Angel
Investor Groups for Women in Wisconsin -- A Real Reality Show
The women
are coming! The women are coming!
Angel investor groups for women in Wisconsin are now a reality.
Wisconsin. Wow. You kind of expect New York and San
Francisco. But Wisconsin -- the true heartland of the U.S. -- now has
its first angel group comprised of women.
The Wisconsin Women's Angel Fund is loosely affiliated with the
amazing women-led Phenomenelle
Angels Fund. The Wisconsin Women's Angel Fund will
initially make available $2.3 million in capital to early-stage companies,
and its eventual goal is to have $10 million in the fund.
Fittingly, Wisconsin-based companies will be the first priority, but
investors also may look for worthy investments elsewhere in the
Midwest.
The Women's Angel Fund fills an important gap in the investment stream
for entrepreneurs, and provides capital and access to mentors who are
experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
Reports are that there are only six women angel networks in the entire
country, and only 8 percent of all angel investments made in 2005 included
women angel investors.
Those figures are truly depressing, especially in light of the fact that
well over half the new businesses coming alive are led by women
entrepreneurs.
Having a diverse group of decision-makers in the boardroom or in an angel
network provides a receptive audience for entrepreneurs with innovative
business ideas, which will stimulate job creation in Wisconsin.
"Realizing our state's potential requires higher growth rates,
including among women entrepreneurs," said Heinemann, who chairs the
Wisconsin Technology Council's Angel Advisory Committee.
In Wisconsin, angel investors have access to tax credits under Act 255,
which established the Wisconsin
Angel Network (WAN). The act is credited with increasing the
number of angel networks and angel investments in the state. Angel investors
claimed all of the available 2005 tax credits ($3 million), which resulted
in investments totaling $15.5 million in qualified new business ventures.
Overall, angel investing in Wisconsin in 2005 exceeded $19 million.
Angel investor groups for women in Wisconsin are very open to new
companies. In fact, early-stage women and minority owned companies
interested in attracting angel funding may post a 1,000-word executive
summary on their business on the WAN web site, which promotes deal flows.
"Member investors are automatically notified of the executive
summaries," said Joe Kremer, director of WAN.
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Angel Investor Groups for Women in Wisconsin
