Martine (39) is an angel investor: “You don’t need to have a million in the bank.”

“In 2020, we moved to the Philippines for my partner’s work. While we were still in the Netherlands, I was temping as a communications professional, and I wondered how I could use my PR and marketing background to do good in a developing country – instead of making rich companies even richer!

Before the big move, that idea had brought me into contact with the Dutch founder of the bag brand Notadaydream. This social enterprise trains women from Manila’s slums to make bags, enabling them to earn a fair wage in their local community and send their children to school.

As the founder was returning to the Netherlands, she asked me to continue the enterprise together with a business associate. We invested time and our own money in building up Notadaydream to what it is today: a profitable brand that supports ten female employees on a fair wage. This was the first time I saw how investing time and money into a project can make it bigger and better. It really is possible to turn a profit while making the world a better place. Bring on the next challenge, I thought!

In 2022, we relocated once more for my husband’s work, this time to Kuala Lumpur. Notadaydream is now managed by someone in the Philippines, but I’m still involved as an adviser. Although parting ways after so little time was difficult, that brief period taught me a lot about the power of ‘doing good by doing business’. That’s the reason I set up JungleBird Agency in 2022. We’re an impact PR agency that helps companies in the Netherlands and Asia make a positive impact and turn a profit at the same time.

JungleBird brought me into contact with an early-stage entrepreneur. We started talking after she told me about her idea to develop a family app that improves how children and parents use their smartphones. As a mother of two young children, it was a topic I had first-hand experience with. And I’m not the only one. Other parents I know are also concerned about their children’s smartphone use. What’s stopping us from making a positive change? We hit it off immediately. I loved her idea so much, I joined the company – ChatLicense – as a co-founder.

We’ve since brought a ‘driver’s licence’ game for smartphones to market, available in the App Store and Google Play Store, to teach children how to use their smartphone safely. The app also has an information portal for parents, helping them to understand the challenges faced by their children’s generation.

There are six people on the co-founding team. Each contributes their own expertise and has invested their own money. It wasn’t an easy decision to become a co-founder: using your own savings to fund a start-up is risky, not to mention scary. It’s also a very personal investment because you’re taking on a long-term commitment. You can only do that if you feel a genuine connection with the team and stand behind the company’s mission. That’s exactly how I felt with ChatLicense, so I gave it my all.

Right now, I spend about 75% of my time on ChatLicense. We’re about to enter a funding round, after attending the world’s largest tech event in the US in 2023. It’s awesome to be part of that, but I also want to keep making an impact here in South East Asia.

A friend introduced me to a network of about 200 women angel investors who invest their own capital in start-ups in Asia Pacific. The huge benefit of this network is that you can share knowledge and experiences with other members. I don’t know the local market well enough, and I don’t want to make decisions on my own.

Lots of people think angel investing involves tons of money. These networks break down those kinds of barriers, since you’re investing as a collective. Your individual investment can start at $5,000. You work with other angels to raise the whole amount, which is usually between $50,000 and $150,000 in a seed funding or Series A funding round. That’s when the company is already operational and needs capital to upscale.

We’re never the lead investor, but we always fund the last bit. Imagine you’re a start-up that needs $700,000. At least $550,000 of that has to be funded by an investment fund or someone else. This helps to show that you’ve already covered most of your funding requirements.

The network is managed by two women who pick and choose deals. I hop on weekly video calls to listen to various business pitches. If I’m interested, I’ll be given access the investor data room. Pitches are a chance for me to get to know the people behind the start-up. That’s what I focus on. A new company doesn’t have clear structures – it stands or falls with the team.

The numbers need to make sense, too. I’m still new to assessing the financial side of things, so it’s great that I can trust and learn from the other women in the collective who do know about it. It’s been a personal learning experience for me. I also regularly discuss things with my partner, who has a background in finance, and I listen to lots of podcasts about start-ups. My favourites are ‘Suits & Hoodies’ and ‘Baanbrekende Businessmodellen’ by BNR.

The most important lesson my network has taught me is that you need to recognise entrepreneurs who are so in love with their product or service, they’re blind to everything else. That feeling might change in the early stages. Are they prepared to adapt and focus on the problem they ultimately want to solve?

I’ve now invested in several companies, and each investment decision is made mindfully. The bottom line is that a start-up must aim to make a positive impact on the world, as that’s at the core of everything I do. I also need to feel a personal connection with the business’s mission, like ChatLicense. Famtech, foodtech and edtech start-ups catch my eye, which is why I’m now in talks with the Asian branch of Too Good to Go. It’s a fantastic product, but are their plans realistic?

The network lets me actively search for opportunities to invest my money for a better world and my own future. Businesswoman that I am, I’m responsible for sorting out my own pension. The return on investment is usually between 20 and 30%, but you could just as easily lose what you’ve paid in. That risk is higher if you’re investing in a new business, which is why I make sure everything is balanced. My aim is to commit 15% of my own money to angel investments. I’ve also been investing in shares and some index tracker funds over the last few years, but angel investing lets me make a much bigger positive impact on society. Everyone benefits.

While lots of angel investors are business owners, it’s not a must. For instance, my collective has a university professor and law firm partner. What you do need is a business mindset, however. You’ve got to be interested in business, recognise what drives business owners and understand business models, otherwise you won’t be able to make smart decisions. That said, nobody expects you to be a pro investor from day one. These collectives break down that initial barrier and let you gain knowledge and experience gradually.

I hope I can be an example for other women in an investment world still dominated by men. There are plenty of women with money to invest and who could get involved. You really don’t need a million in the bank.”

Investing involves risk. You could lose all or part of your initial investment.