Informal investors in the Ottawa-Carleton region: experiences and expectations

This research reports on the investment experience of a sample of informal investors in the Ottawa-Carleton area who have made 156 investments involving $16 million between 1981 and 1986. In addition, the expectations and requirements of these investors with respect to future investments are presented. It is found that investors surveyed seemed to hold realistic expectations regarding the outcome of their risk capital investments. It is also found that the informal marketplace for risk capital is both a local and a personal marketplace. Whereas our knowledge of the characteristics and motivations of informal investors remains incomplete, questions are raised regarding the impact of various public policy incentives that seem to have been targeted at informal investors. An agenda for future research is specified.