Angel investing has become an integral part of the Australian funding ecosystem and is a significant source of economic development and job growth. In fact, despite the effects of the global pandemic, a record US$944.7 million of capital has been invested into Australian startups in 2020.
There has never been a better time to become an angel investor, to get exposure to one of the most lucrative (but risky) asset classes. There is 10x more capital in Australia than there was five years ago, and an explosion of people and investment in the Australian technology startup sector, fuelled by startups like Canva, Atlassian and Afterpay.
Australia is now one of the fastest growing startup ecosystems globally, which presents many amazing opportunities for early investors who possess the knowledge to find, evaluate and close deals. Today, 52 companies founded by Australians since 2011 are worth more than $100 million. Six are worth more than $1 billion (Airwallex, Canva, Safety Culture, Zoox, Culture Amp and 10X Genomics) and 14 in excess of $500 million. These companies alone represent a combined enterprise value of more than $30 billion and the creation of 10,000 new jobs. These new jobs will help stimulate Australia’s recovery from the global pandemic.
Australia is currently producing a unicorn a year. While venture capital investments attract a great deal of attention, many of these unicorns were originally funded by angel investors. As angel investors take their rightful position alongside venture capital as a powerful source of financing for high growth companies, there is a growing need for a robust education framework to provide angel investors with the critical tools they need to build a meaningful portfolio.
In partnership with UNSW Founders (supporting UNSW students, staff and alumni to build entrepreneurship skills and found and grow real companies), the AGSM Short Courses Angel Investor Program presents angel investors with case studies, expert presentations and facilitated discussions designed to help you learn how to successfully identify, evaluate and manage angel investments.
