What to know about the BETA Explore angel investment event:
“According to Greater MSP’s Regional Indicators Dashboard, the area ranks 11 out of 12 in annual amount of venture capital when compared to similar metros. If you’re still not convinced, go ask an early-stage first-time founder. The pain is real.
Having personally experienced this funding gap as a founder, witnessed it and its impact on 150+ startups during my time with BETA, and now having further researched the issue with others who are familiar the matter, I think the crux of the issue comes down to two things:
The absence of high-volume, early-stage investors and a lack of a robust, active angel community throttles the growth of existing startups — that’s bad — and recent research from the Kauffman Foundation suggests it may halt other potential entrepreneurs from ever starting.
That’s worse.”