Things to Consider Before Becoming an Angel Investor.

This article is written by Nardine B. M’barek, a Contributor Author at Startup Istanbul.

Vera Shokina is a Managing Director with Silicon Valley Bank's Global Gateway group. Prior to joining Silicon Valley Bank, Shokina was a Partner, CFO, and COO of Runa Capital. When she joined Silicon Valley Bank, she remained 5 years as a banker, then became interested in the technology
ecosystem, and decided to do that.

Silicon Valley Bank was established 37 years ago, and for all these years, it
has been directing its attention toward one major industry, that is the innovation industry. They have been successful so far in doing that since they have over 65% of market share for Venture Capital funding in the US, and 50 % for technology companies. They also do have over 30 offices everywhere where there is innovation, as well as $3 Billion under management.

Mrs. Vera Shokina was present with us during Startup Istanbul 2017 as a
representative Managing Director from Silicon Valley Bank, she discussed the most important things to consider when someone wants to become an Angel investor.

The first thing to make sure of is that you have the right experience and good funds. Of course, one needs her/his proper money in order to become an investor. Experience is also very important since if you do not have enough experience and knowledge, you could easily lose your money. If you have done business, then you probably have the skills of knowing how to execute, hire the right people, and have the right vision when it comes to where exactly do you want to invest your money.

That is why entrepreneurial experience could be of huge help if you consider one day becoming an Angel. It is important to understand that there might be an error, the important thing is that you learn how to cover it, and make out of it something better, and worthy. Of course, it is primordial to learn from your mistakes, and know how to figure the strategies needed to properly invest, and take care of your investment.

You need to give yourself the time to learn, and understand that the first investment you are going to make might not be that successful but that is perfectly fine. You might want to spend a considerable amount of time on trying to be structured, and, as we mentioned above, take care of your investment, especially if it is your first one by talking to people in business, and getting to know more details that would help you later in advance by yourself.

Having an active involvement when it comes to your investment will be highly important as well, as your people will certainly need your help anytime, and even if you do not offer direct solutions to the matter, talking to them about it, and making strategies with them, could actually help them figure it out. They do not only need your resources but also your time. So, if you could give solid advice related to the issue they are having, then if would be perfect for them.

Becoming an Angel Investor could be a hard decision to make, especially if you do not have enough experience prior to that. However, you do not need to join the wave of investors directly, you could take your time to learn about the field, and its secrets, before getting to business.