By Tim Cartwright
Chairman, Tamiami Angel Funds
 
As the largest angel-fund organization in the State of Florida, Tamiami Angel Funds has considered close to five thousand investment ideas from entrepreneurs seeking funds to grow their early-stage companies since we were founded in 2010.

Because we manage four angel funds and have recently surpassed $25MM of invested capital across 38 portfolio companies, the members of Tamiami Angel Funds have a special perspective on what it takes to earn our backing.

Although a highly risky asset class, fact is, angel investing is an important source of financial support and mentoring for new and emerging-growth businesses.  Our investors help entrepreneurs before they seek venture capital but after they’ve exhausted money from friends and family.

Our members are high net worth individuals or family offices who qualify as accredited investors.  Across all four funds, our members place bets with their own capital and provide mentorship to our entrepreneurs in the startup phase of a business.  The origin of the term angel investor can be traced to Broadway productions in New York City in the early 1900’s, where such individuals funded large theatrical shows.  The concept migrated to Hollywood for movie productions and ultimately to Silicon Valley. The term is now ubiquitous in the entrepreneurial landscape associated with emerging and fast-growing technology firms.  By contrast, venture capitalists invest other people’s money in later-stage companies.

As Florida-based angel investors, we consider these five most important investment considerations of an early-stage business:

1. The product or service must be commercially available and have a clear and meaningful point of difference from their competition.  It must be a minimum viable product, meaning it has enough features to attract customers who can provide user feedback for rapid improvement.
2. All patents, copyrights and trademarks must be owned by the company. They are the keys to the kingdom; A business cannot rely on intellectual property that’s held away from the firm.
3. Founders and management must have a primary focus on the business that’s seeking funding.  It can’t be a side hustle.  What’s more, the founders and management must be qualified to launch the business and recruit high-performing team members.  They must show that they can manage the business to key performance indicators, which are milestone and targets to measure progress resulting in better decisions.
4. A company must have a governing board of directors or managers or at least have a commitment to establish one after the investment.  A board of directors provides strategic planning and oversight and will look out for shareholder interests.  Tamiami Angel Funds will often seek a seat on a company’s board or be an active observer as part of the investment.
5. Technology is key because it can help a business scale revenues and profits.  Using technology, the business can handle exponential growth to tackle a large market or dominate a niche market.

If you’re an entrepreneur who has exhausted friends and family funding and grown your early-stage business to the point where it meets our criteria, you will want to pitch our investors.

Consider these tips to prepare:
•Summarize your situation briefly. What led you to embark on this entrepreneurial journey?
•State your idea in the simplest terms possible. Can you do that succinctly in the short time it takes to ride an elevator? Practice your elevator pitch.
•Explain how you make money. The more specific you can be about how you generate revenue, manage expenses and create profits, the better.
•What are the key benefits of your product or service to customers and investors? Think even more broadly and explain how it makes the world a better place.
•Show investors the next steps your business will take with investor money. How many more customers will you get? What new features will you add to your product or service?

If you have a promising early-stage Florida company and would like to learn more about Tamiami Angel Funds, visit www.tamiamiangels.com.  
 
Tim Cartwright is chairman of Tamiami Angel Funds, general partner of Adrenaline Venture Fund and partner of Fifth Avenue Family Office in Naples. He is also a director of the Florida Venture Forum and chairs the Florida Venture Education Foundation.

Southwest Florida angel investors provided seed funding to financial technology firm Rellevate.
 
NAPLES, Fla., (Nov 08, 2022) — Angel investors from Southwest Florida participated in raising funds for Rellevate, a financial technology company that empowers American workers with digital banking and payment services.
 
Members of Tamiami Angel Fund IV invested $510,000 in Rellevate, part of a larger $4 million capital raise led by Naples Technology Ventures that will help the Connecticut-based company grow.
 
“Rellevate’s technology platform helps working people bypass high-fee payday lenders and check cashers by giving them financial tools at affordable, fair prices,” says Timothy Cartwright, partner of Fifth Avenue Family Office and chairman of Tamiami Angel Funds. “We’re especially impressed by Rellevate’s management which has extensive experience in this area.”
 
For example, Stewart Stockdale, Rellevate’s co-founder, chairman and CEO, is the former CEO of consumer finance company JG Wentworth and the former president of Western Union. After two years in development, Stockdale and a team of seasoned financial-services executives launched Rellevate last year.
 
“It was clear to me that people down in the middle or bottom part of the financial system get abused every which way,” Stockdale explains.
 
In addition to providing a full suite of digital banking services such as deposit accounts, a Visa debit card and bill pay, Rellevate offers access to earned wages between payroll cycles. The pay-any-day service is offered through employers who can use it as a recruitment and retention tool because it helps employees access funds to pay for daily living expenses without resorting to high-fee payday lenders between paychecks.
 
“Financial services should be a good product at a good price,” says Stockdale, who adds that international money transfers will be available soon.
 
Naples-based Tamiami Angel Funds are member-managed funds that allow high-net-worth individuals and families to invest in promising early stage and expansion-stage companies located in the U.S., with a preference to those in the state of Florida. For more information about Tamiami Angel Funds, visit www.tamiamiangels.com. For more information about Rellevate, visit www.rellevate.com.
 
About Tamiami Angel Funds
Tamiami Angel Fund I, Tamiami Angel Fund II, Tamiami Angel Fund III and Tamiami Angel Fund IV are member-managed funds that allow high-net-worth individuals and families to invest in promising early stage and expansion-stage companies located in the U.S., with a preference to those in the state of Florida. Fifth Avenue Family Office, the administrator of the angel funds, caters their multi-family office services to high-net-worth entrepreneurs and their families. The funds are members of the Angel Capital Association and the Florida Venture Forum. For more information, visit www.tamiamiangels.com.