The largest pitch contest in Southern California remains committed to making an investment in one of six finalist companies at the conference

In light of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), the public portion of the conference will be moved to an online, interactive forum on March 28 from 10am to 12:30pm PDT

SAN DIEGO, March 18, 2020 — To protect the health and safety of our community, the second annual San Diego Angel Conference will be held digitally on Saturday, March 28. The previously planned six-hour conference has been condensed into a digital event that will take place from 10 am to 12:30 pm PDT. Hosted by The Brink Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of San Diego, the goal of the San Diego Angel Conference is to connect early-stage angel investors with San Diego-based companies that are seeking funding to advance and scale innovative products and technologies.

The conference is open to the public. Click here to register for the digital conference.  More details on the agenda and accessing the online, interactive forum will be sent after registration.

“The investors for the conference have already committed more than $320,000 into the fund, and they are in the thick of their due diligence process with the six finalists,” said Benton Moore, who leads the fund management team. “Now that we’ve gone digital, we are able to expand our reach to engage with accredited investors outside San Diego. We also are planning a post-investment celebration and a Bay Area Demo Day when it’s safe again to get together in-person.”

Announced earlier this month, these top six companies were named finalists, and they will present in the online, interactive forum.

Company                                 Entrepreneur                           Industry

Agtools                                     Martha Montoya                       AgTech           

GroGuru                                  Patrick Henry                           AgTech

LifeVoxel.AI                             Kovey Kovalan                         MedTech

Noria Water Technologies       Sivan Cohen                            CleanTech

SmartProperty                          Damian Esparza                       Software

Visicell Medical                         Mya Thu                                  Biotech

“We are working together to navigate challenges like the one we’re facing now, because it is in moments like this when we remember why out-of-the-box thinking and rapid and lean innovation help us every day to elude crises and solve worthy problems,” said Mysty Rusk, Director, The Brink SBDC at USD, and founder of the San Diego Angel Conference. “We know innovation makes the difference, and we’ll continue to do all we can to support those entrepreneurs who are working to make the world a better place.”

Rusk added, “We also are deeply thankful to our sponsors who have been completely supportive during this decision process.”

Sponsors of this year’s conference are: Brex, Mintz, Little Dog Communications, ATS Wealth Management, Wagenknecht IP Law Group, Vantage Point Advisors, University Growth Fund, Spire, First Republic Bank, and Sayva Solutions.

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

Media Contact: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications Inc., jessica@litldog.com, +1.858.344.8091