Longtime angel investor Bill Payne has a new book out called The Definitive Guide to Raising Money from Angels. I read it last week and it’s excellent – if you are looking to raise an angel round it’s worth ever dollar of the $37 that Bill charges for it.
I first met Bill in the mid-1990’s when we were both working with the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurial Leadership – I was an entrepreneur-in-residence and he was an executive-in-residence (both fancy titles for “consultant.”) We worked closely with Jana Matthews in her “Learning Programs for High Growth Entrepreneurs” project, were deeply involved in the YEO / Kauffman Foundation relationship, and helped with the launch of the original Entreworld site (now eVenturing.)
Bill has been an angel investor in a handful of companies that I have been involved in (both successes and failures.) I’ve always found him to be a thoughtful, helpful, and decisive angel investor. He knows when he can help and when he can’t – and jumps in with both feet when he can.
I’m glad Bill has spent the time putting together a book on his thoughts and experiences regarding angel investing. So much of the stuff out there is garbage and many of the “experts” are really promoters looking for a quick buck on the back of an entrepreneur. While there are loads of excellent angel investors, Bill is one of the few credible thinker / writer who is also an active angel investor.