Angel investor offers expertise

Serial internet start-up angel investor John Wander is giving budding Hawke's Bay businesses a golden opportunity on Tuesday with a Turning Digital Into Dollars workshop at the Business Hawke's Bay Centre in Hastings.

 

When not surfing the Californian coast, the MBA graduate is a serial investor in start-up companies, helping them leap from garden shed to global entity.

 

He's been doing it for 16 years and formed the GiantStep Angel Network (GAN) in 2000 to source, screen and introduce seed and early-stage internet-based software companies to sophisticated investors, early stage venture capital funds and institutional investors.

 

Before founding GAN, he was a principal at Stonegate Partners in Boston, USA, which is an early stage private equity firm for companies in the technology, energy and health sciences sectors.

 

In Boston he was also a senior vice- president at American Finance Group (now Equis Merchant Bank).

 

He is a former partner of Los Angeles company Galaxy Theatres, responsible for first round of start-up venture capital. Today, Galaxy Theatres places in the top 10 per cent by size in their industry.

He told Hawke's Bay Today the workshop would be on how to structure a start-up company and access funds, from an entrepreneur and investor's perspective.

 

He said there was nothing preventing Hawke's Bay from emulating the US West Coast's start-up success. "With the internet you can operate a company from anywhere," he said. "I'll also be talking about the concept of starting a start-up community in Hawke's Bay."

 

It would require a willingness for companies to base themselves in Hawke's Bay, a supportive investment community and continued government support for new enterprises, he said.

 

"The West Coast gives a best practice example on how to do it."

 

He said he usually invested personally in any company he introduced to the network. "If you are successful in New Zealand, you could be successful throughout the world and might want to tap up our angel network."

 

It will be his third visit to New Zealand in the past 10 months, thanks to his association with San Francisco and Havelock North-based deal maker Hal Josephson.

 

Mr Wander is bringing his surfboard to New Zealand but was pessimistic of his chances of grabbing some waves, saying he had a hectic schedule including the Digital Content Forum in Wellington.

 

Tuesday's four-hour workshop costs $175 and includes lunch. To book go to http://www.growevents.co.nz/