Jag Singh, Partner, Angel Invest (ex MD Techstars Berlin) on Angel Investing and Raising Capital

In the second episode of Dare Do Speak, the guest is Jag Singh, Managing Director of Techstars Berlin. Jag is one of Europe’s most active angel investors, with 60+ private investments (pre-seed through to Series D), and 30 through Techstars (pre-seed). He previously built four companies from scratch, with his first two exits in 2007 & 2009. Jag also has a decade of experience at the highest levels of politics & strategy, having advised US Presidential Campaigns as well as UK & pan-European politicians and campaign groups. 

In a conversation with us, he spoke about different facets of angel investing, what he looks for in startup founders, and the startup scene in Europe. 

Here is a list of the selected time stamps on the different topics discussed during the podcast:

01:12- 03:24   Jag’s journey from a political strategist to entrepreneur to now an angel investor and MD at Techstars Berlin.

03:24- 07:27   Learnings from the world of politics adapted to entrepreneurship

07:27-12:41    How difficult or easy is it to actually become an angel investor with no prior experience in investing.

12:41- 16:46  Jag’s angel investing portfolio

16:46- 17:53   How to manage your startup portfolio as an investor? How much to interfere?

17:53 - 27:29  The power of decision making in angel investing

27:29- 31:26   Why invest in technology-first startups?

31:26- 37:27   The value in bootstrapping for startups

37:27- 39:20   What is Jag’s favorite kind of founder?

39:20- 43:43  The concept of promise-market-fit

43:43- 48:04  Berlin as a startup hub in Europe

48:04- 54:14   How to build an international startup from the city of Berlin?

54:14- 58:33   What is the USP of Techstarts Berlin?

58:33- end      One final piece of advice for all entrepreneurs