In the dynamic world of angel investment, trust and transparency are paramount. At Angel Investment Network, we understand that both entrepreneurs seeking vital funding and investors looking for promising opportunities need complete confidence in the platforms they use. We've always been committed to fostering a legitimate, effective, and supportive environment for these connections to flourish, right across the UK and indeed globally.
This article aims to address some common questions or misconceptions that can arise about angel investment networks. We want to provide clear, straightforward answers about how Angel Investment Network operates, the value we strive to deliver, and our unwavering commitment to ethical practices.
Myth #1: "You just take fees from startups and don't actually deliver investors."
Our Response: This is a common concern, and we believe in being upfront about our model and the significant value we provide.
Our Fee Structure: At Angel Investment Network, we offer entrepreneurs various plans designed to help them get their pitch in front of investors. These plans often include features like enhanced visibility in investor searches, inclusion in our investor newsletter, or a professional review of your pitch to help you make the best impression. The fees for these plans contribute to maintaining and developing our extensive platform, providing support, and actively marketing the platform to attract a wide global network of investors. We ensure our plan details are clearly outlined on our website when entrepreneurs sign up.
Facilitating Connections, Not Guaranteeing Investment: Our primary role is to provide a powerful platform where credible entrepreneurs can create a detailed pitch and present their opportunities to our extensive network of registered angel investors. We have thousands of investors who have joined looking for the next big thing! While we work diligently to provide the tools and visibility to help your pitch shine – like our pitch construction resources and options for featured promotion – the ultimate investment decision always rests with the investors themselves. It naturally depends on their individual investment criteria, risk appetite, and the specific merits and stage of your business.
Value Beyond Direct Funding: We also aim to provide significant value beyond just funding introductions. This includes access to a wealth of educational resources, guides on fundraising, tips for perfecting your pitch, and many perks and benefits from our exclusive partnerships (worth more than any listing fee!)
Our Track Record: While we cannot guarantee investment for any single startup (as no legitimate platform can), we are incredibly proud of the thousands of connections we've facilitated over the years, leading to countless success stories across diverse sectors and countries. Our platform has become a go-to place for both entrepreneurs and investors.
Myth #2: "The investors on your platform aren't real, active, or serious."
Our Response: The quality and authenticity of our investor network are crucial to our platform's integrity and your success.
Investor Registration & Self-Certification: Investors looking to join Angel Investment Network go through a registration process where they provide their details and self-certify as sophisticated investors or high net worth individuals, in line with financial regulations. This is a standard and important step in ensuring that those viewing pitches understand the nature of early stage investing. We also review every single profile of each investor that registers and only around a third of all applications to our network are approved.
Maintaining an Active Network: Our platform is designed to be an active hub. Investors can set up alerts for pitches that match their specific criteria (like industry or location), and they log in to browse new opportunities.
Reporting and Quality Control: We take the integrity of our network seriously. We have mechanisms in place allowing users to report any profiles or activity they find concerning, and our team reviews such reports. While we strive to ensure every interaction is positive, we encourage both entrepreneurs and investors to conduct their own thorough due diligence once a connection is made.
Myth #3: "Your success stories seem exaggerated or aren't verifiable."
Our Response: We are incredibly proud of the successes achieved by entrepreneurs and investors who have connected through Angel Investment Network, and we are committed to presenting these authentically and with permission.
Genuine Stories from Real People: Any success stories or testimonials shared by Angel Investment Network are from real entrepreneurs and investors who have used our platform. We always seek their explicit permission before sharing their experiences. Many of these stories are backed up with press and numerous articles and coverage relating to these. You can check this out here. https://www.angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk/testimonials
Clarity on Our Role: Our role is primarily as a facilitator – we provide the platform and the network that enables entrepreneurs and investors to find each other. The hard work of building a business or securing an investment deal is down to the individuals involved, and we celebrate their achievements.
Inspiration and Illustration: We share these stories to inspire other entrepreneurs and to illustrate the incredible potential that angel investment holds. You can find a selection of these genuine success stories on our website: https://www.angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk/success-stories
Myth #4: "Your refund policy is deliberately difficult to receive a refund
Our refund policy has a few terms to it, but we thought it helpful to explain all of our thinking.
To start with here is the refund policy: ‘If you don’t get any genuine interest during your first listing (i.e. if no investors contact you or engage with you), we’ll help re-write your pitch and list it for another 30 days free of charge (90 days for those on the Executive pack). If you still don’t have any luck after the free listing, we’ll send your money back.’
Now here is the thinking: We want you to be successful, but we also don’t want to take money of those people that have no hope at all. We want you to try it, if it works maybe consider promoting your pitch, maybe get some nudges, but if it doesn’t. Hey at least you tried, we respect that and we can refund your payment.
Now this next bit might seem like a catch but we’ll explain why.
Our refund policy is straightforward – we just ask you to the follow these simple requirements:
1) You must contact all the investors that we connect you with.
We need to stop time wasters, so we need you to get in touch with the investors that show and interest. We don’t want people putting in a plan, getting a bunch of interest, not responding to them, wasting time and asking for a refund. We need to protect our network.
2) To request a free renewal, you need to email us at least 5 days before the end of your first listing.
