Most startup owners and managers don't know many angels, have a hard time finding the right ones when they need funding, are not well-prepared for funding negotiations, or adequately equipped to handle the post-funding relationship when Plan A fails and Plans B and C need to be drafted. It is a bumpy road, and there is hardly a startup that does not go through several rough patches, even those which ultimately become highly successful.

The search for "right-fit" angels should start at least a year or two before funding is required. Most firms will need more than one round of funding, and given that exits typically are about 10 years down the road, entrepreneurs need to be prepared for the long haul. The event has been created to help startups have a better understanding of how to create and nurture relationships with potential funders before they need financing, as well as to effectively manage all of the difficult discussions that lie ahead.

Few angels expect that what they see at the beginning is what they will have at the end of each subsequent year. As a consequence, they tend to be good at constantly changing their expectations  for the firms they invest in. The panel of two angels and one entrepreneur will discuss the highs and lows they have experienced through investing or launching in this sector, and provide guidance and insights to those embarking on this journey.

John Ason has been an angel investor for over 16 years specializing in early stage pre-revenue companies. He has made over forty investments in the areas of e-commerce, technology, advertising, social media, and entertainment. He is a founding investor in Digital Entertainment Ventures, investor in the Entrepreneurial Roundtable Accelerator, and ad hoc mentor at DreamIt, TechLaunch and Worldwide Investor Network accelerators.

Robert Delman is Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an angel investor organization targeting women-owned and led ventures with the potential to grow into multi-million dollar businesses. He is also a Partner of the ARC Angel Fund and Canrock Ventures, both of which invest in seed and early-stage companies. Rob is an Advisor at Columbia University Lang Center for Entrepreneurship, and has co-taught MBA classes on methods of launching new ventures.

Dennis Mortensen is the Founder and CEO of Visual Revenue, which focuses on predictive analytics for media. He is a pioneer and expert in the analytics, optimization and online marketing sector, as well as a full-fledged entrepreneur who successfully delivered a number of company exits. Dennis is an accredited Associate Web Analytics Instructor at the University of British Colombia, and a frequent speaker on the subject of analytics and media.

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