Get Started Investing in Early-stage Companies – Learn by Doing

Tons of books and online resources provide intricate details about investing in early-stage startups. But there is a big gap between conducting an academic exercise and writing your first check.

In the entrepreneurial ecosystem there are ongoing jokes about ‘wantrapreneurs’--people who imagine themselves as founders but never start a company. The same could be said of wannabe ‘angel investors.’ Early stage investing always involves a level of the unknown and calculated risk—and for this reason can be intimidating.

Angel investing has historically been the realm of very high net worth individuals who can write six figure checks. But over the past decade, the structure of angel investing and the regulations around it have changed, making it much more accessible to younger and more modestly well-to-do individuals who are not members of the billionaire boys club. Having the wealth to invest in startups doesn’t solve the problem of feeling confident in knowing how to do it. There is only so much you can learn from reading.

Learn by Doing

At Seattle Angel Conference (SAC) you collaborate with a group of fellow investors from diverse backgrounds—each of you contributing unique perspective and experience to the process as you are guided from initial screening of companies to a final investment decision.

Seattle Angel Conference teaches aspiring angel investors how to invest in early-stage startups by actively evaluating prospective companies and making an investment. Each semi-annual SAC cohort comprises up to 40 investors who pool approximately $200,000 to make an investment in an early-stage startup. Starting with 60 or more companies, investors work together to screen, review pitches, and conduct due diligence. And together select a winning company for investment.

Eligibility - Accredited Investors Only

Investors who participate in the Seattle Angel Conference must meet the Security and Exchange Commission definition of Accredited Investor. Individuals attain Accredited Investor status simply by having a net worth of $1M or more (over and above home ownership), and/or an annual income of $200,000 or higher.

The SAC program

Seattle Angel Conference is held semi-annually, with a spring session that runs March to mid-May and a fall session September to mid-November. During the 12-week program expect 5-10 hours of activity per week including a 2-3 hour Tuesday evening session. Each SAC cohort is preceded by a series of optional virtual workshop hosted on the Seattle Angel Meetup group, which provide background on specific topics related to investing and entrepreneurship.

The cost of the program includes two components: A program registration fee of $1000, and, an investment of $5000. The program registration fee supports SAC program costs, while the investment funds are pooled from all investors and awarded to the winning company via an LLC created for this singular purpose.

SAC23 investors slots are still available. Contact us if you would like more information about becoming a Seattle Angel Conference SAC 23 investor. We are thrilled that Tessie Decker is our SAC 23 Fund Manager. Tessie would be happy to talk to you about the program, or introduce you to Austin Brovick who will be the SAC 24 Fund Manager.

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