Nairobi Business Angel Network (NaiBAN) has emerged as one of the most active angel investor groups in Kenya, mobilising a diverse group of passionate professionals, former founders, and VCs to write the cheques that early-stage startups so desperately need.
In many ways, NaiBAN the organisation is a mirror image of the startups they support: agile, data-driven, eager to learn, and willing to try new things. And like the budding tech companies cropping up around Nairobi, they are strong on passion, if slightly short on resources – a common dynamic in angel groups, which run on a great deal of volunteer work from leading members to keep deals flowing.
“Our group has very high ambitions and initially, as a group of 20, we thought it would be a very egalitarian setup with everybody contributing in the same way and sharing in the management. But the reality is that our members are very talented and very busy. So we have found that a small team within the group – which we are trying to build – must take the lead on deal management to get investments out the door,” says Nick Vilelle, NaiBAN co-founder and current manager.
In this case study, we learn about some of the unique approaches NaiBAN takes to get funding to more founders, what Villele and his team have learned about managing an angel network, and one of the network’s most memorable deals to date.
DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY