Inc - Christopher Mirabile

Christopher Mirabile is the Chairman Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association, the leading professional and trade association for angel groups and accredited individual angel investors. He is the co-founder of portfolio management tool Seraf-investor.com. He is also co-Managing Director of Launchpad Venture Group, a venture investment group focused on seed and early-stage investments in technology-oriented companies. Read more...Launchpad is the largest angel group in New England and top-three ranked group in the U.S. Christopher is a full-time angel and an active member of the Boston-area angel investing community with more than 60 investments in start-up companies. He was named one of the "Top Angel Investors in New England" by Xconomy. Christopher is an adjunct lecturer in the MBA program at Babson's Olin School of Business, a regular advisor and mentor to start-ups, and a frequent panelist and speaker. He is a member of the Board of Directors or Board of Advisors of numerous start-up companies as well as several non-profits. Christopher has served as a public company CFO with IONA Technologies PLC, a corporate and securities lawyer with Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault and as a management consultant with Price Waterhouse's Strategic Consulting Group.

February 10, 2015

One Page That Matters

Investors often talk about a "one-pager" and by that, they mean your executive summary. The executive summary is an at-a-glance fact sheet summarizing everything important about your business. Although it may be a hassle to create, it is vitally important.

January 21, 2015

10 Crowdfunding Realities You Need to Understand

Most people are pretty confused about what crowdfunding is and is not. Here are the ten key concepts entrepreneurs and investors need to understand.

January 06, 2015

Strength in Numbers – Working with Angel Groups

Contrary to what most people think, company growth doesn't produce cash, it consumes cash. Behind every headline about a hot, thriving company is a team furiously shoveling coal (i.e. cash) into the boiler. Building a rapid growth company requires capital from somewhere.

December 12, 2014

The Three Golden Questions: Networking Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs

Let me be clear--there is absolutely no virtue in being obscure. Which is why networking is so often cited as a core skill for entrepreneurs (for example, here, here, and here). What does it have to do with building a business? If it is so important, how do you actually do it?

November 24, 2014

What Angels Give Thanks For

"If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share." W. Clement Stone "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." W.J. Cameron "On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence." William Jennings Bryan Entrepreneurs, let's be honest: nothing inspires gratitude in the heart of an angel investor quite like a good, timely exit. Exit liquidity, after all, is the necessary force that makes our collective world go round. But that doesn't mean angels don't appreciate all the other quirky, sometimes fleeting, but always satisfying benefits of working with you along the way. Fact is, we are nothing without you.

November 11, 2014

If You’ll Be My Bodyguard - Mentors and Entrepreneurs

If you can't describe what a great mentor does, you've probably never had one. A great mentor relationship is actually a pretty rare and special thing. It doesn't come about all that often, and it's not something that can be forced. But it is worth trying to find one or more if you can, because having great mentors can be so powerfully helpful.

October 28, 2014

12 Fundamentals of the First Time Raise

Recently a couple of terrific investors I know, East-coaster Catherine Mott of BlueTree Allied Angels in Pittsburgh and West-coaster Jim Connor of Sand Hill Angels in Silicon Valley were together collecting their thoughts for an upcoming webinar, part of Global Entrepreneurship Week and Global Business Angels Day. It is on fundraising advice for first time entrepreneurs, and catching them while preparing proved too tempting an interview opportunity to pass up. So I pinned them down for answers to twelve questions every fundraising entrepreneur should ponder.

October 13, 2014

25 Sins: What to Avoid When Looking for Angels

Finding quality angel investors may require kissing a few frogs. Thankfully, really bad apples are incredibly rare. But not all investors are created equal. 25 sins to avoid when selecting your angel investors.

September 23, 2014

Daredevils vs. Tweakers: Entrepreneurs and Risk

Conventional wisdom paints entrepreneurs as daredevils or wildcatters. Is it time to expand our thinking about the true entrepreneurial traits that lead to startup success?

September 09, 2014

Fool Born Every Minute: So You Think You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

Could you be an entrepreneur? A start-to-finish reading list for entrepreneurs and people who think they want to be.

ACA Inc. Column for Entrepreneurs - Demystifying Angels