Asia's Impact Angels: How Business Angel Investing can Support Social Enterprise in Asia (original) (raw)

Business Angels are typically high-net-worth individuals who invest their money and time into the early stage businesses of others with the objective of a financial return. They do so by acting either alone or in formal or informal syndicates called angel groups or networks. While angel investing in purely commercial ventures is widespread in countries with strong enterprise cultures, relatively little has been reported on the practice of angel investing for impact, i.e., providing capital and advice to social businesses whose intentional purpose is to create social value profitably. We report here 13 impact angel investment initiatives in Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Taiwan, and offer a tentative typology. New forms of enterprise, which address social problems or provide goods and services to low income communities, are gaining traction in Asia. We suggest that angel investing offers a useful model for the financing of start-up and early stage social enterprises in Asia.