Angels

Bright eyes and the ability to learn: Angel investors reveal what traits they look for in startup founders

by Madeline Vuong on March 12, 2016March 12, 2016 at 10:04 amComment

A panel of four Seattle angel investors gathered last week to discuss what characteristics they look for in startup founders — the special sauce that pushes some entrepreneurs to success.… Read More

Hey, startups: Here’s the best thing you can do to get ready for a possible downturn

by John Cook on March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 at 5:36 pmComment

There are a lot of things that can muck up a startup — bad hires, improper focus or expanding too quickly. But there’s one thing that alleviates much of the… Read More

Angel investment groups merge: Zino’s Cathi Hatch to lead Seattle chapter of Keiretsu Forum NW

by John Cook on October 14, 2015October 14, 2015 at 10:53 amComment

A week after announcing its closure, Seattle angel investment group Zino Society has found … an angel. The Keiretsu Forum Northwest announced today that it is acquiring the assets of Zino… Read More

Seattle angel group alters application fee for entrepreneur pitches

by John Cook on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 at 1:54 pm1 Comment

Zino Society, a Seattle angel investment group that’s bankrolled companies such as Theo Chocolate, Impel Neuropharma and J&D Foods, is changing the way it charges entrepreneurs who want to pitch to the… Read More

High-powered angel investors sink $2M in new virtual reality startup

by John Cook on June 8, 2015June 8, 2015 at 7:39 am1 Comment

A group of high-profile angel investors are betting big on new virtual reality startup Envelop VR. The Bellevue company today announced $2 million in seed funding, including cash from Seattle… Read More

An eye for fashion: Here’s the winner from the Seattle Angel Conference

by John Cook on May 21, 2015April 10, 2017 at 9:57 am1 Comment

Six entrepreneurs presented their ideas at the Seattle Angel Conference on Wednesday afternoon in hot pursuit of one very big check. And while each of the entrepreneurs offered compelling pitches… Read More

This Seattle angel investor just declared that he’ll only back startups with at least one female founder

by John Cook on May 20, 2015May 21, 2015 at 7:38 am 62 Comments

Seattle entrepreneur Jonathan Sposato has a time-tested rule in business, drawing from his experience of owning and operating bars. If you create a place for men, only men will show… Read More

Alliance of Angels raises $5.3 million, looks to plug funding gap in Pacific Northwest

by John Cook on January 20, 2015January 19, 2015 at 9:16 pm1 Comment

The Alliance of Angels, one of the longest running angel investment groups in the Pacific Northwest, has raised a new $5.3 million seed fund that it will use to bankroll… Read More

Commentary: 3 ways to value your startup

by Yi-Jian Ngo on October 10, 2014October 10, 2014 at 9:54 am1 Comment

Many entrepreneurs struggle with having the “valuation” discussion with investors. Given that many startups have no revenue, much less profits, well established quantitative methods like Discounted Cash Flow analysis simply… Read More

Tech Moves: Evo Media names CEO; Seattle Angel Fund taps Preston to manage fund; and more

by Blair Hanley Frank on September 17, 2014January 13, 2015 at 9:41 pmComment

—Porch has picked up two new high-profile employees: Justin Vanning has left his role as Director of Growth Marketing at Tune (formerly HasOffers) to become the Senior Manager of Marketing… Read More

Angels take flight: Median financing rounds increase to $980,000 for angel deals

by John Cook on August 6, 2014September 1, 2014 at 9:45 amComment

Looking for cash? You might have an easier time finding an angel than a few years ago. And they might be willing to put a bit more money to work… Read More

As Facebook and Twitter push into social commerce, Seattle startup Comr.se raises cash

by John Cook on July 22, 2014September 1, 2014 at 11:58 amComment

Comr.se, a social commerce startup that graduated from B2B incubator 9Mile Labs last year, has reeled in an additional $800,000 in capital that it will use to grow the team and add new… Read More

Rudy Gadre unplugged: Seattle super angel on what he looks for in entrepreneurs and more

by John Cook on March 5, 2014December 19, 2014 at 9:04 am1 Comment

Seattle super angel Rudy Gadre has probably done more than just about anyone to keep the entrepreneurial flames burning bright in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past three years, the… Read More

Genomics startup ActX raises $1.9M in seed round

by John Cook on January 10, 2014January 10, 2014 at 5:42 amComment

ActX, a Seattle startup that is developing technologies to make patient genomic data more useful in medical practice, has raised $1.9 million from members of the Alliance of Angels. ActX… Read More

Ex-Facebook general counsel Rudy Gadre joins Seattle VC firm Founder’s Co-op

by John Cook on December 2, 2013December 19, 2014 at 9:05 am1 Comment

Former Facebook general counsel and ex-Amazon.com attorney Rudy Gadre has quickly established himself as one of the top angel investors in the Pacific Northwest, bankrolling startup companies like Jobaline, Walkscore,… Read More

