Yes, I'm an angel investor. Everyone is nowadays.
The difference is that I'm also an entrepreneur who has done business in three continents and who has had a successful exit to a private equity fund.
So I'm not just bringing money to the table but also mentorship, experience and network.
If you are interested to have me on your cap table please read below before applying.
Stages and checks
I invest in companies that solve real world problems in a scalable way.
If your company is not yet scalable it's totally fine: path to scalability, however, should be clear and realistic.
I invest in pre-seed and seed(some times Series A) when valuations are lower than $20M. There can be exceptions.
Don't expect me to invest at a Silicon Valley valuation if you are not running as a Silicon Valley company.
I don't expect to see product-market fit at this stage but I do expect that you work hard everyday to chase it. I also want to see the valuation to be in line with the fact that there's no product-market fit yet!
I love revenue, but I do invest in pre-revenue companies.
Check sizes are between $25k and $200k based on company's stage and a number of other factors.
I do follow ons, so a pro-rata clause is desirable.
I don't need seats in the board, but I do want to be up to date with what is going on with your business at least quarterly.
Who I want to invest in
I invest in founders, not in companies. A great founder with a so-so company will eventually figure it out and make it a great company or pivot.
There are two ways for your company to be interesting to me: you are building a better solution or you are building a better business model.
I need to see innovation in at least one of those aspects.
I only invest in extremely scalable, lean businesses: mostly digital companies with high gross margins and low CAPEX.
I want to see that you have already put hard work into your idea before you are raising money.
Most importantly, I invest in teachable founders and usually under 35.
Age is not really a limit to become a successful entrepreneur but more often than not it limits the willingness and openness to learn from others. Stamina and risk-appetite also drop considerably after a certain age. Teachability and risk-appetite are two BIG success factor for a startup founder.
Like a VC, I want to invest in companies that I can see can be worth at least 10x their current valuation in the following 5 years.
Red flags that might kill my interest
- You are raising money without trying to build your company on your own first
- No scalability
- No competitors
- Not enough experience in or understanding of the sector you are in
- No strong technical expertise in the founding team
- Your company headquarters are NOT in U.S. or Europe or U.A.E. (you can operate anywhere you want but your company's jurisdiction and governance is extremely important)
- There are more than 3 co-founders
- Cap-table is a mess
- The CEO is an ass
- Founding team has less than 50% of the shares
What you can expect after I invest
I am a hands-on person with strong technical, governance and financial expertise so I make myself available for a wide range of operational as well as strategic discussions.
Founders want me in their cap table because I'm a founder with a very successful exit in U.S. and this gives credibility to their venture and re-assurance to future investors.
I like to be involved in big decisions especially those that can multiply the value of a company.
I am happy to help with introductions to my network when the time is right.
Investing process
- You apply for funding here: armando {@} romeo.vc
- If I'm interested in what I see (10-15% of the applications) we'll have a video conference (Zoom or Google Meet).
If you don't hear from me within 2 days from your application, please assume I'm passing.
If you are still interested in talking to me please apply to my pro-bono founders coffee here. - Due diligence: If I like what I hear over Zoom, I review information and documents you provide.
- I commit to provide an answer within 3-5 days from step 3.
Total process from application to wire: 5-8 business days. If business is complex, a bit more.