Centennial Investors: Angel Investing and Early-Stage Venture Capital

Core Business and Function

Centennial Investors operates fundamentally as a collaborative investment forum and a source of risk capital for nascent companies. It is structured around two principal investment mechanisms that define its services and products:

1. The Centennial Angel Network

The Centennial Angel Network serves as the primary "product" for its accredited investor members. It is a forum where active, accredited investors gather to efficiently and collaboratively evaluate promising, early-stage investment opportunities.

• Product for Investors: The Network offers curated deal flow, structured evaluation, and a collective due diligence process. Members pay an annual fee for access to these opportunities and the dinner meetings where pitching and evaluation take place. The goal is to facilitate informed, collaborative investments in companies primarily located in Mid-Missouri and the surrounding states.
• Service for Entrepreneurs: For entrepreneurs, the Network is the primary conduit for securing equity capital. Companies that apply for funding are put through a multi-step screening process. Promising deals are invited to present to the Network members, followed by an intensive due diligence process, which is often assisted by students in the Allen Angel Capital Education Program. The Network???s members typically prefer to invest in deals requiring $150,000 to $500,000 in equity capital.

2. The Centennial Catalyst Fund

The Centennial Catalyst Fund is a separate vehicle created to help fledgling companies succeed, often providing the first outside capital an enterprise receives.

• Product: The Fund makes smaller, initial investments, typically up to $25,000. This product is specifically designed to bridge the gap for the earliest-stage ventures, making it an essential service for businesses emerging from university labs or initial concept phases. Investment decisions for this fund are made by a dedicated committee appointed by the Fund's board of directors.

Products and Services for Portfolio Companies

Centennial Investors??? value proposition extends well beyond simply providing cash. The organization offers a suite of support services designed to increase the probability of success for its portfolio companies, assisting with bringing to market exciting ideas generated in university labs and private businesses.

• Capital Investment: Providing essential early-stage funding. The organization has invested more than $12 million in over 30 startups.
• Constructive Feedback and Mentorship: CI members actively work together to evaluate deal opportunities and offer ongoing support and constructive feedback to the management teams of the companies they invest in.
• Strategic Assistance: By focusing on high-growth potential ventures (favoring those with a path to $20 million or more in revenue by five years), the investors are committed to guiding the company's growth trajectory and securing subsequent funding rounds.

Investment Focus and Sector Concentration

Centennial Investors exhibits a distinct geographic and sectoral preference, aligning with the regional strengths of Mid-Missouri and its associated universities.

• Target Location: There is a strong preference for firms located in Mid-Missouri. While firms in the broader state of Missouri and adjoining states are considered, deals with no Missouri connection are only considered if the opportunity is exceptional and can be conveniently monitored.
• Target Sectors: The organization favors technology-based startup and early-stage companies, with a significant concentration in high-impact sectors including:
  • Life Sciences and Therapeutics: Investments include companies developing proprietary drug products for cancer vaccines and chemoprotective agents for conditions like oral mucositis.
  • Food and Agriculture Technology (AgTech): Examples include providers of enzyme-based crop biological solutions and companies developing next-generation trait delivery technology for high-yielding food crops.
  • Enterprise and Information Technology: Portfolio companies include firms offering cloud-based Accounts Payable automation software solutions and specialized technology for personalized medicine platforms.
  • Deep Technology and Manufacturing: Investments cover advanced solutions like specialty surgical product providers, cryopreservation platform technology, and high-efficiency thermal-mechanical structures using oscillating heat pipe technology for aerospace and defense.

In summary, Centennial Investors' core products are its pooled investment capital and its expert Angel Network, providing both the financial resources and the collective industry experience necessary to transform science and technology ideas into scalable, revenue-generating businesses.