Our selection criteria

CEO and executive team

An entrepreneur who knows what he/she doesn't know is always a great place to start. By his/her lucidity, a good entrepreneur knows his/her strengths and weaknesses and will surround himself/herself with allies who will complement him/her. We favor entrepreneurs who have a recognized experience and excellent knowledge of their market. We also value passion and commitment, as well as the ability to inspire future partners such as employees, customers and investors. Note that the credibility and open-mindedness of the entire team is also essential for us.

Sector of activity

Anges Québec invests in all sectors of activity. Above all, we look for innovative startups. That said, Anges Québec will not invest in projects whose objective is research and development, because these projects do not meet the return criteria sought by the angels.

Stage

Anges Québec invests in seed and early stage startups. It is not essential to have sales to approach us, but it is essential to have a minimum viable product.

Requested investment 

Anges Québec considers investment requests that demand a minimum of $ 300k. Moreover, we favor investment requests that demonstrate a plurality and diversification of the funding sources in the same round (e.g. non-dilutive and dilutive).

Market

Your startup must target a significant market ($500M or +) allowing you to reach significant revenues.  Anges Québec favors bottom-up demonstrations, i.e. field validation of your solution, such as interviewing your target customers, having them test your solution, etc. In contrast, top-down demonstrations, such as being based on market research by others, can be a good source of information, but run the risk of being incomplete and imprecise.

Market validation

The customer should always be the starting point for developing a relevant value proposition. You must demonstrate that your solution adequately meets the needs of your target customers, and that they are willing to pay to obtain it. 

Geography

Anges Québec invests in startups that will create value in Québec.  Therefore, we favor companies that are based in the province of Québec or either plan to open an office.

Growth potential

Your startup must present high-growth potential to attract the interest of angel investors. Your strategy must demonstrate a potential for profitability, in particular by including various sources of income or effective marketing strategies. Your financial projections must be based on solid assumptions demonstrating significant growth in revenues and profits.

Competitive advantages

The differentiating nature of your solution should allow you to distinguish yourself from the competition and define strong barriers to entry in order to avoid any dilution between similar products. Competitive advantages include intellectual property, use of an exclusive license, unique expertise or access to exclusive material.  A competitive advantage is a form of innovation.

Professional compatibility

The angels are all qualified investors who have recognized expertise and knowledge in their respective industries. Once angels invest in your startup, they will offer you their expertise and open the doors to their business networks. This is only possible when there is a good working compatibility between the investors and the entrepreneur.

Use of funds

The funds must be put towards accelerating the growth of your business. This includes some research and development activities, but more importantly your go-to-market strategy, as well as the recruitement of talent that are crucial to the advancement of your startup.

Exit strategy

Our members seek attractive returns when investing in startups. Although only hypotheses can be made at this stage, we are interested to know the exit strategy or strategies that you are envisioning, as well as the required financial needs that will precede the exit.