LINK-Caribbean Magazine

Angel groups in the Caribbean.

Alpha Angels Montego Bay, Jamaica

Alpha Angels is a network of investors who are leaders in the entrepreneurial community in the Caribbean. Primarily based in Montego Bay, the group of 15 Angels hopes to encourage the growth of early-stage ventures in Jamaica and the Caribbean through seed-stage investments and is committed to giving back to Jamaica and the Caribbean by investing in early-stage companies with the potential to scale overseas. The group looks for investments where they can add value by passing on their business experience, enjoy working with entrepreneurs and generate returns. Alpha meets on a periodic basis and meetings are convened for pitch events. Last year 8 entrepreneurs delivered their presentations to the Angels. The team is led by Yoni Epstein who plays a vital role in the sustainability of the group. The Network Manager Opal Levy continues to meet with entrepreneurs and works towards preparing them for pitch events and assisting in the building of their businesses. Ms. Levy is currently engaged with 15entrepreneurs. Since inception Alpha has committed to two investments, MSurvey and UCC. MSurvey has already received funding and Mr. Epstein is on the company’s board. The engagement with UCC includes non-capital investment in time and strategic advisory, while the financial terms are still being formalized.

First Angels Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica

FirstAngelsJA (FAJ) is Jamaica’s first angel investor network, started in July 2014 by a group of committed Jamaican businessmen and women who wished to facilitate the matching of entrepreneurs with potential investors through a formal screening process, presentations to members and other mechanisms. FAJ’s members provide “patient capital” to privately held companies or ventures typically in an early stage of development. Their main motivation is to play a critical role in the entrepreneurial process, supporting the start-up of ventures that have high growth potential, as advisors and mentors, contributing their wisdom and expertise in nurturing Caribbean entrepreneurs and their companies. FAJ’s vision is to tap into the growth prospects of high potential, entrepreneurial ventures in thewider Caribbean region, while contributing to the creation of an “entrepreneur-friendly” ecosystem. In that regard, FAJ performs a number of roles, including engaging in regular dialogue with Government, opinion formers and leaders at the national level to shape policy for the benefit of local industries, facilitating a connected finance ecosystem between angels, financial institutions and other sources of early stage funding, both traditional and non- traditional; enabling the regular exchange of experience and good practice between all those engaged in the early stage marketplace; building capacity and know-how among the investment community and creating links with other like-minded organisations at the local, regional, national and international levels. As of April 2017, FAJ has 29 members – 22 investor members and 7 associate members - and has made 8 investments in 5 companies totaling over US$800,000 (100 million Jamaican Dollars).