We’ve touched on angel investing several times on the podcast, so it was time we got a business angel on. Kirsten Connell is an unusual angel, in that she has a background in venture capital, but, like many angels, has strong experience in one area, which in her case is cybersecurity.
We talk about how she got into angel investing and what her approach is. We talk about sourcing deals and diversification, particularly balancing her sector expertise against a desire to broaden her exposure. We discuss what is the right diligence to do and who you can trust while doing it. She also gives some tips for those who want to start angel investing.
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Kirsten Connell has spent the best part of the last decade working alongside some of Europe’s most exciting high growth startups. During her tenure at Seedcamp as General Manager, Kirsten travelled extensively across Europe meeting exceptional founders building disruptive technologies. In late 2015 Kirsten became CyLon’s Managing Director and grew Europe’s first cyber security accelerator into a global programme with a footprint across Europe, Middle East and Asia. During her five years at CyLon she accelerated over 100 companies to a portfolio value of over £600m. Kirsten is a proud angel investor in a number of the UK’s most disruptive cyber security startups, including Tessian, Immersive Labs, DynaRisk, Cybersmart, Zamna and RiskLedger. Most recently Kirsten joined Octopus Ventures as a Venture Partner.
Thanks to Tom Britton at SyndicateRoom for the introduction.
LinkedIn profile www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenconnell
Twitter @Kirst
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Disclaimer
Please note this podcast/interview does not constitute a financial promotion and is provided for informational purposes and should not be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any investments. Please be aware that investments into unquoted companies are high risk, long term and illiquid investments. Your capital is at risk. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Target returns are not guaranteed and forward looking statements are illustrative only and must not be relied upon. Investors should only invest on the basis of reading the full offer documentation. Listeners must make their own independent decisions and obtain their own independent advice regarding any information, projects, securities, tax treatment or financial instruments mentioned herein.
