Seraf Co-Founder Christopher Mirabile interviews several experienced angel investors from around the country to find out: How do you know a great entrepreneur when you see one? Learn how these leading angels identify outstanding CEOs, and how their experiences can help shape your investing decisions.
C. Mirabile: How do you know a great entrepreneur when you see one?
M. Heymann: You feel it.
J. Caruso: It's all gut.
B. Peters: Boy that's sure the hard question. Knowing a great entrepreneur is not an easy thing to be able to do and I'm not sure that I'm very good at it because I certainly made my share of the wrong decisions. But a great entrepreneur always has a passion - an enthusiasm - there's a fire there burning that gives them this drive to succeed.
F. Peters: Well you kind of feel it, right? That's why we say passion is so important because I think it's easy for a potential investor to feel the passion as they're speaking.
D. Berkus: What you really have to look for is first of all the passion. It's like coachability - we've heard that now so many times it almost trite. But I have had experiences with those that made all the right gestures and said all the right words and then turned out in the end to be somebody not to follow the advice that we all knew to be correct. So it really is probing questions that gets you down to the point of really believing those two things to be true.
J. Hammond: The main thing about entrepreneurs that are really going to be fun is that they know how to think their way out of problems. I always say "Hey, if I put that person in a box, they'd find a way to get out."
N. Ravikant: Generally they're very long-term thinkers. They have better answers for what's going on in the industry and insights than almost anybody else. They're obsessive and driven.
R. Sheridan: Yeah. It's, it's interesting. I think great entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. You're looking for someone with a sense of purpose, with a sense of passion, and one who is willing to listen, but there's no one model or size that fits all for entrepreneurs.
In conclusion, gaining insights from experienced angel investors on identifying great entrepreneurs can greatly benefit your investment decisions. By learning from their experiences and strategies, you can enhance your ability to recognize outstanding CEOs and make informed investment choices. We encourage you to explore the valuable perspectives shared in our interviews and leverage this knowledge to further refine your investing approach.
