“Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint – it can take between eight to 12 years to get a return and a business success.”

The words of Jenny Tooth OBE, CEO of UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA).

She was speaking at a new event hosted by Dorset Business Angels (DBA) and aimed at encouraging more women into angel investing.

During the webinar – the A-Z of Angel Investing – she shared many golden nuggets of wisdom and experience from her years on the investing scene.

UKBAA is the trade body for angel investing across the UK.

Jenny has been CEO since 2012 and gave an insight into the network, which has over 200 member bodies from across the industry.

They include 84 angel groups with more than 15,000 angels as well as 30 venture capital funds, 17 online platforms, 25 accelerators and 62 associates.

Jenny explored what a business angel is and the opportunities.

An angel investor profile was described as someone investing their own capital and making their own decisions, using either spare wealth or financial resources, taking shares in return for providing equity capital but also providing support, advice and expertise to their investee business.

Jenny said: “A lot of men and women investing nowadays do it alongside their day jobs, it’s not just something to do in retirement.

“It’s not always about the money that is being invested, it’s about the value added and seeing what you can do to help and make a difference to the business.

“Angel investing can be fun, exciting and sociable.

“I would always recommend doing with others and joining a syndicate, never invest alone.

“There is a level of altruism in that very often it’s the opportunity to make a real difference to your local economy and the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint – it can take between eight to 12 years to get a return and a business success.

“Build a portfolio of investments and make sure it’s mixed, don’t put  all your investments into one particular niche or field.

“Your investment does not need to be huge, with opportunities starting at around £5,000.

“Start small and build and grow.”

When asked what to look out for in a business Jenny said: “The people in a business make all the difference.

“Do they have the necessary commitment, the passion and drive?

“Is the business scalable, does it have the right business model to be able to build and grow?

“How innovative or disruptive is it in its niche?

“How far will your money help it to stand out?”

Joining Jenny for a discussion was seasoned angel investor Bridget Connell, who started investing after a corporate career including stints at logistics giant DHL and mobile phone operator Telefónica.

She sits on the advisory board of the Angel Academe syndicate and works as a mentor and executive coach.

Bridget is listed as a UKBAA’s top 20 women angel investor and describes her investment lens as ‘female founded tech businesses’ with an interest around teams and people.

She described her journey into angel investment and her advice was clear as she described how she found her first deal.

Bridget said: “I went to a few different investment syndicates to get a sense of what they were like and how it worked – I eventually settled on one that made me feel very comfortable and I liked the people involved.

“I learned that angel investing is a team sport.

“I also did some courses, I read and I attended different pitch events.

“I wanted to understand, learn and explore before engaging with angel investing, it was certainly an education.

“I would suggest sitting through due diligence in your syndicate, look and learn, hold your nerve and remember, you don’t always have to invest.

“Angel investing has been fascinating and so enjoyable and has led to me meeting all sorts of interesting people.”

Don McQueen, DBA Chairman, pictured left, said he was delighted at the success of the event.

He added: “We had over 40 people attend and the feedback we have received has been excellent.

“We are really hoping to improve and encourage more women on to the investment scene, younger investors too.

“Videos of the event are available to view online and we would urge anyone interested in angel investing to take a look.

“Our new pitch event takes place on June 14 and registrations can be made online at dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk

“We would like to offer thanks to our event sponsors, Saffery Champness Accountants Partner Liz Brierley, Ellis Jones Solicitors Partner Kate Brooks and Senior Investment Director Hannah Dampney and Financial Planning Director Amanda Cook from Investec Wealth & Investment.

“Each shared their relevant professional and financial areas of expertise to support the angel investing process.

“The success of the event was certainly a team effort.”

• The main presentation can be seen here.