I’m sure many of you would have nvested in stocks at some point of tine in your life, and also experienced that feeling of missing out when the markets hit new highs, and you wished that you had invested more.
However, that feeling is not just limited to the middle class, it seems the feeling of missing out can happen to the rich as well.
Currently, several Bollywood & cricket stars, CEOs, businessmen, basically all the rich Indians are getting into the race to become an angel investor. Amitabh Bachchan,
SRK, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Yuvraj Singh are all angel investors and have stake in several startup companies.
Who is an Angel Investor?
An Angel Investor is basically an investor who provides financial backing for small startups or entrepreneurs. The money they provide can be a one-time injection of seed money or ongoing support to carry the company through difficult times.
Why become an Angel Investor?
There are some who believe that angel investing, besides fetching good returns, gives them the opportunity to work with youngsters so that they can stay abreast with the latest.
For some its another asset class that is good to have in the portfolio, besides investing in stocks and real estate.
However, the main reason seems to be the ‘media hype’ and the ‘glamour’ around most startups in India, the high valuations they command, and some good exits (several cases) where the angel investors have made some good money in very short time.
The glamour is what’s making the rich Indians turn angel investor!
No wonder, even a relative newcomer in the Indian cricket team – Umesh Yadav is investing most of his funds in a starup. the Indian bowler has invested an undisclosed amount in a Kolkatta based fashion startup ‘Fashionove’.
Similarly, several Bollywood celebs are open to the idea of investing in a startup.
Although, it may seem to be a fad currently among the rich Indians, its definitely good news for India as several global concepts are being replicated in India at a much faster pace. Besides, angel investing is also a boon for most Indians, as thousands of ideas die out and don’t get implemented just because of lack of funds.
Here’s another interesting article on rich Indians turning angel investors.