Q: What is the Mission of Maverick Angels?

Maverick Angels is a very different kind of angel investor network. We take an entrepreneurial approach to angel investing to create win-win results with portfolio companies.

Entrepreneurs need much more than just capital. They need coaching, training, relationships and other resources which will dramatically increase their chances for success. While we are active angel investors like any other early-stage investment network, we also realize that entrepreneurs need more support when getting started. If they are smarter in how they position their company strategy and business model, they will prove to be a better investment for our members, ultimately reducing our financial risk and increasing our upside in the future. If we work hard to make introductions to prospective customers, team members, partners and other investors, we all win in the end. This open win-win philosophy defines who we are and creates the foundation for our success.

We believe in a more holistic strategy for angel investing. If we better serve the needs of entrepreneurs, our interests will be better-served as investors, resulting in higher return on our investments. This is the reason why we call it an "entrepreneurial approach" to early-stage investing - an angel network which is more entrepreneurial in both our style and focus.

Many of our members are highly successful "serial entrepreneurs" as well as seasoned corporate executives. We understand what it takes to create a valuable business and to create wealth for investors. Our members work closely together to find, qualify and invest in early-stage companies. We know how to maximize our investments throughout the life of our portfolio companies and we work hard to share our knowledge and experience with each other and with our target entrepreneurs to benefit our mutual interests.

With the launch of AngelLink™, the first truly global and virtual angel investor network, we are dramatically extending the reach and influence of this important vision to angel investors and entrepreneurs around the world. This powerful new virtual investor forum will enable our members from around the globe to take an active role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to help support and foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

In the age of bank failures and a global credit crisis, we believe that this kind of generative collaboration among early-stage investors and visionary entrepreneurs serves as a much-needed antidote and a realistic solution for the tremendous economic challenges facing the world today. Getting back to the fundamental business basics of supporting worthy entrepreneurs creating value-add innovations will help accelerate our nation’s economic road to recovery.

Maverick Angels is committed to making this vision a reality

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Q: What is the typical member profile?

A Maverick Angels Member:

1. Is an “Accredited Investor” under the US securities laws. For more info about this SEC requirement, click here.
2. Is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs.
3. Is willing to mentor companies and dedicate valuable expertise and resources to help presenting companies grow and succeed.
4. Has a serious interest in giving back to the community.

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Q: How is Maverick Angels different from other Angel groups?

We are an exclusive network of high-net-worth Members who have been carefully screened and invited to join our group based on their financial profile as well as their knowledge, expertise and passion for the entrepreneurial process. We also enjoy high-quality investment opportunities that have been filtered and selected via our proprietary pre-qualification process where we actively engage our members to interview prospective company presenters to assure that only the most promising deals make it through to our Arena meetings. If you have interest in becoming a Maverick Angels Member, please click here.

We have also created the world’s first virtual angel investor network called AngelLink™ which allows our Members from around the globe to collaborate in real time to reduce the risk and increase the upside of each deal that our members select for consideration. For more information about AngelLink™, click here.

We provide extensive training and coaching to entrepreneurs up front in order to raise the bar for their presentations and to increase their chances for success in the market. Likewise, this significantly improves our chances for success when making investments. Also, we enhance our deal flow by attracting a broader group of entrepreneurs via our training courses. We also provide educational seminars regarding early-stage investing to our members as well in the form of the Maverick Academy.

We also consider a wide variety of investment opportunities, not just technology companies as is the case with many angel groups. We are passionate about our social and charitable activities which strengthen our member relationships and improve our level of collaboration. Our members actively participate in the Maverick Mixer and the Maverick Angels Foundation.

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Q: How can I join?

Maverick Angels Members enjoy many valuable benefits from participating in our unique angel investor network. Whether you become a virtual Member via AngelLink™ or a regular Member attending our monthly meetings, you will enjoy unprecedented access to our high quality deal flow sourced from around the United States and Canada. You will also have the exclusive right to join our collaborative group of high-net-worth angel investors who freely share their valuable knowledge, experience and network of relationships to help decrease the risk and increase the upside of investing in promising early stage deals. If you have interest in joining Maverick Angels as an active angel investor attending our monthly meetings in Southern California, please click here.

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Q: What is AngelLink™?

AngelLink™ is the world's first online angel investor group which enables our Maverick Angels Members to access high-quality deals filtered by our unique qualification process and to leverage collaborative mind share of our high-net-worth Member investors. To learn more about AngelLink™'s many benefits for our Member investors and presenting entrepreneurs, click here.

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Q: What is the selection process for companies to present?

