Catherine Mott has already accomplished what most of us hope to achieve in the “hereafter.” Namely, she leads a group of angels.
Catherine, who looks so youthful I am persuaded that she began her business career at age 10, is a founding partner of the Wexford-based BlueTree Capital Group and BlueTree Allied Angels. Soft-spoken and always stylish, she is smart, highly motivated and rejoices in challenges.
I was able to convince Catherine to fold her wings long enough for me to ask a few questions:
Jim Roddey: Please explain what your company does and in particular, what is an angel?
Catherine Mott: BlueTree Capital Group facilitates and manages BlueTree Allied Angels (BTAA). BTAA is a group of accredited investors who aggregate their money, knowledge, and expertise to invest in early-stage companies – essentially, this type of investment asset is classified as venture capital. We’re called “angels” because we take the big risk of providing a company with start-up capital.
JR: What is the process for selecting investment opportunities for your angels to consider?
CM: We have a pre-screening process to vet out business plans and then we schedule an official screening meeting with a committee of BlueTree investors and technical advisors. If a company meets our preliminary investment criteria, it is then presented to the rest of the investors. If we have a minimum of 10 investors interested, we proceed to delve into due diligence. We aggregate the due diligence findings and write a summary of the findings to share with the investment group.
JR: How do you identify angel investors and how do they become part of your group?
CM: Most of our investors are referred by other investors – or they hear about us via the press or word of mouth.
JR: Tell me about your partner, Tom Jones, and how the two of you conceived the idea for your business.
CM: Tom and I were both researching “angel networks” and bumped into each other at a National Association of Seed and Venture Funds conference. When we realized that we were both from the Pittsburgh region, we agreed to form a partnership.
JR: Can you talk about some of your successes?
CM: We’ve had some “up-rounds” (when investors pay a higher price per share for stock than in the last round) in our portfolio and a couple of our companies are engaged in discussions with potential acquirers, but since this information is confidential, I can’t provide company names.
JR: Has there been an occasion when your angels got their wings clipped?
CM: Oh yes. One of our companies is clearly in trouble. But we use this to our advantage. We discuss lessons learned and how we can prevent this from happening again. However, of 12 companies in our portfolio, to only have one headache is well above average in our industry.
JR: Other than money, what keeps you motivated?
CM: I think all angels will tell you the thrill is in the hunt! It’s the journey – it’s the searching for the one company that’s the “out of the ballpark” deal that not only makes a difference in your wallet, but it makes a difference in your neighborhood.
JR: Tell me about your life outside of business.
CM: I’m a Lutheran – I love my church and God. I enjoy running, golf, gardening, animals, and time with really good people who have really good hearts .... I feel very fortunate to know many good people. I love to learn from others – I have a passion for “continuous improvement” personally and professionally. I have a significant other, John, who is my best friend and supports me unconditionally.
Catherine Mott, a successful businesswoman – recognized and respected in her profession for her accomplishments and in her community for her contributions. Who better to trust with your investments than a beautiful leader of angels?
*Photo by Aimee Obidzinski