Startup leaders not happy with securities administrator’s support of regulations that could ‘cripple’ startups

by John Cook on November 8, 2013November 8, 2013 at 10:59 am 3 Comments

Seattle angel investor Dan Rosen has worked hard in recent months to shed light on the potentially damaging effects that proposed regulations in the JOBS Act could have on startups, pointing… Read More

Ex-drugstore.com CEO Dawn Lepore invests in SquareHub, joins advisory board

by John Cook on October 3, 2013October 28, 2013 at 11:16 amComment

Dawn Lepore is a busy woman. A day after the former drugstore.com CEO joined board of Seattle tech mainstay RealNetworks, she’s tossed her support behind Seattle startup SquareHub. Lepore is… Read More

Angel investing: The walls come tumbling down

by William Carleton on September 23, 2013September 23, 2013 at 1:53 pm 2 Comments

Today is the first day it becomes legally permissible for startups and emerging companies to advertise their offerings. Or to tweet that they are raising money. Or to generally solicit for… Read More

The messy side of the JOBS Act, and the potential ‘death sentence’ for startups

by John Cook on September 20, 2013September 20, 2013 at 10:42 am 3 Comments

The JOBS Act — or Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act — was supposed to have a very simple purpose when President Barack Obama signed it into law 17 months ago. Essentially,… Read More

BuildersCloud raises $1.1M from super angels Dave McClure, Rudy Gadre, others

by John Cook on August 8, 2013December 19, 2014 at 9:06 am 8 Comments

BuildersCloud, a Bellevue company that helps construction companies share files and mobile collaboration for construction professionals, has raised $1.1 million in funding from a group of angels that includes 500… Read More

Why super angel Geoff Entress is smiling: HootSuite just scored a whopping $165M VC round

by John Cook on August 1, 2013August 1, 2013 at 1:23 pm 3 Comments

Seattle super angel Geoff Entress told me a few months ago that HootSuite, the B.C.-based maker of social media analysis tools, may turn into one of his best investments of… Read More

U2’s Bono and others invest $1.6 million in secretive online travel startup Vamo

by John Cook on July 18, 2013July 18, 2013 at 7:39 amComment

A group of two dozen angel investors — including rock star Bono; Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff; and Path founder Dave Morin — have joined forces to bankroll stealthy online travel… Read More

Former Clearwire researchers raise cash for stealthy Alpental Technologies

by John Cook on July 12, 2013July 12, 2013 at 10:07 amComment

Now that Clearwire is officially fading into the history books and execs are already leaving, it will be interesting to see if the Bellevue company spawns a wave of entrepreneurial… Read More

This startup just raised more than $1M to illuminate construction workers with an innovative ‘Halo Light’

by John Cook on July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 at 10:53 am 8 Comments

Construction and road crew workers are constantly at risk in the field. But, as entrepreneurs Max Baker and Andrew Royal see it, the old-school reflective orange vest just isn’t enough protection.… Read More

This dude just raised $800,000 in 4 hours for a sonic vibrator designed to stimulate the sex toy industry

by John Cook on June 27, 2013June 27, 2013 at 10:54 am 2 Comments

There was certainly a lot of buzz around Robin Elenga’s latest angel financing round, literally and figuratively. Elenga is the maker of the Revel Body, an innovative new vibrator that… Read More

Q&A: Photo sharing upstart Linea raises $4 million to fix ‘broken photo libraries’

by John Cook on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 at 1:15 pm 4 Comments

It’s 2013 — nearly 10 years after the founding of Flickr and more than a year after Facebook bought Instagram — and yet we still can’t seem to find the… Read More

Dave McClure’s 500 Startups backs online presentation upstart 9Slides

by John Cook on May 24, 2013May 24, 2013 at 1:22 pm 2 Comments

9Slides, the maker of online presentation software that syncs video with slides, has raised capital from Dave McClure’s 500 Startups as well as angel investors such as Terrapass co-founder Karl… Read More

SquareHub emerges with high-profile backers and a goal to connect families

by John Cook on May 16, 2013May 16, 2013 at 7:08 am 2 Comments

Dave Cotter is a divorced father of three girls — a busy guy who struggles to keep up with his family’s hectic schedule. “My ex wife and I were just… Read More

Proof of concept: Majority of angel investments made in revenue producing startups

by John Cook on April 16, 2013April 16, 2013 at 10:17 am1 Comment

Angel investors historically have placed bets at the earliest stages of a company’s formation, oftentimes when the business is nothing more than an idea on the back of a napkin.… Read More

After bootstrapping to $10M in sales, BizX scores real cash for virtual currency

by John Cook on April 16, 2013December 19, 2014 at 9:02 am 2 Comments

Why pay cash, when you can just trade for services? That’s the question driving BizX, which is not your traditional startup. Founded in 2002 by Bob Bagga, Chris Haddawy and Raj… Read More