The reason for this, is that we need to process this before the system will automatically charge you again. We need to establish that you need a free renewal, this needs to take into account customer service responding to your request and the time need to process.
3) To request a refund, you need to email us at least 5 days before the end of your second (free) listing.
Please include a valid reason for your renewal/refund request to help make the process as smooth as possible.
For this we just ask for a reason for your refund, so we can authenticate any issues that you may have. Again, the refund needs to be processed, before any renewal payments come, to avoid you being charged again.
Myth #5: "Your Terms and Conditions are hard to find or understand."*
Our Response: Clear and accessible Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) are fundamental to a trustworthy relationship with all our users.
Easy Access: Our T&Cs are readily available on our website for anyone to review. You can typically find a direct link to them in the footer of every page, or by searching "Terms and Conditions" on our site. https://www.angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk/terms-conditions
Clear Language: We genuinely try to write our T&Cs in a way that is as clear and understandable as possible. We know legal documents can be dense, so we aim for clarity where we can.
Key Points: We encourage all users – both entrepreneurs and investors – to read the T&Cs before using our services, as they outline the framework for how our platform operates and the expectations for all parties. If you ever have specific questions about any part of our T&Cs, our support team is always happy to help clarify.
Myth #6: "The connection requests and messages are sent by bots.
Our Response: We understand this concern, especially in an online world. However, we can state unequivocally that direct messages and connection requests on Angel Investment Network are initiated by genuine, registered investors, not by bots.
How it Works: The process is driven by human decision-making. An investor browses pitches, uses filters to find opportunities that match their criteria, and when they discover a business they are interested in, they are the ones who choose to make contact. Our platform is the secure environment that facilitates this connection.
Automated Alerts vs. Direct Messages It's important to distinguish between a direct message from an investor and an automated system alert. Our platform might send you an automated email notification to let you know that "An investor has viewed your pitch" or that your pitch has been featured. These are designed to keep you informed of activity. However, a personal message in your inbox is from a real person who has actively chosen to reach out.
Our Core Value is Authenticity: Our entire business model is built on the trust that comes from fostering real connections. Using bots to fake interest would destroy that trust, waste everyone's time, and ultimately serve no purpose. We succeed only when you succeed in making authentic connections.
Myth #7: "You charge people’s cards without their knowledge or permission."
Our Response: This is a very serious point, and we want to be absolutely clear: Angel Investment Network never charges a card without explicit knowledge and permission.
The Payment Process: To purchase a plan, you must actively select a package and then proceed to a secure payment page. Here, you are required to manually enter your credit card details. This process is handled by a globally recognised and secure payment processor, ensuring your data is encrypted and safe. The plans are auto renewed and we make that clear on the rates page and in emails we send to you. They are very easily canceled via the subscriptions and billing page.
Clear Confirmations: Once a payment is made, you will receive an immediate on-screen confirmation and a receipt via email. You can also view your plan details and payment history within your account dashboard at any time. We believe in complete transparency when it comes to any transaction on our platform.
Myth #8: "The investor profiles are fake, using info and images scraped from the internet."
Our Response: This is completely false. The integrity of our investor network is the cornerstone of our platform, and fabricating profiles would fundamentally undermine our business and our mission.
Profiles are User-Generated: Every single investor profile on Angel Investment Network has been created by the investor themselves. They register, input their own information, describe their investment interests, and upload their own photos.
Privacy and Completeness: You may notice that some investor profiles are more detailed than others. This is a personal choice. Many investors value their privacy and prefer to provide more comprehensive information only after they have made an initial connection with an entrepreneur they are serious about. A less-detailed profile does not mean a fake one; it often just means a cautious one.
Why Faking Makes No Sense: Our goal is to help entrepreneurs get funded. Fake investors can't write cheques. Creating a facade of investor interest would lead to zero successful investments, a terrible reputation, and a failed business. With over 367,000 genuine investors on our platform, we have absolutely no need or incentive to create fake profiles. We encourage you to report any profile you believe to be suspicious so our team can investigate.
Myth #9: "You hide your fees and don’t let people know they need to pay until they’ve filled in the pitch form.”
Our Response: We believe in being upfront and transparent about our pricing. We understand that entrepreneurs need to know all the costs involved before they invest their valuable time and effort.
Information is Upfront: Our pricing information is clearly accessible on our website. We have a dedicated "Rates" page, which is linked from our Entrepreneurs FAQ section, that details the different packages we offer and what they include.
A Clear Payment Step: The payment is only required at the very end of the process, when you are ready to make your pitch live and publish it to our network of investors. This is a distinct and clear step. Our goal is for you to be fully prepared and make an informed decision when you are ready to move forward. We believe this is the fairest way to operate.
Our Commitment to You
At Angel Investment Network, we are absolutely dedicated to building and maintaining a reputable, transparent, and effective platform that genuinely serves the needs of both innovative entrepreneurs and discerning angel investors. We continuously work to improve our services, uphold the integrity of our global network, and foster successful investment relationships. Our goal has always been to break down the barriers to funding and make it easier for great ideas to get the backing they deserve.
We hope this article has addressed some of your questions. If you have any further queries or require clarification on any aspect of our operations, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk