Put me in Coach!

Lots of people who angel invest talk about “I want access to the founder”. No. You don’t. 

What you want is for the founder to be focused on their most important things and to be able to efficiently execute those things. If you have the missing expertise or connection they need to do that, you want to be called into action! And if not, you want to be along for the ride. 

It’s sometimes helpful to think of early-stage investing as buying a paid newsletter subscription. You’re entitled to receive insights and updates, just like any other subscriber.

The Rub with SPVs

The rub with SPV investing is that you usually don’t get the newsletter. SPV organizers typically don’t share any investor information with the founder, and as a result SPV investors never hear from the company again after their investment is finalized.

This sucks. One of the biggest thrills of angel investing is being able to ride alongside the ups and downs of the founder’s journey. 

It’s also wasteful. It takes a potentially valuable resource away from the founder. The most valuable people on the cap table aren’t always the folks writing 6-figure checks. The expertise, connections, and clout of the angels hidden away in the SPV could be game-changers for a young company.

This is where Play Money is different.

  • First, after the SPV closes, we provide your contact info directly to the founder so they can include you in stakeholder updates. 

  • Then, for founders who provide those updates, we’ve built a tool to help them access the expertise and connections of the investors in their Play Money SPV.

Real Talk

Founders know investors always want to be helpful, and it comes from a good place. But the job is hard, and the endless stream of advice from mentors, advisors, the internet, our parents, and lots of other people who have never been in our shoes is a lot to sort through.

But sometimes, the simplest thing you can do is the most important and the most valuable. And it usually doesn’t take more than just being ‘human’. When a founder sends out an update, reply. Let them know you are listening and cheering them on. When they post on social media, comment, repost, and amplify. And always always do double opt-ins on intros.