Massachusetts, Surveys and Reports, Angel Investors
Harvard Study Says Angels Add Value to Start-ups
Harvard study says angel investors add value to start-ups (Duh.)
… “The recent Harvard study, first published in April, doesn’t specifically focus on angel credits. But it does prove the value of angel investors to start-ups beyond mere money, something Lenczewski either failed to understand or simply did not want to understand.
The study, authored by William R. Kerr, Josh Lerner, and Antoinette Schoar, concludes angel-backed start-ups last longer and grow faster than companies that don’t receive angel support, thanks in large part to the expertise and due diligence of the angels that fund them.
“Overall, the results suggest that the bundle of inputs that angel investors provide have a large and significant impact on the success and survival of start-up ventures,” the study says.
The study examined the performance of 130 firms that received interest from Tech Coast Angels and CommonAngels between 2001 and 2006. The samples include companies that ultimately won funding or were turned down.
Angel-backed companies were more likely to survive at least four years, the study says. In addition, these start-ups saw traffic to their websites jump 30 to 50 percent in the time period.
The study is not perfect. Using web traffic to gauge a company’s growth seems odd, especially for a medical device start-up. But then again, as the study noted, data like profits and sales are hard to come by for private companies. And angel groups will never disclose how much money, if any, they made off a particular deal.
Still, the study at least tries to quantify what entrepreneurs and investors only know by experience: that angels boost a start-up’s chances of success in a model where most young companies will probably fail.”
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