For Entrepreneurs
BAN is currently fully invested, and is not actively considering new opportunities at this time.
Entrepreneurs are the reason angel investing exists. This section of our website exists to help you decide if angel investing is the right way for you to fund your business, and it also gives you specifics about the Billiken Angels Network.
The BAN’s preferred model for investment involves the use of convertible debt - specifically warrants that can be converted into equity should the business do well. Should the business falter and fail, the warrants make the investors more senior in terms of debt recovery. It is important to review this document (preferably with your lawyer and accountant) and use it as a basis for describing the deal you are proposing. You can learn more about convertible debt and why it can be advantageous to entrepreneurs seeking financing in an easy to understand article from Entrepreneur magazine here.
The other key element in putting together your business plan is determining the valuation of your business, since it is central to the amount of equity you are offering as part of an investment deal. Few areas are as prone to problems as is valuation. The BAN director talked about this in a posting on his blog, which you can read here. However, there is help. A great site is Own Your Venture, whose Equity Simulator takes the pain out of basic valuation computations (although it does not help you determine what a business is initially worth).
As important as the business plan is, it is the presentation of that plan which sells and often clinches the deal. The BAN offers several unique opportunities to help you “improve your game” as you get ready for a presentation to the group. These include a rigorous review with detailed feedback on our findings, and a chance to present to one of the classes at SLU’s nationally ranked Entrepreneurship Program. These classes typically involve not only our nationally recognized faculty, but also co-teachers who are entrepreneurs and experts on entrepreneurship. Most classes also have one or more entrepreneurs or experts in as speakers, mentors or judges, so the feedback you get on your presentation is from a panel of experts as well as students focused on starting or growing their own firms. To be in the class the students must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which you can review here. The faculty, co-teachers, and outsiders can attend only when they agree to abide by the six principles of the SLU Entrepreneurship Program:
Simply put we are here to help the students. That means…
· We give the students our best advice, or help them find it.
· We strive to give feedback that helps the student develop.
· We pledge to help students improve works we have critiqued.
· We only share, promote or use our students’ and presenters ideas with their permission.
· We try to acknowledge student contacts within 24 hours.
Like any angel group, the BAN cannot invest in every proposal it sees, but unlike many angel groups, the BAN is a university based angel group and as part of Saint Louis University we see an ongoing part of our mission as increasing the number and improving the quality of entrepreneurs in our region and the world. To that end, we work with all applicants to get them the feedback and connect them to the resources that can help them move forward.
Let us know how we can help.
Entrepreneurs are the reason angel investing exists. This section of our website exists to help you decide if angel investing is the right way for you to fund your business, and it also gives you specifics about the Billiken Angels Network.
The BAN’s preferred model for investment involves the use of convertible debt - specifically warrants that can be converted into equity should the business do well. Should the business falter and fail, the warrants make the investors more senior in terms of debt recovery. It is important to review this document (preferably with your lawyer and accountant) and use it as a basis for describing the deal you are proposing. You can learn more about convertible debt and why it can be advantageous to entrepreneurs seeking financing in an easy to understand article from Entrepreneur magazine here.
The other key element in putting together your business plan is determining the valuation of your business, since it is central to the amount of equity you are offering as part of an investment deal. Few areas are as prone to problems as is valuation. The BAN director talked about this in a posting on his blog, which you can read here. However, there is help. A great site is Own Your Venture, whose Equity Simulator takes the pain out of basic valuation computations (although it does not help you determine what a business is initially worth).
As important as the business plan is, it is the presentation of that plan which sells and often clinches the deal. The BAN offers several unique opportunities to help you “improve your game” as you get ready for a presentation to the group. These include a rigorous review with detailed feedback on our findings, and a chance to present to one of the classes at SLU’s nationally ranked Entrepreneurship Program. These classes typically involve not only our nationally recognized faculty, but also co-teachers who are entrepreneurs and experts on entrepreneurship. Most classes also have one or more entrepreneurs or experts in as speakers, mentors or judges, so the feedback you get on your presentation is from a panel of experts as well as students focused on starting or growing their own firms. To be in the class the students must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which you can review here. The faculty, co-teachers, and outsiders can attend only when they agree to abide by the six principles of the SLU Entrepreneurship Program:
Simply put we are here to help the students. That means…
· We give the students our best advice, or help them find it.
· We strive to give feedback that helps the student develop.
· We pledge to help students improve works we have critiqued.
· We only share, promote or use our students’ and presenters ideas with their permission.
· We try to acknowledge student contacts within 24 hours.
Like any angel group, the BAN cannot invest in every proposal it sees, but unlike many angel groups, the BAN is a university based angel group and as part of Saint Louis University we see an ongoing part of our mission as increasing the number and improving the quality of entrepreneurs in our region and the world. To that end, we work with all applicants to get them the feedback and connect them to the resources that can help them move forward.
Let us know how we can help.
