Angel Investor

Also called Angel

An individual who invests their own money into early-stage startups, usually in small cheques at the pre-seed and seed stage, often before institutional VCs will.

Why it matters

Angels are frequently the first outside believers, and the good ones bring introductions and operating scars as well as cash. Building relationships with them early is how many founders get their first round done.

For example

A former founder writes a 10 lakh rupee cheque into a friend's pre-seed and makes three warm investor introductions the next week.

Worth your time

Angel Investors vs. Pre-Seed VCs: Who's The Right Fit For You Eximius Ventures · article A tight India-specific comparison with the rupee numbers you actually need: angels write ₹10 lakh to ₹3 crore from their own pocket and decide fast and informally, while pre-seed VCs write above ₹3 crore of LP money and run weeks-to-months of diligence. Read it right after the Blume piece to calibrate exactly how fast each type moves and what the process cost is, so you know why speed-and-conviction angels come first and the heavier institutional cheque comes once you have proof. Open eximiusvc.com →

Related terms

Seed Round Syndicate Venture Capital

Go deeper

See how founders actually handle this on Raising your first round, part of the Starting Up hub.

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