Investing Human Capital: Angel Cognition and Active Involvement in Business Angel Groups

The present research sets out to reach a better understanding of the determinants of business angels’ active involvement in making business angel groups accomplish diverse functions and building cognitive resources and shared competencies. We develop a framework where angels’ decision making style and professional experience are key in explaining their degree and type of involvement with diverse business angel group activities. To test the related propositions, we conduct a questionnaire survey with the members of one of the largest French business angel groups. Our results show that business angels with a control-oriented decision-making style, as well as angels with previous professional experiences as a CEO and in marketing and sales, tend to be more actively involved in key angel group activities, both with regard to investment related activities and angel group management activities. While discussing the results, we propose a tentative model of angel group cognition and outcomes for future extensions of the present research.