Side effect from an angel investment function in Oamaru has been the detection of a ''huge appetite'' from people wanting a better understanding of what it is all about, organiser Nicolas Erdody says.
The Angel Association New Zealand (AANZ) networking event was held in Oamaru in April and, following it, Mr Erdody was approached by many people who all shared a strong interest in learning how it worked.
In response, he has decided to organise a series of workshops for ''business, entrepreneurs and ideas people'' throughout the South Island.
The workshops covered how to begin a new business, start-up or project, getting funding, the ''big leap'' to high growth ventures, going nationwide or global, corporate entrepreneurship (how to start a new venture inside your business) and women as entrepreneurs.
They were being presented in association with Aoraki Polytechnic, Upstart business incubator, AANZ and Catalyst IT and were a mix of fun, strategy and contribution, he said.
His ''big goal'' was to foster economic development and he was also hoping to involve secondary schools in entrepreneurship and new venture development, even with the possibility of a Waitaki ''Dragons' Den''.
The national angel summit meeting is being held on October 31 and November 1 in Dunedin and there was strong interest from the AANZ council to have representation from North Otago, he said.
The next angel investor meeting in Oamaru is being held tomorrow, with guest speaker Sam Ragnarsson.
A software and business consultant, Mr Ragnarsson, originally from Iceland and now living in Christchurch, will discuss how innovation can be originated from anywhere.
He has created start-ups in China, the United States and Japan.
