With help from angel networks, investors get to back rising startups

Angel networks allow people to make collective investments and bring quality startups to their table

Padmaja Ruparel, co-founder of India Angel Networks (IAN), gets monthly at least four emails from people wanting to join in. Startups were buzzing in India, but the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the process of individuals wanting to invest in them.

“When we started IAN in 2006, startup as an asset class was available to only the ultra-high network individuals (HNIs). Then angel network had people who were entrepreneurs themselves and had made money. Today angel investment is an asset class having high risk and high reward equation. Now HNIs and individuals both have access to invest in them,” said Ruparel.