Some changes were in effect this time. The side dishes were moved to another room. This really opened up the crowd and allowed for more chairs in the main presentation room. Also, there was a separate breakout session in the main room titled “Raising Angel Financing 101″ (notes on that to follow).

Before I go on, I have a suggestion for future WebInno attendees: write some keywords on your name tag that describe what you’re interested in. For instance, I wanted to talk to mobile app people, so I wrote “mobile apps?”. Not enough people do this, so it’s really hard to find the right people to talk to.

Raising Angel Financing 101

James Geshwiler, Managing Director of the Common Angels, hosted a session called “Raising Angel Financing 101.”

The presentation was mostly about the contrast between angel financing and VC financing.  In contrasting the two, James suggested that startups find the fit that is right for them. VC funds have grown over the last decade, and as funds grow, they invest larger amounts and need larger exits. While this sounds good, the reality is that many startups can’t justify high exits. Angels, on the other hand, invest in smaller amounts and require smaller exits. A $5 million acquisition in a couple years is a win-win when you are angel funded, but it’s a no-go when you’re already $10 million deep in VC funds. Ask yourself what makes sense and find investors that fit your strategy.

As a side note, James pointed out that he didn’t like the term “angel investor” and prefers “private investor.”

If you are looking for angel funding, one web site he suggested was Angel Capital Association.

Some other points from his slides:

• The recession and how it affects us:
  • Financial risk is up, but competitive risk is down.
  • Many angels now seek startups that can reach cash-flow break even with only one round of funding. They don’t want to depend on additional investors and a second round to keep your company afloat.
  • Exit in 5 to 7 years is realistic.
  • Having a low burn rate in this economy is one of the best things you can say in your pitch.
• Common Angels typically invests 1 to 3 million in exchange for 25-40% of a company.

Out of the seven companies named Friday as finalists in Amazon’s latest AWS Start-Up Challenge—designed to reward the most innovative companies using the cloud-based Amazon Web Services infrastructure to deliver their products or services—three are based right here in the Boston area.

Original story on Xconomy.

When:

Nov 17, 2008, 7-9pm

Where:

Omni Parker Hotel - Rooftop Ballroom
60 School Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Register

When:
Wednesday, Oct 22 at 6:30pm

Where:
As part of Mobile Internet World 2008, which will be at the Boston Convention Center.

Registration required (this is just for the MoMo event, not for MIW).
 
Mobile Internet World is a three day event from Oct 21 - 23 at the Boston Convention Center. It has two components, an expo and a conference. The conference part costs money (lots), but the expo part is free. Register for the MIW conference or just the expo here.

Event web site.

When
Friday, October 10, 2008, 6:30-10:30

Where
The Harvard Club
374 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215

Google Map

RSVP here. This event costs $25 and only has 5 tickets remaining as of this writing.

There will also be a panel with an impressive list of panelists.

Where: Boston University School of Management, 595 Comm Ave, Boston

When: 6pm to 9pm

Registration on EventBrite is required.

Also, don’t forget to check out their job board.

Jason Jacobs is the man responsible for RunKeeper. I met him earlier this year when all he had was an idea. It’s great to see his idea finally become a reality. I think he’ll have a lot of success.

Where:

Royal Sonesta Cambridge
40 Edwin H Land Blvd
Cambridge, MA 02142

When:

Monday, September 15, 2008 at 06:30 PM (ET)

If you notice any other local startups in the list, please leave a comment.