The scarcity of world resources, which is declining day by day, necessitates the creation and support of technologies that will ensure sustainable living. Furthermore, to reach the category of developed countries and achieve long-term economic growth and stability, countries must increasingly rely on innovation and technology-oriented solutions. “Entrepreneurship” stands out as a rising value. With the solutions they provide, entrepreneurs contribute to the efficient utilization of existing resources and the development of national economies.
Of course, supporting the ecosystem and providing funds for creative entrepreneurial ideas are an important element in the development of the startups, which is extremely important in terms of social, environmental and economic value. At this point, angel investors, including us as TRAngels, come into play.
An angel investor is defined as a person who, through his or her expertise, experience, and financial resources, enables entrepreneurs to realize their dreams.
For us, as TRAngels, angel investing means being a part of the future. It means being aware of new areas that emerge as a technological advancement and also contributing to the development of innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s challenges.
Our investment focus is early-stage startups
With this mindset, we’ve been going strong for the past seven years, believing that every idea that adds value to the economy and social life should be evaluated.
Our investment priority is especially early-stage startups. This is a stage where funds are most difficult to find and the start-up is regarded as if it is a brilliant idea only on paper. As TRAngels, we invest in the vision created by that brilliant idea, believing in that passion of the team that will bring the idea to life. The risk taken may be much greater, but our main goal is to multiply the success stories from Turkey, so we make our investments by taking this risk into account.
In line of this goal, we are pleased to bring together hundreds of technology-oriented start-ups with angel investors, to provide them funds, and to share our knowledge, experience, and network of connections, which we have gained in a variety of sectors, positions, and specializations over the course of our business careers, both nationally and internationally.
When we look at angel investors around the world, including those in Turkey, we notice that they share similar ideals and support startups. However, as TRAngels, we distinguish ourselves from other angel investment networks by our basic beliefs, and in this way, we become a role model for the ecosystem.
With our smart money we collectively hold, we try to add value to our investments
As TRAngels, we share not only the dreams and ideas of our entrepreneurs, but also their risk and success, because for us, success comes before profitability, and smart money comes before financial returns.
We know that capital investment alone will not allow a startup to grow, get stronger, survive in a market with tough competition, and fulfill the goals it set for itself at the start of its business journey. So, we provide our “smart money”, to our entrepreneurs as an added value for our entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
While we pour our smart money into our investment projects, we adopt them as our own and allocate voluntary leading investors to each project we participate in. Our startups work together in a team spirit with their leading investors at every stage of commercialization, growth and scaling up.
Collaboration based on voluntarism, shared mind and transparency
Our organizational structure as an angel investment network is also unique. As a Treasury Department-accredited angel investment network, our mission is to support and nurture entrepreneurs while also contributing to the expansion of their ecosystem. In addition, the ecosystem necessitates quick, agile, and efficient decision-making procedures. With this understanding, we oversee our business operations through the committees we’ve developed under the Investment Environment Development Board’s umbrella. With our angel investors, who all volunteer to serve in committees, we carry out all our projects and fund management based on kindness, common sense, and transparency.
Collective investment
This is another differentiation point of us. We use two sources for funding our investments. Unlike other angel investment networks, we formed a mutual fund-capital from TRAngels partners. The other is the “Investors Group,” which is made up of our angel investors’ individual funds. While presenting the startups to our network, we can invest either collectively or individually. By definition, “Angel Investment” is a personal decision. Furthermore, when our investors’ individual decisions unite, they influence our company’s approach on collective investment.
With our distinctive characteristics, we know we are offering the right value proposition. The best indicator is that businesspeople who want to use their savings, both in cash and in kind, outside of the usual methods, join us every day.
Continuing to invest in the future of our country
While this rapid growth process adds dynamism to us and allows us to extend and deepen our corporate knowledge, it also helps us achieve our goal of expanding angel investment and providing lifeline to more startups.
According to data released by Startups Watch, startups in Turkey received an investment of 1.4 billion dollars in the first 9 months of 2021. We find the rapid growth of the ecosystem and the increasing interest in this area extremely promising. Finally, we claim that with our distinguished structure, our angel investors, and the startups we invest in, we will continue to invest in the development of the ecosystem and the future of our country, because we are all responsible for leaving a valuable legacy to our future.
