Angel Capital Association

This annual summary conveniently consolidates our monthly data learnings. Please enjoy reading these data insights. If you’d like to receive the monthly emails and read them as they are freshly

published, you can subscribe here.

Once a year, key learnings from angel groups are collected and analyzed around angel investments. These insights from ACA angel groups and funds have been shared on a monthly basis in order to help individual angels and angel groups learn more about key trends in our industry and improve outcomes.

Leadership and Committee Chairs Chosen for 118th Congress

With Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) cinching the Speaker’s gavel on the 15th ballot—the highest number of votes since the Civil War—House Republicans quickly began organizing for the 118th Congress.

Two committees especially important to angel investors are the Committee on Financial Services, chaired by Representative Patrick T. McHenry (R-NC) and the Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Representative Jason Smith (R-MO). ACA has strong relationships with both chairs, and we look forward to working with them to push forward a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-angel investor agenda. Chairmen Smith and McHenry will be important allies in formulating tax policy that benefits angel investors and blocking misguided attempts to change the accredited investor definition.

Click here to learn more about the new members of Ways and Means.

Click here to learn more about the House Financial Services Committee’s new subcommittee chairs.

The Angel Investor Foundation’s Seed the Future Campaign has been given extra fuel by the personal pledge from Ann & Bill Payne to match an additional $300,000 in gifts and we have surpassed $1.0 million toward our $2.3 million goal.

This is due to the hundreds of dedicated angels around the country who have already given generously. To you, we send a deep and sincere thank you. We could not be more grateful.

This is a great time for your Angel Group to bolster these efforts and make a worthwhile economic impact. We are already putting dollars to use for education, an expansion in our Data Analytics efforts and more. In the next phases of our campaign, funding will be funneled toward industry wide data analytics and syndication involving both resources and infrastructure.

Go online to donate directly. For questions on how to set up a campaign for your angel group, or more information on how to get involved, please reach out to Development Director Katelynne Staehnke.

This week: Jake Whitman talks fundraising through accredited investors and equity crowdfunding.

On this week’s episode of The Angel Next Door, listeners get a taste of what it takes to build a brand and raise capital as Marcia sits down with angel investor-turned-entrepreneur Jake Whitman. After a successful career with Procter & Gamble and working for SoFi in the SF Bay Area, Jake decided to head to Cincinnati with the objective of buying a company. There he joined Queen City Angels as an angel investor but then decided to enter the entrepreneurial world and start Really Good Boxed Wine.

Listen online here or get the episode anywhere you get your podcast content.

The Luis Villalobos Award recognizes the most ingenious and innovative ideas recently financed by members of the Angel Capital Association. Two category winners will be selected to attend the ACA Summit and honored live and throughout the event. The award is presented to the winning CEOs during the annual awards ceremony at the 2023 ACA Summit (May 16-18, 2023). Companies in all investment sectors are invited to participate and will be considered for one of two Category Winner opportunities. The categories are:

This award honors Luis Villalobos, who founded the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest and most respected angel organizations in the world, in 1997.

Go online to learn more about the incredible work of Luis Villalobos of or information on how to nominate your portfolio company or reach out to Membership Director, Sarah Dickey.

We rely entirely on your group’s participation in compiling the various data points and are now reaching out to collect your group’s 2022 investment and exit data.

We developed a new and much easier spreadsheet for you to utilize. Click here to download! We are also here to help you.

To get started, please confirm via a quick response to this message to the Data Analytics Committee Chair Rick Timmins directly so that we can count on you to submit your group’s 2022 information.

Register for Winter Angel University Sessions – in murky, uncertain times, make sure you have the critical tools for success.

We invite ACA members and all investors to join this group of peers for deals (free for ACA members). We are getting started at 3:30p ET but register today as there is homework before we start. Investor attendees receive advance information about presenting companies so that everyone is prepared for a great session.

Wednesday, February 22, 12:00-1:00pm ET

Free to ACA Members

$100 Non Members

Join Juan Thurman and listen to your fellow angels and startup CEOs discuss climate tech investment opportunities enhanced by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The webinar will cover the following topics:

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 12:00-1:00pm ET

Free to ACA Members

$100 Non Members

Do Angel Investors Always Have to Purchase Equity?

Former ACA board member Kevin Learned and his partners decided to pilot revenue-based capital as an alternative to typical equity. Now in their fourth year, Sage Growth Capital provides capital to early-stage companies in exchange for a small share of their revenue until Sage has received an agreed upon return. Kevin will discuss the Sage experience, including how deploying this type of capital may leverage the angels’ equity investments.

The ACA Summit in 2023 is moving west to Vegas! Join us for three days of quality content, interactive discussions and vibrant networking to elevate your angel investing experience. Whether you are a new or experienced investor, angel group leader or part of the broader community supporting entrepreneurs and early stage investments, you’ll learn the latest on trending topics and meet new people, all to help improve your outcomes.

Our all-star lineup of speakers will kick off informative and interactive discussions to help you reach new heights. The welcome reception, breakout sessions, and networking breaks are designed for maximum engagement to make more connections.

Thank You to ACA Business Partners

As we enter a new calendar year, ACA would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank all our partners for their dedication and commitment to our growing community. These partners offer myriad products and services that can aid in the investor journey be it by group or individual. We hope you will take the opportunity to consider all the possibilities and engage directly with those partners who provide solutions that align with your needs.

If you’re interested in sponsoring ACA annually or for the Summit of Angel Investing, please reach out to Partnerships Director Damien Delgado.