With better economic growth forecasts from the World pegged at 7.2 percent at the end of the year, investors may well ride the waves of a recovering tide of investment and consumption.

As startups pop up in different industries, one after the other, so do angel investors. An angel investor is a high net-worth individual who provides capital for startups, usually in exchange for equity in the company.

“Seeing the business take shape and grow into a real revenue contributor, was an exhilarating experience,” Alfonso “Chito” Zulueta, angel investor and chief executive officer of CZ Ventures, a venture capital firm, relates his first attempt in angel investing.

Certainly, angel investing is no easy feat. It is a combination of business acumen, willingness to take risks, and networking.

Fret not, however, because here are four tips to help you start your angel investing journey from certified angel investors:

1. New ideas are worth the bet

A seven-time serial entrepreneur, engineer, architect, and philanthropist, Claus Karthe, chief executive officer and founder of German Entrepreneurship Asia, says “A startup is more likely to achieve success if he/she is willing to listen, learn, adapt, and act on advice from those who have either succeeded or failed in the market they are venturing in.

“Similarly, an angel investor who is open to listening to new ideas and building on them, and at the same time able to manage risks through proper due diligence, has high chances of success.”

Rapid changes in business and technology means that angel investors have to be adaptable and not so ossified with rigid ways of doing business.

2. The business has to make sense to you

With a 25-year career in banking in New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore, Carl Bautista, who has now ventured into specialty coffee and human resource technology, relates that “I choose a business that I can understand, and which I believe I can assist in some form.”

Apart from providing funding for startups, angel investors share their business expertise to contribute to startups’ growth. While new ideas are great, an angel investor has to understand them for them to work.

3. So you understand the startup, can you trust the founders too?

Engaged in the recruitment industry for more than 25 years, Manila-based James Gundry relates that “The most important quality of a successful startup lies in their people. You can have the most groundbreaking idea in the world but without the right people with the right mindset driving the business, they won't work as planned.”

“Apart from a strong business model, a startup has to have a leadership team who can execute and get things done,” Zulueta said.

The business model is but a machine run by motivated individuals with success as a goal in mind. It is people, in the end, that maintain the business.

“The founding team needs to be good at so many things,” Bautista added.

Adjacent to the founders’ drive for success, Lara Lorenzana with a 20-year experience in investment banking and structured finance in Manila and New York says that “The startup must demonstrate to the investor that the money entrusted to the founder is used wisely and as promised.”

Having a keen eye for people, successful angel investors do not simply look for profitable business models, but people who they can trust with their money.

4. Find your tribe—join an investment network!

A single angel investor can only do so much. There are so many risks involved, especially if you are a neophyte in angel investing.

To mitigate the risks, investors can join an investment network that pools capital together, screens startup applications, and provides investment training and support. Among notable networks in the Philippines is the Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN) a, group of private investors that is actively supporting several startups.

“Angel investing is less daunting when you do it with a group that shares the same due diligence as you,” Karthe said.

Passionate in helping startups grow, Karthe relates that “MAIN has a very experienced group of people as angel investors. I firmly believe that an active angel investor network is necessary for the country to develop its nascent startup ecosystem that is growing rapidly.”

Seeking to bank on the Philippines’ expected growth, Lorenzana said that she and her husband, a seasoned investor from New York, returned home from the United States to invest in what she describes as “Our generation’s land of opportunity. With MAIN as our guide, we hope to apply what we learned and observed in the U.S. to the Philippines.”

“I joined MAIN because of a desire to be close to the startup scene, to listen to new ideas, be around optimists who dream of a better world and are actually doing something about it, and to contribute in whatever way to help them achieve those goals,” Bautista said.

If you want to get to know more about MAIN, Gundry has some advice for you: “Attend MAIN’s pitch night where you can listen to a few startup pitches. Get a sense of what is on offer because startup investing is different from investing in traditional, mature businesses.”

MAIN conducts various activities geared towards promoting knowledge and expertise sharing among angel investors, new and old, and even for startups. For updates on their activities and if you are interested in angel investing, reach out to invest@main.ph and become part of the Philippines’ largest and most active angel network.

