Virgin Australia Voyeur — May 2017

MAY 2017 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA 141

EXEC STYLE

How Time Flies

O RIS HAS CONTINUED its relationship with

Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) by

releasing a second limited edition collaborative

watch featuring a number of touches to reflect

their close ties. Launched at the Australian

International Airshow in Victoria’s Avalon,

a spectacular event that included the Australian

debut of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the watch

is based on Oris’s Big Crown collection (the first

timepiece the company produced for pilots) and

features an easy-to-see oversized 45mm stainless

steel case, and a black dial with white numerals

and hands. There’s also a pulsometer, which you

can use to take a patient’s pulse, the RFDS logo

at 12 o’clock and one embossed on the case back.

It comes with a stainless steel bracelet or a leather

strap. Oris will make a donation to the RFDS with

each watch purchase. http://www.oris.ch.

Five

Minutes

With....

WordsSARAH NORRIS

What should people consider

when looking for a start-up

to invest in? Firstly, assess

whether the start-up has

a capable leadership team

with industry experience

and connections. Evaluate

how the team operates as

a unit, whether they’ve

worked together previously,

if they’ve navigated a prior

exit strategy and what their

combined career experience

will contribute to the venture.

And secondly? The start-up

must have an idea that not

only solves a problem better

than anyone else currently

can, but that also has a credible

execution plan to transform this

idea into a commercially sound

and scalable business venture.

This includes assessing a variety

of market considerations,

including whether the

number of addressable

customers will be enough

to provide the desired exit

valuation, and if entry barriers

have been identified with

a plan to overcome them.

Is investing in a start-up

fund a good idea? Funds offer

many benefits, including tax

advantages, diversification

and low-effort requirements.

They allow investors to skip

over time-consuming due

diligence and also reduce the

risk associated by diversifying

investments across a number

of start-ups. In this sense

they’re a great choice for

investors who don’t have much

experience. They’re also ideal

for experienced angel investors

who are simply time-poor or

want to diversify. If, on the other

hand, you want to be actively

involved in doing due diligence

and negotiating the terms of a

deal, then joining an angel group

such as Sydney Angels and

networking with like-minded

investors could be for you.

How much money should

someone look to invest?

You could start with $10,000

and perhaps just one or two

deals per year. This will allow

you to pursue any follow-on

investment opportunities

that may arise in your top

performing start-ups.

Another approach might be

to calculate your investment

as a percentage of your overall

portfolio. It’s a basic rule of

thumb — you should have

a certain percentage of your

funds in high-risk assets.

The specific percentage

depends on your life stage

and risk appetite however,

but five to 10 per cent is

probably typical.

Justin Butterworth,

of Australia’s largest

network of start-up

angel investors, Sydney

Angels, tells us how to

invest in start-ups.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ADDIE CHINN, JEZ ROZDARZ, KRISTIAN DOWLING