Heaven must be missing an...: These angel investors could fund your startup
Today in "Ask Valleywag," the advice column for Silicon Valley set, we help a startup kick up the funding a notch. Earlier this month, Valleywag reader Scott asked:
I am the co-founder of Kevo. We are launching in a few days. [Here they are.] Do you have a list of angel investors?
The search for an angel investor is a healthy part of every startup's growth. Angels are usually private individuals looking to invest thousands to hundreds of thousands in small companies in return for a share of ownership. They can be the only funding a company takes, or a step between bootstrapping and venture capital. Below, Sean Ness, the ringmaster at the monthly Stirr startup mixer, lists a host of angels for us (which we peppered with snark).
Individuals
- Ron Conway was the big daddy of them all, loved by some, hated by others for his role in the first boom. Here's some dirt on him. (Photo above by Dan Farber)
- Ram Shriram has taken his place.
- Josh Kopelman runs First Round Capital from Philadelphia.
- Aydin Senkut made his money from Google and word on the street is he just invests in lots of things, but doesn't know much. The Wall Street Journal's Pui-Wing Tam names him as one of a new generation of angels.
- Jeff Clavier is everywhere and pretty much meets with anyone interesting.
- Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote Google their first check (for a hundred grand).
Groups