Founder of UMAY Angels Club on how the venture investment market is developing in Central Asia and where business angels can find like-minded individuals

Alim Khamitov, city — Almaty, CEO & Founder UMAY Angels Club

About the angel investment market

If you look at the figures over the past 10 years, venture funds worldwide are raising more and more money each year.

The Central Asian market is also growing. One indicator is the emergence of venture funds. We are glad that we already have clubs like UMAY, ADIL Capital, ALIDA Foundation, White Hill Capital, Public Capital, and others. In Kyrgyzstan, there is its own Business Angel Association. In Uzbekistan, you can also find investors and partners. We are also actively supporting Tajikistan, where Tajikistan National Capital operates.

Another indicator of market growth is the influx of international venture funds. I know that next year, three more funds will enter the Central Asian market, including from the US and the UK. This means that competition is growing, our market is being recognized, and its opportunities and potential are being seen.

According to our estimates, the investment market volume in Kazakhstan is $90-100 million. In Central Asia, it is $120-130 million. But this is just the beginning.

Therefore, it is so important to actively build a community of people who care, who are ready to risk their money, enter deals, and invest in young startups.

About the features of UMAY Angels Club

In 2022, we gathered a team of 79 angels. We hope to gather 100 angels by the end of the year. At the same time, our participants are active. We studied the experience of other clubs. There may be 700 angels in other clubs, but not all of them invest. Out of the 79 angels in the UMAY Club, 27 angels invest once or several times a year. For us, this is a good indicator of activity.

We are not limited territorially and want to become an International club, going beyond Central Asia.

Every month we secure at least one deal. We plan to increase this number.

$10,000 is the minimum contribution to the Project.

In a year, we held 10 club meetings and three training sessions. We regularly improve our educational methods. We show specific deals and explain why we entered them.

Recently, we flew to the US. The trip was productive, and we decided to make such trips annually. In addition to the US, we plan to visit Israel and Singapore. We will take the best practices, improve ourselves, and gain access to the deals available there.

Why it is beneficial to be part of an investor community

1. Deal Quality

One of the main advantages is the quality of deals. This ensures future success and profitability.

We understand that any angel should strive for diversification. Their goal is to create a high-quality diversified portfolio. But when someone brings a new deal, it is always a reputational risk. Therefore, we conduct thorough due diligence. We trust each other.

2. Networking

In the venture investor community, you will find communication with people who share similar views and values. We hold various events. For example, we recently organized the Central Asian Venture Forum.

3. Education

One of the missions of our Club is organizing educational events and schools for entrepreneurs. We invite speakers, mentors, and experts from abroad who share their experience.

About plans

Our goal is to actively grow in numbers so that there will be 200 people in the Club. Of them, 100 angels should invest at least once.

We see that people from other countries come to us. This means they are ready to communicate with us, learn, and invest in local Projects.

We plan to increase the target from one deal per month to two or three.

We will build the right network, help startups grow, hold meetings, and fulfill our educational mission.

In 2023, we will organize online courses, dedicate time to mentoring and speaking engagements. We will invite top professionals and strengthen our community.