Understanding angel investing in India: an exploratory study based on publicly available data

Abstract

Informal equity investing, of which angel investing is an important, if not perhaps the most important, constituent, has been around for a very long time in India. It has been gaining momentum in the past decade thanks to a number of factors, including that of the emergence of angel networks. However, the field of informal equity investing is relatively under-researched in India except for Rajan (2012). This paper attempts to improve the current understanding of the field in three ways. First, it endeavours to map out the investment activity that has been undertaken by a variety of angels, including some of the more prominent angel networks in India, and outline their approach to investing, examine their approaches in comparison to that of individual or other types of angels, to see if there are any distinctions. Second, it attempts to gather investment level data to draw a profile of their investment focus. Third, it profiles the kinds of investors who are active through the various angel networks. This paper is entirely based on information available in the public domain. Thus yet another purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which information is available in the public domain, having recognized that this field of activity is as yet relatively un-regulated except in the case of those pools of investment capital that are regulated by the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulation, 20123, as amended. The paper is organised as follows. The first section reviews relevant research. The second section discusses the source of data and our approach to analysis. The third section presents our findings. The fourth section discusses the findings and points to potential for future research.