In our latest Meet The Investor interview we introduce you to Ben Legg, an angel investor and startup founder driven by a passion for promising founders and innovative ideas. Ben believes in the long-term benefits of angel investing, from gaining insights into fresh ideas to building wealth for retirement and the ‘warm, fuzzy feeling’ of truly making a difference.
He shares his views on the exciting sectors gaining his interest, offers valuable advice for startups raising in the present climate, and why the mentoring power of angel investors is a formidable quality that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Why did you become an angel investor?
I have been mentoring founders for 15+ years. Now and again I would be mentoring a really promising one, and after a few months would think ‘I really believe in this founder, team and business’, so six years ago I started to invest in 1-2 companies per year.
What are the key benefits of being an angel investor?
Being an angel investor gives me three benefits:
- Insight. It’s really interesting to be exposed to so many fresh ideas
- Pension. This is my way of building long-term wealth for my retirement.
- Warm, fuzzy feeling. It just feels good to help entrepreneurs who want to make the world a better place.
What are the key benefits of being an angel investor?
Firstly, I am always focused on the future of work, plus related areas (e.g. adult education). That is where I am building my own startup – The Portfolio Collective, which helps professionals understand, launch, manage and grow successful portfolio careers.
