Angel investing
What an angel investor actually does
Angel investing is not a television show. It is a slow, patient way of backing young companies with your own money, and most of the work happens before and after the cheque.
The publication
Angel investing
Notes on buying, building and backing private companies. For readers who want to understand what sits beneath the headline.
A reading room for angel investing
Angel investing means backing a young company with your own capital. The work begins well before a cheque: understanding the problem, the team, the evidence and how much remains uncertain. A persuasive presentation can open a conversation. It cannot settle the investment case or tell you when, if ever, you will be able to sell.
The terms deserve as much attention as the story. A valuation, a percentage holding and a share certificate are only part of the picture. Future funding, employee options, liquidation preferences and information rights can all change what ownership means in practice. Our guides connect these questions to the documents and calculations investors encounter.
For UK readers, we also explain SEIS and EIS without treating tax relief as a reason to overlook business risk. Eligibility is specific to the company, investment and investor. US instruments and conventions do not automatically translate to the UK. Read the Dispatches alongside the glossary, check current official guidance where rules apply and form your own view with independent advice. Every private investment carries the possibility of total loss.
Angel investing
SEIS and EIS in plain English
The UK gives generous tax relief to people who back young companies. What the two main schemes offer an investor, what they ask in return, and the mistake they tempt people into.