Idealog – July 26, 2019

The Transformation Issue | Idealog.co.nz

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Reynolds says every investor is different, but most

will prioritise these three needs:

• A super compelling founder and team. A founder who has a chip
  on their shoulder, an itch they absolutely have to scratch and who
  can answer the question ‘why them?’ and the response sparkles from
  their eyes and generates energy that comes from their absolute core.
  They are smart, driven, and great listeners who respond quickly to
  enquiries and are highly empathetic. They fervently believe they
  can have an creative, social and financial impact in a way that
  gives them, their customers, stakeholders and investors a unique
  opportunity to be part of that belief and exponential value creation.

A really exciting, potentially disruptive idea for a

product or service with a really meaningful market. A market

that will utterly love the product or service. And a market which

contains a mega ton of people willing to pay for that product or

service and which is big enough to generate exponential returns

for investors and acquirers, not just financially but for people and

the planet too. This is the product/market fit component

and answers the question ‘why this?’

The founder understands why this is the perfect time to be

bringing this product or service to the world. This is the answer

to the ‘why now?’ question. It’s all about understanding what is

going on in markets, value chains, consumer preferences to make

the timing right for this company to fire. Where does what you’re

building land on the relevant Gartner Hype Curve?

SUSE REYNOLDS is the executive director

of the Angel Association of New Zealand

and the founder of Angel HQ, Wellington’s

angel network. She currently sits on the

Board of Angel HQ and is an enthusiastic

believer in the ability of angel investment

to make the world a better place.

INVESTMENT

READY

SUSE REYNOLDS

Every business goes through a life cycle: start-

up, growth, maturity and renewal, rebirth or

decline. Once you’ve made it past the juicy, creative

ideation stage and into the growth and maturity

stage, the time for many comes to seek investment.

But how do you know what investors are looking for?

And what do investors think New Zealand companies

excel at, and therefore get excited about? We sat

down with executive director of the Angel Association

of New Zealand Suse Reynolds to figure out just that.

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Both founders and investors have a drive to be part of something

that is incredibly successful, and that comes with high octane

emotions. Reynolds says lead investors put themselves out there

just like founders do, as they stake their reputation to your

success. Angel investors also have skin in the game, as they are

investing their own hard-earned coin, so the personal attachment

is arguably even greater than for those who act for a VC fund.

The buy-in from investors is emotional, as well as financial.

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VISIBILITY

Technology Trigger TIME

Trough of Disillusionment

Slope of Enlightenment

Plateau of Productivity

Peak of Inflated Expectations

HOWTOBE