LaunchVic is helping people learn how to become angel investors in startups

Victorian startup agency LaunchVic will back 75 potential startup investors to take part in a investor education programs to build angel investor capabilities.

The VC Catalyst course at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne focuses on giving venture investors with the knowledge, skills, confidence and networks to invest in early-stage startups. 

LaunchVic will invest $1.6 million in the program. CEO Dr Kate Cornick said early-stage Angel and VCs have been a driving force behind Victoria’s greatest startup success stories.

“The backing of educated investors means our brightest startup founders will have more opportunities to scale. Victorians are also set to reap the benefits of a growing startup ecosystem through the creation of high-skill jobs, global export opportunities and overall economic uplift,” she said.

 “The immersive executive education program has already unlocked a new wave of Angel and VC investors who are equipped with knowledge, skills, networks and the confidence to invest in early-stage startups here in Victoria and across the country.

“We expect the next 75 VC Catalyst participants will boost the sector ecosystem and help close the gap in early-stage funding into the future.”

More than 60 investors have taken part since 2019 subsequently investing more than $15 million in startups.

Prominent alumni include Adore Beauty and Glow Capital Partners co-founder Kate Morris, and Tractor Ventures, co-founders Aprill Allen and Jodie Imam.  

Morris said she found the VC Catalyst program extremely valuable.

“It helped me to crystallise my own specific point of difference as an investor, and to develop a framework for assessing investment opportunities,” she said.

 “In addition to having a good balance of theory and practice, the VC Catalyst network has been valuable in providing additional investment opportunities. There is no doubt that the program lives up to its name, in that it catalyses early-stage investment by equipping investors with the knowledge and tools they need to be effective investors.”

More on the VC Catalyst program, is available at wadeinstitute.org.au/vccatalyst.