Creating a Strong Angel Community and Humanising Angel Investing: Insights from Sara Bentsen
Meet Sara Bentsen, a dynamic force in angel investing, tirelessly working to humanise investor relations with VC funds and business angel clubs. Her mission is to foster long lasting relationships among investors and engaged communities with a focus on expertise, transparent communication, and enriching events that make investing enjoyable and educational.
A Journey of Discovery
Her career in angel investing began unexpectedly. Initially on a diplomatic path, her background in transcultural communication and international relations landed her a UN job in external relations with UNIDO. But a desire for a more dynamic, entrepreneurial path led her to a life-changing pitch event in Vienna. Two months later, she founded her own company and has since made waves in the industry.
Humanising Investment: Sara’s Mission
Sara’s unique approach values the “human return on investment” alongside the financial aspect. She believes in preserving the human element in early-stage investment, emphasising relationships, mentorship, and shared experiences as key to success.
Challenges in Building Investor Communities
She highlights challenges faced by investor community managers, particularly in a tech-driven landscape. Automation streamlines processes but risks sidelining human relationships. Striking a balance is crucial: use automation for administrative tasks, but keep the core of investor relationships personal and human.
Strategies for Building Strong Investor Communities
Sara’s insights for community building:
- Ask Questions: Understand how involved your members want to be and what they enjoy doing.
- Communicate Setbacks and Failures: Fosters trust, transparency and collective problem-solving.
- Regular Meetings: Know what everyone else is up to and keep the conversation open.
Sara’s Advice for Newcomers
- For New Fund Managers: Balance technology with relationship-building.
- For New Angels: Continuously learn from every interaction.
- For New Entrepreneurs: Choose angels wisely, seeking the Angel with the right expertise and network.
A New Project: Human-Centric Investment
Sara dedicates a set amount of time to each BA club, focusing on relationship management, community creation, and enhancing the angel investment experience. Her goal is to make investor clubs more engaged and dynamic.
Final Thoughts
In a tech-driven world, Sara’s mission to humanise angel investing is refreshing. Her journey demonstrates the power of human connections and mentorship in early-stage investments. Remember, it’s the people behind the investments that matter most. Your entrepreneur is human, your investor is human, and the end costumer is also human.
Sara’s insights offer a valuable perspective on the importance of relationships, mentorship, and community-building in angel investing, emphasising the significance of human connections and open communication in creating successful investor communities.
Watch the Full Interview here: