angel?”. Crazy enough, angels ask the exact same question regarding start-ups.” This exact indistinctness is what Angel Island aims to find a solution to during their event.
Locked away in a fortress
Breaking the traditional pitching and investor meetings, Angel Island connects the unconnected and brings together the most brilliant minds to combine the resources that will contribute to a sustainable future. Therefore, Angel Island wants to encourage immediate interaction between startup founders and angel investors. First, personalized crews of 2 angels and 3 founder will be formed to join each other on the sailing ships. These ships will be used to reach the island Pampus. After arriving, groups with similar interests will be locked together in the fortress to have open conversations on hot topics. This way, the right angels are being connected to the right startup founders. Enabling these connections to be made is what Angel Island is all about. By building these meaningful relationships, startups are enabled to progress industries very early on.
A recipe for success
A highly informal and open setting is what Angel Island is going for. Angels and founders will not know to who they will be connected during Angel Island. As a result, participants will not be able to strategize beforehand and will have to start conversations much more naturally. Floris van Hoogenhuyze, founder of Barqo and a participant of Angel Island in 2016, stated: “It has given us the amazing opportunity to connect with angel investors in an informal setting, which resulted in an investment within 60 days.” All of the participating founders ended up with global connections, investment knowledge, new co-founders and closed rounds. Angel Island’s informal approach seems to be a recipe for success.
Europe’s Most Valuable Angel
This year however, Angel Island will be slightly different. It will be a global event with an invitation-only policy and will focus on the “no-limits” mindset. Furthermore, the first ever European competition for angels will be held. Europe’s Most Valuable Angel will be announced during this year’s edition of Angel Island on September 26th in Amsterdam. Everyone can vote for their favourite angel here.
Top image: our founder Remco Janssen, shot by angel investor Ohad Gilad (Keadyn) at last year’s edition of Angel Island
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