Hannes Blum is an extremely well respected leader in the business community, a successful investor with numerous exits and an active participant in the companies that he invests in. Several successful local companies were strongly shaped through his involvement.
Some of Hannes’ first angel investments were Indochino and Teampages in early 2008. Both have been very successful investments in local teams that were originally based in Victoria. Indochino raised their first large venture round in 2013 with a US $18M infusion from a large Boston based VC. They continue to grow well and raised another US$ 42M in 2016. Teampages sold to Active Network in the US in 2017 and also generated a very good return. Hannes also made a few angel investments through Angellist – one example is US based Authy, which was sold to Twilio before Twilio did an IPO.
Hannes’ recent investments have been focused on Victoria, as he is thrilled to support local startups that have a big vision. He is very excited about the development of Checkfront and SendWithUs. Two very recent investments are Certn and Familysparks where he also has an active advisory or board role. Finally, Hannes plays a large role in strengthening the local investment community including his invaluable role on the Board of the Capital Investment Network.
How is the Angel of the Year Recipient selected?
The Angel of the Year award was established as a joint VIATEC and CIN initiative in 2017. Each year the Capital Investment Network with the support of the local angel investment community selects the recipient of the Angel of the Year award. The winners of the award are investors who raise the profile of local angel investing, demonstrating a high level of investor acumen, serving as mentors to other angels and entrepreneurs and setting a positive example within the angel and business community with a high level of expertise and ethics. The recipient receives their award at the annual VIATEC awards ceremony.