SAN DIEGO, January 31, 2020 – After receiving 105 applications from companies seeking $200,000 in funding as part of the second-annual San Diego Angel Conference, participating investors narrowed the field to just 27 quarter-finalists following a month of review.
Companies first submitted profiles in December that provided investors an inside look at the firm. After reviewing each application and engaging in debate, fund participants voted on which companies they wanted to advance. These top companies will present 3-minute pitches to the conference investors for a chance to continue in the competition.
The 27 quarter-finalists are as follows:
| Advice Analytics | Jerry Yen |
| Agtools | Martha Montoya |
| Basilard BioTech | Brynley Lee |
| Biglio | Patrick Hadley |
| Capienda Biotech | Mark Bernard |
| Cardea Bio | Michael Heltzen |
| DeepFlow | Yusaku Makamura |
| Eagle Cap Software | Tom Perkowski |
| gravityAI | Daniel Huss |
| GroGuru | Patrick Henry |
| Instream Water | Patrick Mahncke |
| ion Learning | Shavon Lindley |
| Leulan Bioscience | Ying Qu |
| LIFEVOXEL.AI | Kovey Kovalan |
| Noria Water Technologies | Sivan Cohen |
| NVISNx | Glen Day |
| Omnistruct | John Riley |
| SageMedic | Juliana Baratta |
| SmartProperty | Damian Esparza |
| The Good Face Project | Iva Teixeira |
| TigoHealth | Beth Anne Baber |
| =TumorGen | Peter Teriete |
| UpgradeStay | Justin Wieland |
| Visicell Medical | Mya Thu |
| Visionful | Masoud Jalali |
| Welfie | Steven Moyo |
| WinSanTor (WST) | Stanley Kim |
Aquacycl, winner of the inaugural San Diego Angel Conference, demonstrated the benefits provided by participating in the event organized by the Brink Small Business Development Center at the University of San Diego.
“The connections, coaching, and feedback provided by the Brink throughout the San Diego Angel Conference process was invaluable for helping Aquacycl close a $4M seed round,” said Orianna Bretschger, CEO of Aquacycl. “The SDAC group of investors and follow on funding special purpose vehicle catalyzed Aquacycl’s fundraising efforts with a $295,000 total investment.”
The San Diego Angel Conference fund is comprised of accredited investors using the process to either learn more about angel investing or grow their portfolio at a cost of $6,000 for their first unit. The investors will continue to meet each week to discuss the companies and identify those that they believe have the highest potential.
The field will later be narrowed down to 12 semifinalists. These selections will continue until the top six companies are determined and invited to pitch at the main event on March 28, 2020 held at the University of San Diego. One company will secure an investment of $200,000 on that stage. The San Diego Angel Conference is open to the public and tickets are on sale now with special early bird pricing available at thesdangels.com/attend until February 28 for those interested in watching the finalists pitch.
##
About the San Diego Angel Conference
The San Diego Angel Conference aims to elevate the San Diego innovation ecosystem by connecting angel investors and fundable entrepreneurs. It was inspired by two misconceptions in the region. First, angels say there are not enough good deals in San Diego. Secondly, entrepreneurs say there aren’t enough investors writing checks. The conference is working to improve both of these issues, not just through the conference event itself, but through a series of workshops leading up to the main event. Those workshops focus on educating and mentoring both the entrepreneurs and angels. The San Diego Angel Conference and workshop series is open to the public for any member of the community interested in learning more about starting a company or investing in a new business. For more info, visit www.thesdangels.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
San Diego Angel Conference Contact: Mysty Rusk, mrusk@sandiego.edu, +1.619.260.4657
San Diego Angel Confernece Investor Contact: Benton Moore, bentonmoore@icloud.com, +1.619.347.2107