1. Complete the web-based application or request to receive an application from our Director of Operations , or call: 818.706.7686.
2. Initial industry-based Committee review and assessment.
3. Recommended companies present at Deal Line-Up (20-minute presentation, 7-10 companies).
4. Companies selected at the Deal Line-up present at the Maverick Arena (20-minute presentation, 4-5 companies).

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Q: Are there any presentation fees or investment commissions?

There is no fee for submitting your application to present to us. Maverick Angels only charges you a fee if you are selected to present to our Members.

Why do we charge fees?

We require a presentation fee only for those companies chosen in pre-screening who proceed to present to our Members, not in the application stage. Because we employ full-time staff, we need to cover our administration fees to run the group properly and to be able to give the entrepreneurs the feedback and coaching up front before they present as well as throughout our entire process. Also, the fee includes the cost of attending a day-long Maverick Angels Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs℠ which presenters find to be invaluable. Attending the Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs℠ is a requirement because many companies do not position their investment opportunities properly for raising angel capital. Many companies often do not communicate their offering in a way that is complete or compelling in the time given for the pitch.

Furthermore, we find that companies that are more serious about raising angel capital understand that our Members’ feedback is very valuable and the resources and relationships they offer presenters are crucial to their success.

The fee also covers the cost of the extra time and expense of videotaping the entrepreneurs and posting their offering on AngelLink™ along with their supporting materials. We also provide our presenters with exclusive access to their virtual presentation on AngelLink™. In addition, we can provide the presenters other target investors with access to AngelLink™ for 30 days so long as those investors have “Accredited Investor” status as defined under the US Securities and Exchange regulations. (See http://www.sec.gov/answers/accred.htm). This serves as an extremely valuable marketing tool for entrepreneurs seeking to pitch other investors, especially those who reside far away.

Our group is not a good fit for entrepreneurs who seek simply arms-length investors and nothing more. We want entrepreneurs to present to us who want to fully engage with our Members and who value our feedback, mentoring, coaching, relationships and who want the chance for us to partner with them in growing their companies in the future. In our experience, this more generative and collaborative approach provides the highest and best chance for success for all involved.

Maverick Angels does not take success fees, stock or commissions for capital raised through the Maverick Arena. For more information on presenting your company, please click here.

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Q: What are the investment criteria?

Some of the investment criteria used to evaluate investment opportunities which come to Maverick Angels are:

• Large market opportunity
• Validation in the market
• Barriers to entry by competitors
• Intellectual property protection
• Amount of customer revenue
• A strong management team
• A seasoned board members and advisors
• A sustainable business model
• The pattern of company growth
• The plan for achieving profitability
• The exit strategy for investors in the form of an IPO or company acquisition.

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Q: How can Maverick Angels help prepare me to start and scale up a new venture and prepare me to attract funding?

Maverick Angels is very unique among angel investment groups in that we take a highly proactive approach to educating entrepreneurs so that we can create better opportunities in which we can invest while giving back to the entrepreneurial community through our structured training, mentoring and advisory services. We have established three world class programs to support entrepreneurs and dramatically increase their chances of success in the marketplace by taking a hands-on approach to helping emerging-growth companies succeed.

Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs℠: The world class workshop teaches the fundamental steps for becoming a successful entrepreneur, including time-tested strategies for raising start-up capital from angel and venture capital investors. Many entrepreneurs have promising businesses but are not skilled in how best to present themselves to investors. At Maverick Angels, we understand our responsibility as angel investors to help entrepreneurs put together their investment pitch and to better articulate their ideas to inspire investors. The one-day, immersive Boot Camp is designed to provide entrepreneurs with in-depth training regarding key strategies and approaches, both personal and professional, for achieving entrepreneurial success. This ground-breaking program permanently changes the way entrepreneurs view themselves and their companies, dramatically increasing their chances for funding. The day will end with entrepreneurs making a mock pitch and receiving invaluable feedback on how to improve their presentation. This is a required course (live or via online video) for all companies presenting to our Members for funding. Click here for more information about the Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs℠ and the required fees to attend.

Accelerator Program™: Early-Stage businesses which successfully ramp up their companies to reach an exit (a liquidity event) in a reasonable time frame are able to demonstrate the ability to achieve the aggressive growth and momentum by relying on a well-planned and executed expansion strategy. Companies often need assistance with ongoing mentoring and venture acceleration support in order to achieve such scalable growth and liquidity. The Accelerator Program™ provides emerging-growth companies with ongoing strategic advice and growth plan mentoring. We can also help to scale up your business through a hands-on approach by proactively introducing your company to possible customers, strategic partners, team members and additional investors, including potential acquirers. For more information about the Maverick Angels Accelerator Program™, click here.

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Q: How do I contact you?

Please email all enquiries to info@maverickangels.com, or feel free to call us at 818.706.7686.

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