Angel investing is often described as one of the most exciting, but also most misunderstood, parts of the startup ecosystem. It is a high-risk investment activity that requires long-term thinking, a clear investment strategy, the ability to spot high-potential ideas and teams, belief in people, and strong industry knowledge.
Especially in emerging markets, many high-quality ideas are being created today that need direction and early support. At the same time, there are relatively few angel investors in the region, which creates a strong opportunity for existing and new angels to participate in deals more exclusively, fund high-potential tech startups, share their expertise and knowledge, and make high-risk investments with the aim of achieving high returns.
This is exactly why Angel Academy, an initiative by Axel – Business Angel Network, was developed.
For its upcoming online batch, Angel Academy is launching a two-week intensive online course in English, designed for people who want to start angel investing, deepen their understanding of early-stage startup investments, technology trends, or – if they are founders – learn how investors actually think, network with key regional ecosystem members, and gain hands-on experience.
📌 The course starts soon, and registration is now open.
👉 https://axelnetwork.org/online_edition
A Practical Course Built for Real-World Investing
The Angel Academy online program runs for 2 weeks and is delivered fully online. The course has limited spots and is available to only 30 participants for this batch.
The program includes 6 sessions (20 hours in total), combining theoretical and practical foundations, hands-on exercises, real startup case studies, panel discussions, and a final investment simulation.
By the end of the course, participants should be able to confidently evaluate startups and make their own early-stage investment decisions. That is why the curriculum is designed to gradually build an investor’s mindset. The six core topics are:
- Angel Investing Fundamentals & Emerging Market Ecosystem Overview
- How Investors Think & Founders’ Perspective
- Due Diligence, Risk & Red Flags
- Valuation, Financial Logic & Deal Economics
- Deal Structuring & Cross-Border Investing
- Portfolio Strategy, Exits & Angel Value
Learning by Doing Method: Gamified Token System
While the topics themselves are super serious, the learning format is engaging, fun, and practical.
Angel Academy uses a gamified learning model built around a token-based investment simulation. No real money is involved during the program, but the decision-making is very real.
Here’s how it works:
At the first session, participants receive draft evaluation criteria used for assessing tech startups. Each participant then builds and refines their own personal investment criteria throughout the course.
After every session, participants update their criteria based on what they’ve learned – financial metrics, team quality, red flags, market risks, or deal structure nuances. Short summaries and guidance are shared after each session to help participants shape their thinking, but the final criteria remain personal and individual.
In parallel, a token system runs throughout the course:
- Every participant starts with 5,000 tokens
- Each session attended and active participation adds +1,000 tokens
- Participants who attend all sessions reach 10,000 tokens by the final meeting
During the final session, 5–6 pre-selected tech startups pitch in an investor-style format. Participants then use their accumulated tokens to simulate investment decisions deciding which startups they would invest in, and how much.
The course ends with a comparison of decisions, group analysis, and discussion around why different investors made different choices to mirror how real angel syndicates work.
A Truly International Speaker Line-Up
Although Angel Academy focuses on emerging markets, the program is intentionally international. Each batch of Axel’s courses brings together 20+ invited speakers from:
- 🇬🇪 Georgia
- 🇹🇷 Turkey
- 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
- 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
- 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
- 🇪🇺 European Union
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 USA
Speakers include experienced angel investors, exited and successful active startup founders, venture capital fund representatives, and business angel network managers.
This allows participants to hear regional realities alongside international practices and to understand how global investment standards translate into local contexts.
Sessions range from ecosystem overviews and decision-making under uncertainty, to deep dives into due diligence, valuation simulations, SAFE agreement and convertible notes, exits, and portfolio construction.
Supported by a Strong Ecosystem
Angel Academy is organized by Axel in collaboration with a wide network of ecosystem partners. Partner organizations include DOMiNO Ventures, SABAH.Fund, IT Park Uzbekistan, Startup Moldova, Future Laboratory, AloqaVentures, Most Fund, GEC, Kudos Georgia, Inmerge Ventures, and others.
This partnership network connects participants to real ecosystems, real deal flow, and real people across multiple countries.
About Axel and Angel Academy
Founded in 2021, Axel is Georgia’s first and largest business angel network, bringing together 100+ angel investors. Through Axel, more than $1.8 million has been invested across 30+ early-stage tech startups with global ambitions.
Axel is industry-agnostic and focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies. Beyond investing, Axel actively works on ecosystem development, investor education, mentorship, and cross-border collaboration. It is also a Board Member of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) and a member of GenGlobal (Global Entrepreneurship Network)..
Angel Academy is Axel’s educational initiative, created to:
- educate new and aspiring angel investors,
- help professionals enter the startup investment space,
- and give founders a clear understanding of the investor mindset.
For those ready to take their first step into angel investing – or to sharpen their existing experience the upcoming Angel Academy online batch offers a structured, practical, and international learning environment.
👉 Register for the course:
https://axelnetwork.org/online_edition
And for those interested in becoming part of Georgia’s leading angel network and investing alongside experienced investors:
👉 Join Axel as an angel investor:
https://axelnetwork.org/forinvestors
Angel investing is never risk-free. But learning how to do it well, especially in emerging markets, can make all the difference.
