Angels Den Blog

With the launch of the new Star Trek movie, you have to reflect on our unwavering respect for those who break new ground, push boundaries and boldly go where no “one” has gone before. Entrepreneurs are the Captain Kirks of modern business as they risk everything to develop new ideas and bring us new and exciting experiences, all in the name of exploration – and profit, of course (tight red or gold lycra outfits are optional). Just like any adventurer, real or fictional, they deserve our respect and should inspire us all to greater things.

Captain James T. Kirk is now cooler than ever before, as actor Chris Pine plays his risk-taking, snap-decision-making younger version. During a recent interview, Pine described how it was a little intimidating to take on an iconic role such as Kirk, especially considering that William Shatner will always be considered by some hardcore Trekkies as the “only” real Kirk they will ever recognise. But, as Pine stated, director of the 2009 Star Trek movie JJ Abrams instructed the cast to forget what had come before in the roles, to breathe new life into the characters, and to make them work for the fans of 2009.

The result is a hotheaded young Kirk, who continually defies the odds and continues to boldly go where no Star Trek captain has gone before. By all accounts it’s a great movie, and some are even suggesting that it’s the best prequel ever made. As I’m seeing it tonight, I’ll soon be able to judge that one for myself!

Today’s enterprising entrepreneurs may not get around at warp speed, or have Romulans to contend with and whole planets to save, but they do have the breakneck speed of 21st-century commerce, competition to defeat and a business to keep alive during the toughest economic climate in memory. But as a Star Fleet officer asks young Kirk after a bar fight in the film trailer, why settle for an ordinary life? Kirk was meant for more – something every entrepreneur and Angel investor must have thought about their own lives at some point in time.

Entrepreneurs are people who aren’t satisfied with the humdrum, run-of-the-mill life. They are visionaries, adventurers with incredible instincts coupled with expertise in their field. Hats off to the entrepreneurs of this recessionary era, because even while all their friends may tell them they’re crazy for starting or keeping alive a new business during these rough times, they move forward with an unwavering confidence that would befit a starship captain.

And then there are the Angel investors who help these entrepreneurs to fulfil their business dreams. What exactly is an Angel investor? An Angel investor is an individual investor whose hands are not tied by the strict regulations of a traditional bank, or even by the nervous, money-oriented board members that run a venture capital firm. Angel investors may not give as much start-up money to a new business as some more traditional sources of start up capital (often the amount is under £300,000), but they are often the unsung heroes behind a successful new entrepreneurial venture.

Angel investors are often less money-oriented than they are inspired by the entrepreneur’s vision. Like the Star Fleet veteran young Kirk meets in the bar, they see something special in the entrepreneur, something that sets him or her apart from the thousands of other people who dream of owning their own business. Also like that same Star Fleet veteran, Angel investors are often former entrepreneurs themselves, who know what it’s like to start something from scratch, and to take a business from launch to success. Angel investors could be compared to the later James T. Kirk of Star Trek: Generations, who steps in to help a beleaguered Jean-Luc Picard…after a little convincing. During the trailer for that movie, the voice-over states, “The torch of adventure is about to be passed.” Angel investors play the same role for today’s entrepreneurs: with their financial support, they pass the entrepreneurial spirit from one generation to the next.