Finding the Champion

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In launching an angel network at a university, it takes a champion to see it to fruition.

In addition to a business school sponsor and five check-writing angels, you’ll need someone who will be the champion for the group.

The champion needs to be well connected with the university, the alumni, and the investor community.

The university angel network lives at the intersection of those three groups.

The champion must have a solid reputation in the community and be recognized for their contributions to the university.

The champion needs to be good at crafting the message and effective at delivering it to faculty, university administrators, alumni, investors, and students.

The champion must show how the university angel network benefits all of the groups and not just one or two.

It takes time to build momentum in launching the group, so anyone signing up for the champion role needs to commit at least three years to getting the group launched.

The alumni have a strong affinity for their alma mater and want to support it.

The university angel network provides an ideal platform for connecting the alumni back to the university.

Before taking on a university angel network, make sure you’ve identified the champion.


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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org 

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Barbara Clarke, Angel Investor, and Founder and President at The Impact Seat.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, The Impact Seat invests in ideas that solve the world’s biggest problems – focusing on the most innovative, diverse, early-stage startups. Their approach combines advocacy, philanthropy, and investment to build a new and more equitable economy.

Investor, economist and entrepreneur, Barbara enjoys interacting with professionals who believe in creating diverse teams to drive innovation and business success. Called ‘The Force’, Barbara fuels change in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, stimulates growth in early-stage tech startups, and boosts organizational excellence with her investment expertise and global insights.

Barbara has been investing in emerging technologies, including medical devices, for almost a decade. To date, she has invested in more than 60 companies and 12 funds in North America and Europe. Barbara has been creating opportunities for under-represented entrepreneurs by investing in companies that are either led by women of color, or have women on their funding teams – even before it became fashionable to do so. As a key member of the investment community, she also advises entrepreneurs and innovators on launching companies, accessing capital, and leveraging the international network of investors.

Barbara serves on several boards, including Portfolia, Founders First Capital Partners, and Boost.

Prior to launching The Impact Seat, Barbara spent more than a decade in management consulting firms, including KPMG and PwC, and launched a nationwide nonprofit to support grieving children. She holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics from Tufts University, and a master’s in international economics and finance from Brandeis University. A polyglot, she speaks several languages, including German, French and Italian.

When she is not scoping out promising startups to invest in, Barbara enjoys exploring new cities, supporting local artists, and listening to alternative/indie rock.

Barbara speaks about the state of angel investing and its evolution, her biggest challenge as an angel group leader, and some of the companies she has invested in.  

You can visit The Impact Seat at www.impactseat.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-impact-seat, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/impactseat?lang=en.  

Barbara can be contacted via email at barbara@impactseat.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraeclarke/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/beclarke?lang=en.  

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ 
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ 
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/  

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group   

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.