Business Angels Switzerland

Business Angels Switzerland: A summary

This summary is aimed at English-speakers who wish to learn more about our association, Business Angels Switzerland (BAS), be they potential members or entrepreneurs seeking seed finance. It is not a full English translation of the website. For details, only the German or French versions are valid and should be consulted on www.businessangels.ch.

What we do

• Business Angels Switzerland (BAS) is an association giving young entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their projects and start-up companies to seasoned investors and successful entrepreneurs. The aim of the presentation is to obtain financing for the project, coaching, or both.
• The association’s 80 members are split into two sections: the Swiss-German one, based in Zurich, and the Suisse Romande one, based in Lausanne.
• BAS is neither an investment fund nor a holding company: the decisions to invest are made by its members on a personal basis. BAS is thus not involved at all in its members’ investments.

BAS for entrepreneurs

First, entrepreneurs must register their projects on the BAS website after which a committee, composed of selected BAS members, chooses among the registered projects the ones that are to be invited to present to a monthly Dinner-Meeting. This will be in either Lausanne or Zurich (generally two to three start-ups at each Dinner-Meeting). Please note that start-up presentations can be made in English but that the language spoken during our gatherings are German in Zurich, respectively French in Lausanne.

Dinner-Meetings are private gatherings during which these presentations are made and if sufficient interest is raised then after the Dinner-Meeting, interested members will gather into a due diligence team, led by a so-called champion. This DD team will evaluate in more details the investment opportunity. The possible investment proposal is then made to the start-up and all the members of BAS.

The investment itself is made by the person, not the association. This means that start-ups must be ready to take several individual shareholders on board. There is no typical investment amount although history has shown that the most common (consolidated) investment is between CHF 100K and CHF 250K.

BAS does not charge any finder fees, transaction fees or similar fees if an investment takes place. Entrepreneurs presenting at a Dinner-Meeting have to pay the cost of their own meals, presently CHF 120.- per person.

BAS for potential members

The BAS Dinner-Meetings offer members the opportunity to see different types of start-up businesses across many industries in convivial surroundings. BAS’s members are people who can afford and want to invest in start-ups. They bring some kind of experience and/or expertise and their profile is very diverse :

• Seasoned entrepreneurs who have successfully sold their company.
• Former General Managers of small and large companies with a particular know-how, a strong and diversified network and some financial means.
• Decision-makers in organizations that either manage their or their clients’ funds.

Potential and risks

Investments in start-ups are high-risk investments. Members must be able to support such risks. It is expected that members make at least one investment a year for at least some CHF 20K. There is no upper limit.

Time investment

Our experience has demonstrated that the average time invested by a BAS member can be broken down as follows:

• Dinner-Meetings: 10 evenings per year
• Follow-up meetings, Due Diligences, investments: 2 to 5 days per project that has caught a member’s interest
• Board member (or Observer) : during the two first years after financing, meetings are monthly without financial compensation.

New members especially are strongly encouraged to lead due diligences as ‘champions’ in order to broaden their knowledge and network in the association.

Cost

There is a non-refundable entrance fee of CHF 1600.-. Yearly fee, including meals, is CHF 1700.-, independent of attendance frequency. Potential members can attend up to 2 Dinner-Meetings (CHF 120.-).