Angel investors have invested a record $30 million into young New Zealand companies over the first six months of 2009, taking the amount invested over the past three-and-a-half years to over $100 million, according to the Young Company Finance Private Finance Index.

The $3 million University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneurs’ Challenge has been launched by Prime Minister the Hon John Key, and offers young and promising entrepreneurial companies financial support and mentoring to move ahead.

Investors are being sought for a $5 million angel investment fund called the Halo Fund.
It is a joint venture between seven leading angel investor groups and the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, and is aimed at attracting investors who wish to gain access to a diversified range of exciting young technology-focused companies.

The International Growth Fund is part of a suite of tailored programmes and services that New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) develops for the businesses it works most closely with.

New Zealand should focus on increasing the number of small, early-stage, high-growth companies fourfold by 2015 rather than aspiring to have five Fonterras in place by the same deadline.

A surge in the number of start-up businesses gaining funding has put pressure on the venture capital market to come up with more cash to enable those businesses to keep growing.

The Angel Association, a network of investors which supports and invests in mainly start-up companies, says $100 million in new capital is needed every year for the next three years to enable those businesses to expand.

A report into the findings ofthe credit and employment survey (CES) conducted by the Ministry of Economic Development in February 2009.

The 2008 New Zealand Private Equity & Venture Capital monitor has recently been released.

The angel investment market offers a fantastic opportunity to New Zealand to help propel some great Kiwi ideas and inventions onto the world stage.

Our industry has created a vision of increasing the number of start-ups backed each year by angel investors by a factor of five by 2015 that is going to 250 ingenious start-ups receiving $250 million of investment each and every year from the less than 50 who receive funding currently.

Despite a fall-off in funding in 2008 due to the credit crunch, the body representing angel investors in New Zealand believes the industry is showing signs of maturing.  Andy Hamilton from the New Zealand Angel Association gives an update.

• A Snapshot of the Recently NZECO Product Range
• New Short Term Trade Credit Guarantee Now Available
• Overview of the NZECO

The government is establishing a single grant scheme to assist businesses growing globally by combining three of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)’s existing grant schemes into one single flexible fund.

Google is forming a US$100 million fund to invest in early-stage start-up firms.

Now is a time when angel investors - backers who provide financial support for early-stage businesses and often help with contacts or expertise - will play an important part in keeping these companies afloat.

If you are a business owner or someone with an idea that you think has potential to be a business you often need to build resources around you to make it happen