Overview of Due Diligence for Angel Investors

The program will include both a formal session on angel investing tips and tricks, and an open Q&A session to address questions on the audience’s mind. Discussion topics include:

• An overview of due diligence, and what it can and cannot reasonably accomplish
• How to make money as an angel: common angel investing pitfalls, and how to avoid them

There's no cost to attend but you must RSVP to receive access information.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Alexander Brown – Managing Director, Launchpad Venture Group
Alex has been involved in Launchpad since 2011, and is an active angel investor in a variety of New England based startups. He co-manages Beacon Venture Partners Funds, which invest in a diversified basket of local early stage companies including the Launchpad portfolio. He mentors and advises several Boston-based companies.

Alex is also the Founder and Principal of Glaessel Ventures, a consulting and training company that connects thoughtful strategy with effective product and service development. As a Certified Scrum Trainer, he helps a broader range of companies understand and implement Agile transformations that achieve sustainable success. As a management consultant, he focuses on go to market strategy, with expertise in consumer behavior, product & service innovation and product/market fit.

Previously, Alex was a Partner at Recon Strategy, a Healthcare-focused strategy consulting firm. Before that he served as Chief Operating Officer of Scrum Inc, a local startup that invented the Scrum Agile framework and continues to improve the state of the practice in Agile product/service development. Prior to that, he was a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group, helping lead the Industrial Goods, Consumer & Retail, and Healthcare Practice areas.

Alex earned a B.S. and Masters in Engineering from Cornell University, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Barry Coffman – Angel Investor, Launchpad Venture Group
Barry has been a professional investor and institutional money manager for 30 years. Currently he focuses his time on his angel investing activities through his membership in Launchpad Venture Group and his network in the startup community. Barry serves or has served as a board member or advisory board member for many of these companies over the years.

Prior to joining Launchpad Barry was a Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager for Boldwater Capital Management, a credit focused hedge fund firm from 2002-2008. Barry helped launch the firm along with its two funds which totaled $250mm at their peak.

Prior to joining Boldwater in January 2002, Barry served as Vice President for Fidelity Management and Research, where he worked for 15 years in the High Income Division as a High Yield Portfolio Manager and Analyst. In that capacity, he was the sole manager for a number of retail and institutional high yield bond portfolios whose combined assets were approximately $5 billion at their peak.

Barry received his MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Barry lives in Needham, MA with his wife Linda. They have 3 adult children. He has been very active with local not-for-profits including the Needham Community Council where he is a past president. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Beth Israel Deaconess Needham, and a member of the Finance Committee for the town of Needham.