 Wednesday, June 05, 2024 Angel Capital Association Awards Prestigious Hans Severiens Award to Sage Growth Capital’s Dr. Kevin Learned
For Immediate Release
Angel Capital Association Awards Prestigious Hans Severiens Award
Columbus, OH – At the 2024 Summit of Angel Investing, the Angel Capital Association (ACA) awarded its most prestigious recognition, the Hans Severiens Award, to Sage Growth Capital’s Partner and past member of the Angel Capital Association Board of Directors Dr. Kevin Learned. His impact as the Founding Chair of its Education and Smart Practices Committee has meant that thousands of Angel investors, ecosystem builders and entrepreneurs have been touched by his dedication not only to the art of angel investing, but by his contributions to the body of smart practices.
The Hans Severiens Award recognizes personal impact on the advancement of angel investing globally and highlights the special relationship that angels and entrepreneurs build to innovate, create jobs, and drive the economy. The ACA honored Learned for his contributions to the world of angel investing at the 2024 Summit of Angel Investing.
Over a lifetime of work, Learned has been an entrepreneur, Angel investor, academic and accountant. Under his leadership and alongside his dear friend Bill Payne, the ACA created the Ann and Bill Payne ACA Angel University, which now consists of 10 courses offering training in basic and advanced angel investing.
“The Education program helps Angels engage intelligently, to avoid the mistakes of early investors because the body of knowledge didn’t exist. My legacy is the work I’ve done to institutionalize the body of smart practices and provide a vehicle for supplying that information to new Angel investors and sophisticated investors both,” said Learned.
Under Learned’s leadership, the ACA has also strengthened other innovative initiatives, including the white paper and publication series and a broadened webinar program. Through these activities, his thought leadership, his in-depth skills as an educator and his infectious enthusiasm have touched and transformed thousands of angel investors and benefitted the tens of thousands of companies these angels have invested in.
While he did not originate the Revenue Based Finance alternative to traditional VC-style high growth risk capital, Learned has been instrumental in its evolution, best practices and increasing popularity. He has written and lectured extensively on the subject, cofounded two RBF funds and is enabling the ACA to become a center for RBF financial knowledge and investor support. By creating two funds as robust examples of RBFs in action and by popularizing RBF methods he has created a funding model applicable to the 85%+ firms untouched by standard Angel finance. He has not only broadened small business access to capital but is now playing a leading role in attracting angels who can provide such capital and educating investors and small businesses nationally in how to become providers or recipients of this exciting, new capital source.
“I fundamentally believe that the US economy and the innovation economy is driven by entrepreneurs. It’s the new entrepreneurs that create new things. They need capital in order to do that - capital doesn’t make innovation, but it’s hard to innovate if you don’t have capital. And Angels are the first provider of that capital. I believe that and I’ve put my own capital to work that way over the years, and I think the service that the ACA provides to this community is terribly important,” said Learned.
While still a Partner at Sage Growth Capital, Learned is leaning into, as he says, “scratching new itches.” Never one to stop learning and exploring, he’s now taken up a new pastime - as part of the Idaho Master Naturalist program in his home base of Boise, ID.
“I’m a curious guy and love learning new things. I’m now a volunteer as part of the Bee Watch - a program that helps scientists create a database around the number of insects around a flowering plant. It’s citizen science, it’s not about the economy but allows me to stay intellectually engaged.”
To learn more about Revenue Based Financing, read these articles online:
### About Sage Growth Capital Sage Growth Capital makes revenue-financed investments in companies at any stage who need growth capital. It is our mission to provide a more flexible funding option to growing companies who do not fit traditional equity or lending models. To learn more about Sage Growth Capital or to apply for funding, visit our website at www.sagegrowthcapital.com .
About the Angel Capital Association (ACA) The Angel Capital Association (ACA) is the professional association of global angel investors to offer education, best practices, data, public policy advocacy, and significant benefits and resources to its membership of more than 14,000 accredited investors, who invest individually or through its 250+ angel groups, accredited platforms, and family offices. Visit angelcapitalassociation.org. Contact: Director of, Marketing, Dannielle Stewart P: 720-496-3646 - dstewart@angelcapitalassociation.org Tags: |
