SAN DIEGO, October 28, 2019 — In advance of the second annual San Diego Angel Conference, taking place March 28, 2020, a series of workshops are available now through December for entrepreneurs interested in receiving angel investment to grow their scalable businesses. Entrepreneur applications to compete in the San Diego Angel Conference 2020 are due December 18, 2019.
In January, accredited investors start reviewing those applications and narrowing the number of contenders until the final six are chosen to participate in the San Diego Angel Conference 2020. At the conference, the finalists are invited to pitch, the due diligence teams will present their findings, and one company will leave with an investment. The actual amount of the investment will depend on the number of units purchased, conservatively set at $200,000 — the largest amount available in San Diego for a pitch competition. The fund management team, led by Benton Moore, has set the cap at $1 million for San Diego Angel Conference 2020. “Our first San Diego Angel Conference was an unqualified success. We hoped to raise $200,000, and fund one company. In the end, we raised $535,000 and funded three companies. Furthermore, of the 93 companies that participated, they have raised more than $18 million in the last 6 months” said Mysty Rusk, Director, The Brink SBDC at USD, and founder of the San Diego Angel Conference. “We’ve effectively demonstrated that there is good deal flow in San Diego, and accredited angels actively investing in good deals.”
During the Entrepreneur’s Track, which runs now through December, more than a dozen topics are covered in the weekly workshop sessions, including: creating effective pitch decks; creating a strategy for developing a network of investors; market research and go-to-market strategy; preparing financials for angels; preparing for due diligence and understanding valuation; cap tables, and term sheets. Entrepreneurs also have the opportunity to practice their pitch and get feedback during multiple pitch deconstruction sessions. Participation in the workshops is not required to apply for the conference.
“The connections, coaching, and feedback provided by the Brink throughout the San Diego Angel Conference process was invaluable for helping Aquacycl close a $4 million seed round in July,” said Orianna Bretschger, CEO and founder of Aquacycl, the winner of the San Diego Angel Conference 2019. “The group of investors at the San Diego Angel Conference and follow-on funding special purpose vehicle catalyzed Aquacycl’s fundraising efforts with a $295,000 total investment.”
“Participating in the San Diego Angel Conference was a jump start in finding and investing in innovative new businesses, and I was impressed with the quality of the applicants and opportunities,” said Jason Scharf, first time angel investor. “In addition, the conference created great momentum for continuing to invest in the region either individually or by joining other angel networks, funds, and accelerators.”
Eight of the 34 investors that participated in last year’s San Diego Angel Conference have gone on to join other angel networks or funds, including Tech Coast Angels (TCA) San Diego and TCA Orange County, Portfolia, OSEA Angel Investors, and The Cove Fund. The San Diego Angel Conference works with SEC-accredited investors.
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