Incentivizing Early Funding with Angel Tax Credits
1. Incentivizing Early Funding
With Angel Tax Credits
Sun, March 15, 3:30pm
Room 412, Hilton Austin Downtown
• Amy Millman, Springboard Enterprises
• Barbara Boxer, BELLE Capital USA
2. Angel Investments in 2013: $24.8 Billion
• Angels investors are high net worth individuals who
make equity investments in companies with high
growth potential.
• Angels make up about 90 percent of early stage
equity investments not covered by friends and family.
STATISTICS (2013)
• $24.8 Billion Total angel investments
• 70,730 Total ventures that received angel funding
• 298,800 Number of active angel investors
* According to the Center for Venture Research. (2013 last full year)
3. What States have Angel Tax Credits?
Many states now allow angel investors to receive a
partial tax credit of the investment they make in early-
stage businesses
• States with incentives:
Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia
4. Benefits of Angel Tax Credits
• Offsets some of the risk inherent in seed investment
• Fills the gap of early stage financing for start-ups
• Helps attract new people to investing in startups
• Leads to more total investment dollars
• Provides government returns in the form of
employment taxes paid by the growing companies that
benefited from these programs
Survey by Tuomi and Boxer
• 69% invested in more firms/more money with credit
• Mode increase in investment: 30%
5. Characteristics of State Angel Credits*
• 25% of investment
• $2M credit maximum
• <50% equity restriction
• <$5M gross revenue at time of investment
• <7 years old
• 5 year carry over of credit
• 3 year equity holding period
* on average
6. FEDERAL Angel Tax Credit Act Provisions
Legislation that would provide investors with Tax credit for
investing in qualified early stage companies
MORE GENEROUS THAN SOME STATES
• 25% of investment
• $2M credit maximum
• $25,000 minimum investment
• <50% equity restriction
• <$1M gross revenue at time of investment
• <7 years old
• <25 employees
• May carry over credits until exhausted
• 3 year equity holding period
7. EXAMPLES OF STATE PROGRAMS
Minnesota - 48% of surveyed angels would not have
made their investment without a 25% credit; 34%
would have invested less
Louisiana -Angel investment tripled -4 years with 50% credit
Maryland
• 160 = Number of companies receiving investments
• 12.1 = Credits issued ($M)
• 152.6 = Total Private capital leveraged ($M)
• 1465 = New local jobs spurred by credit
• 13.79 = Tax on earnings and value added ($M)
8. Questions to Consider
• 1. Do angel tax credits improve deal quality?
• 2. Do angel tax credits only reward investors
who would have invested anyway?
• 3. Can we have both Federal and State angel tax
credits?
• 4. Would the political capital required be too
high?
• 5. Would this place an excessive burden on
businesses filings?
9. • States with Expired Programs:
Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina,
Oklahoma
• States with proposed programs:
Delaware, Massachusetts, Mississippi
• States with no income tax/ program:
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Washington
• States with income tax and no program:
Alabama, California, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania,
Wyoming