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.
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or comments on The EIS Navigator.
Never miss an episode – click here to subscribe to The EIS Navigator on most popular services.
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
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
