Seraf Investor Compass

Understanding Family Offices and Their Growing Role in Private Markets

Family offices have become an increasingly important source of capital in private markets. While their traditional role has been to preserve wealth for future generations, many family offices today are much more active investors than they once were.

How Successful Angel Investors Allocate Assets

In our discussion on the basics of building an angel portfolio, we shared our thinking on some key questions related to how many investments you need in your portfolio of startup companies. That leads next to a great discussion -- “How much money are we talking about...

One Step At a Time: Overview of Deal Stages

Since I am part of a team that runs a very active angel network, most of the time, I am juggling a bunch of deals in different stages of completion. It can be hard to keep track of where everything stands. Obviously, regularly updated lists and status reviews are...

Inside the Modern Family Office: Back Office Strategies That Scale – Webinar

Join Seraf and Deviate Consulting for a practical conversation on how today’s family offices are modernizing their back office operations. We’ll cover reporting, workflows, technology, and operational structures that improve transparency, reduce friction, and support...

Fund & Angel Group Reporting: What Actually Builds Investor Trust

Transparent, timely, and consistent reporting is one of the most important drivers of investor trust for bot

Speaking Truth to Power: Advisory Board Basics

Advisory boards are not always that well understood, but they can be a huge driver of success for start ups. Advisory boards can provide a company with experience, connections, perspective, and legitimacy. And there are times when they can provide encouragement to...

Investing in The London Theatre: An Old Alternative Asset Class, Made New – Webinar

Join Seraf for a fun and in-depth conversation on The London Theatre as an alternative asset class.

Timing Is Everything: Angel Investing Success

Ask a great investor what factors are most critical in his/her success in selecting investments and you will probably hear some variation on the following list: Great Team, Great Idea, Huge Market Opportunity, and Innovative Business Model. But there is one other...

Good To Go: When You Have Enough to Move Forward

There are a million reasons not to invest in any given startup. Even in the best case, there will be unanswered questions, missing pieces, missing team members, projected losses and uncertainty all around. The diligence process tends to document all of the warts in...

Deep Dive Mini Series: Coaching on How to Survive A Deep Dive Meeting

As most investors know, the next step after an initial pitch is usually a longer format “deep dive” type of meeting. In Prepping an Entrepreneur for a Deep Dive Meeting with Investors, we talked about what a deep dive meeting is, and, more importantly, how to help...

From Solo Investor to Collective Force: The Blueprint for Launching and Leading an Angel Group

Sep 6, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Seraf Investor Blog > From Solo Investor to Collective Force From Solo Investor to Collective Force: The Blueprint for Launching and Leading an Angel Group This is the first installment of a three-article series focused on launching an angel group. Angel...

Behind the Scenes of Angel Investing: Engaging Group Members

Sep 4, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Angel investing has long been a popular way for individuals to support and invest in early-stage startups. One effective way to amplify the impact of individual angel investors is by forming an angel group.

Blueprint for Launching and Leading an Angel Group

Aug 22, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Cutting Bait: When to Walk Away

Aug 7, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Seraf Toolbox: Venture Fund Economics Modeling Tool

Aug 1, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Who Owns What – Understanding Early Stage Capitalization Tables [Part I]

Jul 3, 2024 | Seraf Investor

Several years ago, I was speaking to a colleague of mine. He was trying to decide between two great job offers, and was having a difficult time making a final decision. I started asking about his compensation package. For salary and bonus, the two companies were...

Seraf Toolbox: Impact Investing Due Diligence Report Template

Jul 2, 2024 | Seraf Investor

We’ve published a fair amount about due diligence and being a deal lead. In those articles we talk a lot about the importance of having a good diligence report template to ensure the final report is useful to the reader. Here, for your reference, is our Impact...