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Tech Coast Angels Declares Record First Quarter; Angel Network Invests $3.8M in Q1 2017
May 11, 2017
Tech Coast Angels: Best Q1 Ever For Deals, Dollars
Tech Coast Angels Declares Record First Quarter; Angel Network Invests $3.8M in Q1 2017
IRVINE, Calif. – May 11, 2017 – Tech Coast Angels (TCA) today announced that it had invested a total of $3.8 million in 17 total deals for the quarter ending March 31, 2017—its best Q1 in the angel network’s 20-year history both in dollars and number of companies invested. Southern California companies received 99% of the investment dollars, which reinforces TCA’s commitment to its local startup ecosystem. All but one of the investments for the quarter were early stage: Seed Equity, Series A or bridge to Series A funding, and with 93% of total dollars invested into nine new companies.
The nine new companies were Buy It Installed, Carepoynt, Cherryvale Farms, Conectric, Echo Laboratories Inc., InvestED, Mobilize Solutions, OnRamp, and Tot Squad.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the dollars invested went into companies already in revenue, reflecting the trend of angel investments in companies with an already-developed minimum viable product and showing evidence of traction with customers.
“Today’s information shows the strength of our local entrepreneurial ecosystem and of TCA as a group,” said Jeff Draa, Chairman of Tech Coast Angels. “Unlike other angel networks who’ve reported a shift towards follow-on investing, and unlike our experience in 2014 and 2015 when the majority of our investments were in follow-on rounds, our Q1 2017 investments show a tremendous upsurge in new deals, reflecting strong excitement by our members about new opportunities.”
TCA also realized three exits in Q1 2017:
- Savara Pharmaceuticals (a pulmonary pharmaceutical company) announced it would become a public company (NASDAQ (SVRA)) through its merger with MAST;
- WeGoLook (an on-demand field services company) was acquired by Crawford & Co., yielding a return to TCA of 8x in less than three years;
- Everystory (a digital therapeutic company) repositioned itself as a publicly traded life sciences company Dthera Sciences — a digital therapeutic treatment for dementia
“TCA members are investing in early-stage businesses that they can help to succeed with far more than just financial support,” continued Mr. Draa. “Our members offer guidance, direction and connections in addition to investment capital.”
Tech Coast Angels: How Savara Created A Winning Formula for Angel Investors and Company Success
May 9, 2017
Tech Coast Angels: How Savara Created A Winning Formula for Angel Investors and Company Success
TCA Deal Lead Sergio Gurrieri Says Exceptional Leadership, a World-Class Team and Experienced Board were all Key in “Backing a Winner”
IRVINE, Calif. – May 9, 2017 – Tech Coast Angels (TCA) congratulates Savara Inc. (NASDAQ: SVRA) on its recent listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company’s Series B round in 2012-13 was the largest single raise by TCA ($3.2 M). Overall, TCA members together with a few family and friends have invested over $6M in various financing rounds of Savara, the most for any portfolio company since TCA’s inception in 1997. In total, Savara received almost $50M in non-institutional capital, and has been supported by a $4M grant from the National Institutes of Health as well as a $1.7M research award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Nearly every funding round was oversubscribed and extended.
Sergio Gurrieri, TCA deal lead, current president of the San Diego chapter of TCA, and observer on the Savara Board since 2012, explained three key elements that made Savara such a winning formula for angel investors:
“First of all, Rob Neville, Savara’s CEO and chairman, is truly exceptional. He adheres to a well-balanced and extremely effective decision-making process whereby every single stakeholder’s opinion is considered. Also, Rob’s execution skills are outstanding, his integrity is impeccable, his communication skills powerful, and his management style highly professional.”
“Secondly, the entire Savara team is phenomenal,” Gurrieri continued. “The team’s ability to execute is second to none. In particular, Dr. Taneli Jouhikainen, COO, has been indispensable, co-leading Savara, its programs, and corporate development activities. Taneli is one of the most talented, and knowledgeable COO’s I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
“And finally, the board of directors is truly outstanding. The level of expertise, the collective wisdom and experience, the constructive conversations, resulted in an extraordinary board for an extraordinary company,” Gurrieri concluded.
“We truly appreciate the support from Tech Coast Angels’ members and we thank each investor for believing in Savara’s purpose to find new therapies and treatment for rare and debilitating lung diseases,” said Mr. Neville. “Through our excellent team and proven ability to execute, Savara presents an attractive business opportunity with our pipeline of unique products with considerable market potential. We will continue to diligently work to make their investment a success.”
TriTech SBDC Consultant Molly B. Schmid Inducted Into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite
May 8, 2017
Tech Coast Angels Innovates with Two New Member Categories
TriTech SBDC Consultant Bill Waldo Receives America’s SBDC State Star Award
http://www.satprnews.com/2017/04/27/tech-coast-angels-innovates-with-two-new-member-categories/
April 28, 2017
Tech Coast Angels Innovates with Two New Member Categories – Press Release Rocket
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