The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

Seraf is thrilled to announce its new suite of Deal Flow tools for early stage funds, family offices and angel investment groups. A natural product extension to Seraf’s renowned portfolio management solution, our new deal flow product enables teams to collaborate and efficiently usher deals from sourcing to exit all in one place.

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The Seraf Compass

OCTOBER 30, 2019

Great ideas are a dime a dozen. Living in the Boston/Cambridge area, we are surrounded by some of the most innovative researchers in the world working at institutions like MIT and Harvard. I’m pretty confident when I say, in Boston, hardly a day goes by when some graduate student or professor doesn’t invent a new product, discover a new molecule or create a cool app.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

Investing in early-stage companies is investing in entrepreneurs. Understanding how they measure up is partly a function of understanding how they think, or should think. Entrepreneurship has come a long way toward being a better-understood and accessible way of life. But it will never be completely mainstream, because it’s not for everyone.

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entrepreneurship entrepreneurs investment investing 210

The Seraf Compass

MAY 21, 2025

Deciding whether to invest in a good idea is hard. Even when its potential is clearly explained.Trying to make that evaluation without a solid explanation is an exercise in needless frustration.Ive talked about the role of acompelling executive summaryto get an investor'sinitial attention and secure their agreement to take a pitch meeting.But what should that investor expect out of the ensuing pitch deck?

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Join Seraf for an engaging and informative webinar on VC investing in BRICS countries, with an emphasis on the exciting opportunities in Brazil. This event is tailored for venture capitalists, startup founders, and investors eager to delve into the high-growth potential within Brazil's dynamic market.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

We had the opportunity to interview Zain Jaffer, with Zain Ventures. Here, he provides insights in investing as a family office.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

Join Seraf for an insightful session where we will explore strategies and techniques to optimize the management of angel groups. Whether you are a seasoned angel investor or new to the world of angel investing, this webinar will provide valuable insights to help you enhance your group's efficiency and success. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and take your angel group management skills to the next level.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

In this article, we'll explore the importance of effective angel group management and how it plays a crucial role in creating a supportive and productive environment for all members.

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The Seraf Compass

AUGUST 28, 2024

This article sheds light on the multifaceted responsibilities of these managers and emphasizes the significance of implementing streamlined workflows for effective angel investing.

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angel investing investment investing 147

The Seraf Compass

JULY 31, 2024

Join Seraf for an insightful and dynamic webinar on VC investing in BRICS countries, with a focus on the burgeoning opportunities in India. This event is designed for venture capitalists, angel investors, and those keen on exploring high-growth markets within the BRICS economies.

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The Seraf Compass

JULY 10, 2024

Estate planning is a critical aspect of financial management that often flies under the radar for many investors, especially those involved in the dynamic world of angel investing. While most individuals update their estate plans every three to five years, it begs the question: is this sufficient for angel investors? Let's explore why angel and venture capital (VC) investors could be best served adopting a new strategy.

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The Seraf Compass

JUNE 19, 2024

We sent out a survey to our Seraf Compass subscribers to ask for tips and advice for first-time entrepreneurs. We asked the question: "What advice do you have for entrepreneurs seeking angel investment and how can they best prepare for pitching investors?” Here are some answers we found to be helpful!

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The Seraf Compass

MAY 22, 2024

This article is intended to provide a quick overview of the principal documents in a fundraising where the investors are purchasing stock. Unlike a convertible debt issuance, these stock transactions permanently alter the capitalization of the company by adding new stockholders, who are typically purchasing a brand new class of stock created for them, typically a series designated class of preferred stock with special rights and privileges they have negotiated.

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The Seraf Compass

MAY 8, 2024

This article is intended to provide a quick overview and explanation of the principal documents in a fundraising where the investors are purchasing convertible debt. Unlike a stock transaction, these convertible debt deals do not alter the capitalization of the company by adding new stockholders until the debt is converted into equity.

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The Seraf Compass

APRIL 24, 2024

The toughest moment in a new angel’s investing career: a very large round has lots of momentum – it has been expanded and is still over-subscribed. And it is a classic case as these things go, driven by the usual factors: little bit later stage with some traction, so risk is perceived as lower, great pitch by an appealing CEO, backed by a seemingly good team, momentum in the round building quickly, a product people can understand that is already built and in the stream of commerce, and, perhaps

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The Seraf Compass

APRIL 3, 2024

Seraf Co-Founder Christopher Mirabile interviews several experienced angel investors from around the country to find out: How do you know a great entrepreneur when you see one? Learn how these leading angels identify outstanding CEOs, and how their experiences can help shape your investing decisions.

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The Seraf Compass

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Early stage investors are often asked to sit on boards, and many sets of investment terms require that outside investors sit on the key board committees. But what’s involved in being on an Audit Committee, and how do you do it right?

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The Seraf Compass

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

For a variety of reasons, the mainstream business press is writing more about angel investing than ever. It seems like more now than ever before, if you tell a distant relative that you are an angel investor, they will say “oh I’ve heard of that” rather than give you a blank stare and assume you are talking about church choir. Over the last couple decades, angel investing has become a more serious form of finance.

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The Seraf Compass

JANUARY 24, 2024

In our interview series we embarked on a journey to explore the experiences and insights of seasoned investors. Through it we uncovered the worst and best investing experiences encountered by these individuals and the valuable advice they have to offer.

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The Seraf Compass

JANUARY 10, 2024

Entrepreneurs will face a huge number of decisions as they move from concept to commercialization. One of the first major decisions is what type of legal entity to form in order to move their great ideas forward. Why does it matter?