Ten projects by 8 Filipino designers and architects have been shortlisted as finalists in this year’s World Architects Festival (WAF), one of the world’s most prestigious annual festival and awards ceremony in the architecture and development industry. Not only is this the most typologically diverse showing for the Philippines yet, it is also the most number of Filipino designs that have been selected for WAF, topping the previous record.

GROHE, a founding partner of WAF and leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, supports the local designers, some of whom are veterans and previous winners of WAF, namely previous winner BAAD Studio, last year’s WAFX special prize winner WTA Architecture and Design Studio, Highly Commended recipient BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design, Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates, and HANDS Design Studio. In addition, three design firms also make their WAF shortlist debut this year: Studio Fuerzo, DST Design+Build, and Davao-based BERSABARC Design Studio.

This year's WAF theme is “Together” in order to consider how architecture is responding to the renewal of collective life post-pandemic and committing to combating climate change. In line with the theme, it has also been three years since the global community of architects and designers have been able to meet in-person at WAF. It will be an opportunity for speakers and panels to discuss issues and conditions which relate to the collective use of architecture and public space in a variety of settings, including changes as a result of health considerations and how domestic life, workplace culture, and social engagement is operating in our new world.

“The pandemic has changed how we live at home and at work. Each year, climate change is also becoming a more pressing issue and an important consideration in building homes and office buildings. With these in mind, GROHE looks forward to WAF where the talent of Filipino designers and architects will be on full display for the world to see. GROHE is proud to support local architects and designers and their designs that are unique to the Pinoy perspective of what we’ve experienced of the pandemic and climate change in our country,” said Hermie Limbo, LIXIL country general manager.

WAF award categories are Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Landscape. Aside from the WAF awards, there will also be special prizes, such as the WAFX Award, among others. The WAFX Award celebrates cutting-edge design approaches to address major world issues, such as the climate emergency.

Looking back on the online Crit sessions at the WAF last year, Jorge Yulo, who is also a finalist this year, said, “They look for your narrative and the social and environmental responsibilities you addressed. Aesthetics takes a back seat after the shortlisting.”

Vying for the Completed Buildings award, under the House & Villa, Urban/Suburban category, are Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates with their entry, “Equilateral House,” and BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design with “Pandemic House.” For the House & Villa, Rural/Coastal category, BAAD Studio submitted, “The Mendoza Farmhouse.” For the New and Old category, Studio Fuerzo’s entry is the “New Provincialate House,” while under the Hotel and Leisure category, HANDS Design Studio’s entry is “Casa Tropica.”

In the Future Projects award shortlist, under the Civic and Community category is BAAD Studio’s “Pilgrim’s Shelter.” For Competition Entries, there are BERSABARC’s “Hexarion Martian Colony” and WTA Architecture and Design Studio’s “BSP Security Plant Complex.” WTA Architecture and Design Studio also submitted “Batangas Forest City” for the Masterplanning category. Rounding out the finalists is DST Design + Build’s “The Tree House Project” in the House category.

Speaking of his WAF experience last year, William Ti, who is also a finalist this year with WTA, said, “I remember a comment about how there seems to be something going on in Philippine architecture with many more projects getting in to WAF. This makes me feel proud about how far we’ve come and look forward to the time when Filipino architecture can be recognized globally.” 

The Filipino finalists will join the other shortlisted international contestants for WAF in Lisbon, Portugal from November 30 to December 2.  As part of the competition, they will take part in Live Crit Rooms, which are unique live-judged awards programs. The Live Crit Rooms are also opportunities for them to discover inside knowledge of the most outstanding projects in the world and gain invaluable insights from a panel of expert judges, who are world-renowned architects from leading practices.

Launched in 2008, the World Architecture Festival is the world’s largest annual international architectural event and includes panel discussions and talks by leading global architectural thinkers and industry personalities.   

To know more about the Filipino designers, follow GROHE’s official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GrohePacific. To know more about the World Architecture Festival, visit https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/.