Pitching for angel investment is one of the most opaque parts of early-stage fundraising. Founders often spend weeks preparing for angel conversations without knowing whether their business is even a strong fit, only to “just miss” getting to yes with angel networks, family offices, or individual investors. This session is designed to change that. We’re pulling back the curtain on angel investment for early-stage startups, so you can walk into your next pitch with a clearer sense of where you stand.

This workshop holistically covers the angel pitch process: how an angel investor evaluates an early-stage business, the most common mistakes founders make when seeking funding from angels, and what “fit” actually looks like from the investor’s side of the table.

What you’ll learn

• How to get into the mind of an angel investor at each stage of their evaluation process
• The basic deal flow process of an angel group, and what to expect from its operations and investors while you’re being assessed
• Common objections investors raise, from the initial pitch through the final stages of due diligence
• How to assess whether your business is a strong candidate for angel investment right now, or whether another funding avenue might be a better fit

Why it matters for startups and entrepreneurs

Time is one of the most limited resources a founder has. Pursuing angel investment without understanding how angels actually evaluate deals can mean months spent on a funding avenue that was never the right fit, time that could have gone toward customer development, product work, or a funding source better matched to your stage. Getting a clear-eyed view of angel investment for early-stage startups, directly from someone who runs deal flow for one of Canada’s most established angel networks, gives you the context to make a faster, better-informed decision about where to focus your raise.

Who should attend

• Founders currently raising and considering angel investment as a funding source
• Founders preparing for a future raise who want to understand funding fit ahead of time
• Anyone looking for clarity on how angel investors evaluate early-stage businesses

Accessibility and accommodation

This event will be delivered via Zoom with Closed Captioning (CC) available. If you require additional accommodations, please contact info@innovationfactory.ca.

Meet the speaker

Emily Porta, Executive Director, Maple Leaf Angels

Emily Porta is the Executive Director of Maple Leaf Angels, Toronto’s largest angel investor network, where she is responsible for all day to day operations of the company including dealflow. She is a frequent pitch competition judge in the Ontario innovation ecosystem, and passionate early-stage founder coach.

Previous to her current role, she served for 11 years in bootstrapped to Series A tech startups across many varied positions, including co-founding and leading a successful tech education not-for-profit.

She has also served since 2019 as a member of the Toronto Public Library Innovation Council, helping advise North America’s busiest public library system on technology and innovation strategy. Emily holds a Master of Information degree from the University of Toronto’s iSchool (’13), as well as an Hons. BA also from the University of Toronto (’11).