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angel investing investment investing entrepreneurs 277

The Seraf Compass

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

One of the biggest challenges faced by early stage investors is to assemble a portfolio of investments that in aggregate return more than 2 times the original amount invested in the total portfolio. In the language of Venture Capital, the goal of a successful early stage investor is to achieve a Distributed to Paid-In (DPI) ratio greater than 2X. In other words, for every dollar you invest in your portfolio, you want to get two dollars back over time.

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The Seraf Compass

OCTOBER 25, 2023

If you make a simple mistake while driving, like hitting some black ice you didn’t see, and you skid off the road into a ravine and total your car, assuming no injuries, that’s a bummer and a major inconvenience for you. But if you borrow your friend’s car and do the same thing, sorting out the legalities can be significantly more complicated. Those same dynamics apply to fund investing.

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The Seraf Compass

OCTOBER 18, 2023

The first time you receive stock options as an employee is a magical moment. You feel suddenly part of something bigger than just earning a paycheck. You daydream about how various financial scenarios might play out. You take a sudden interest in the wellbeing of your company and the factors which affect its stock price. It is no surprise therefore that startups are nearly universal in their adoption of stock options as a tool for attracting, motivating and retaining new hires.

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The Seraf Compass

OCTOBER 11, 2023

At Launchpad, we invest in dozens of companies every year. In the past, we frequently faced situations where we put a lot of work into diligence with a company and suddenly found out we were miles apart on deal term expectations and couldn't close the gap. This is a waste of time for all involved, and is the kind of frustration that leads to “deal fatigue” for investors trying to build a portfolio of investments.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

When I began making angel investments almost twenty years ago, I had no concept of what it meant to build a portfolio of early stage tech company investments. It wasn’t because I lacked financial savvy. I considered myself a fairly knowledgeable investor in the public markets. I understood key investing concepts like portfolio diversification, risk-adjusted investment return, market capitalization, and staging capital.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Conventional wisdom is that startups with cofounders succeed more often than startups run by solo entrepreneurs. Whether true or not, startups with multiple founders face key issues that will affect the company and its ability to raise money, grow, and ultimately be successful.

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The Seraf Compass

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

In Part I of this article we talked about the challenges and responsibilities General Partners face. In Part II we took a closer look at the time commitment involved when you're ready to invest in a company, what's required when serving as a board director, and how GPs should handle communications with their LPs. Now let's focus on the time required for networking and fund affiliations.

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The Seraf Compass

AUGUST 30, 2023

As your angel career develops, and you start to build a larger portfolio of companies, you are increasingly asked to make follow-on investments. Not only do companies need investment to get off the ground, the faster they grow, the more cash they need. Whether to follow-on, and how to follow-on, are questions which have long given rise to angel debate.

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The Seraf Compass

AUGUST 23, 2023

In Part I of this article we talked about the challenges and responsibilities General Partners face managing a fund. Now let's take a closer look at the time commitment involved when you're ready to invest in a company, what's required when serving as a board director, and how GPs should handle communications with their LPs.

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The Seraf Compass

JULY 19, 2023

As an active angel investor in the Boston tech sector, I witnessed many paths to a successful return on my invested capital. Sometimes the path is short and sweet. Other times the path is long and convoluted, but ultimately leads to a happy ending. I subscribe to the belief that as an angel investor I should be open to a variety of investment opportunities as I build a successful, early stage company portfolio.

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The Seraf Compass

MAY 10, 2023

Staying on top of the early stage investing world requires a lot of reading. One of the biggest trends we witnessed over the past few years is the rapid pace of new early stage venture fund formation combined with significant growth in the amount of capital invested. A decade or two ago, most of the new funds were traditional VC funds located in technology hubs in the US and a few other countries around the globe.

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The Seraf Compass

MAY 3, 2023

Warren Buffett is known for turning a great phrase. Besides being the second richest person in the world, he is a creative writer with an ability to explain complex topics in a simple and effective way. Buffett’s concept of winning the Ovarian Lottery is an excellent starting point for the second article in our series on building a diverse portfolio.

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creativity 264

The Seraf Compass

MARCH 22, 2023

You know that many startups fail to take advantage of one of the best kept secrets of product management and company strategy, the customer council. If you’re invested in a growing company that does not yet have a customer council, you may want to encourage the founders to create one. Here is how to operate one and some important traps for the unwary that you can use as a framework when you talk to your CEOs about the concept.

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The Seraf Compass

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Every early stage investor strives to have a full pipeline of startups in which to invest. But how do they manage all the dates and details of each prospect and ensure nothing slips through the cracks while determining if a deal is right for them? Organization tools, of course! Here’s our guide to what you should look for in a professional deal flow management system designed for venture funds, angel groups, family offices, and other early stage investment organizations to streamline their pipel

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The Seraf Compass

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

This profile is the third in a series of interviews highlighting the work of interesting family offices. Rashaun Williams is the Founder and Chairman of Value Investment Group (“VIG”) is a private equity firm specializing in influencer-backed private equity investments in tech, media and consumer products.

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The Seraf Compass

JANUARY 18, 2023

Investors supporting startups in difficult economic times are frequently called on to give advice to CEOs trying to cope. Financial issues like the cash-out date and how to raise money are always central questions, but reducing financial burn for a pre- or early-revenue startup is not the only challenge. Difficult times add an additional layer of stress to a job that is already extraordinarily stressful, and that can lead to major burnout.

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The Seraf Compass

JANUARY 11, 2023

In Part I of this article we discussed several key concepts of fund investment strategy and how funds are categorized, whether it be by industry, geography, stage, specialty (e.g. social impact, corporate, etc.) or some other criteria. Now let's take a closer look at capital allocation strategy and the life cycle of a venture fund.

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