HOW WE CHOOSE OUR INVESTMENTS

Since 2023, AwakenAngels has grown into a dynamic force in early-stage investing, building an engaged, knowledgeable, and impact-driven investor community across Ireland and the Irish diaspora

How we build our portfolio

At AwakenAngels, we know our investors’ time and capital are valuable. That’s why we’ve developed a clear, structured, and robust seven-step process to ensure only the most investible women-led businesses advance to pitch to our syndicate members.

Our seven-step selection process

Here’s how it works:

Membership & Eligibility Check

We only consider founders who are members of AwakenHub, our sister organisation. This ensures we know the founders, they are connected to our ecosystem, have access to preparation support, and are fully invested in the process. We also ask that they meet the following criteria:

Women-led (cofounders can be men or women)
Located and registered on the island of Ireland
At pre-seed or seed stage, and suitable for early-stage angel investment
Market validated with clear signs of customer demand and commercial potential

Submission of Investment Deck

We invite founders to submit a comprehensive investment deck for consideration, outlining their traction, business model, and funding requirements.

Initial Screening

Our deal leaders (13 experienced investors and advisors) conduct a first-pass review of every submission to ensure it aligns with our standards and investor expectations.

Founder Preparation

We believe prepared founders make better investments. Founders may be matched with mentors or receive feedback ahead of pitching, ensuring they are investment-ready before presenting to syndicate members.

Syndicate Pitch Events

Only the strongest applicants are invited to present at our regular AwakenAngels pitch events, attended by our growing syndicate of over 140 investors. This ensures that investor time is focused on quality opportunities only.

Rigorous Due Diligence

If there is interest among our syndicate members, our trained deal leaders lead the due diligence process, covering valuation, legal frameworks, growth potential, and governance. This structured review reduces individual risk and ensures collective confidence in any opportunity we present.

Investment & Ongoing Support

Once an opportunity is approved, syndicate members invest as a group, minimising personal risk while maximising impact. A key aspect of our AwakenAngels syndicate is that we strive to ensure our portfolio companies benefit not only from capital, but also from the expertise, skills, and networks of our investor community.