World’s Largest Gathering of Angel Investors to Converge This Month on Washington, DC

Dramatic changes in angel investing mean both threats and opportunities for the angel investment community and the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs they support, according to the Angel Capital Association (ACA), the world's leading professional association for angel investors. The global angel investing community will debate and assess this new environment at the 2014 ACA Summit, "Angel Impact: Entrepreneurial and Economic Success," March 26-28, 2014, in Washington, D.C.

U.S. angel investors – individuals who support startup companies with passion, experience and funding - in 2012 invested nearly $23 billion in about 67,000 ventures, according to estimates by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. Their impact on the economy is huge, as the kinds of innovative startups angels invest in create all of the net new jobs in the country, according to reports by the Census Bureau and Kauffman Foundation.

"This is the place to be for both experienced and (especially) new angels who want to share great ideas, to learn unique investment practices from each other, and don't want to be left unaware of how the seed stage investment landscape is changing - particularly from a regulatory perspective,” said David Verrill, ACA’s chairman.  "We are hosting this meeting in Washington, D.C. for a reason - the Securities and Exchange Commission is not only assessing the underlying definition of who can be an accredited investor, but is also reviewing significant rules around the JOBS Act involving general solicitation and online crowdfunding platforms. Now more than ever is the time to join with angel colleagues to learn about, to shape, and to nurture this powerful economic engine."

This ACA Summit is the world’s largest annual gathering of accredited angel investors. More than 700 angel investors, including those among the most active, sophisticated and successful in the world, will share expert advice and ideas. The Innovation Showcase, a related event at the Summit, will show angels in action when dozens of promising startups will receive invaluable advice and feedback from angels.

Discussions will include:

·         New and proposed federal rule changes, including a potential change to the definition of an "accredited investor," which could dramatically reduce capital available to startups and eliminate as many as 60 percent of the current accredited investor population, dramatically affecting the economy and job creation.

·         Congressional leaders, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), will discuss how they support angel investing and its vital role in innovation and the American economy.

·         Insight into tactics angels deploy to identify the best investment opportunities in top industries including life sciences and medical devices, information technology and internet, cleantech and cyber security.

·         2013 angel group deal trends, collected from more than 200 angel groups, will be shared by Rob Wiltbank, VP of research at the Angel Resource Institute (ARI), with the live release of the 2013 Halo Report, by ARI and Silicon Valley Bank, with data powered by CB Insights.

·         Compelling stories, including from Blackboard co-founder Michael Chasen, who will recount how he took his learning management system company from angel backing to IPO.

·         New accredited online platforms are disrupting the angel investing market. Leading platform companies including premier sponsor FundersClub will lead the discussion.

·         Which are the most angel-friendly countries in the world --  and how is angel investing helping spur their economies?

To attend the ACA 2014 Summit, register here. Registration is open to ACA members and accredited individual investors from around the world, as well as accelerator and incubator leaders, university innovation professionals, economic development leaders, and public policy makers.

Note:  Your Editor, having been among the founders of the ACA, could not be more pleased with their activities.

About Angel Capital Association (ACA)

The Angel Capital Association is the leading professional and trade association focused on fueling the success of accredited angel investors and portfolio companies in high-growth, early-stage ventures. ACA is the voice of the angel industry, providing comprehensive services in support of members working in angel groups, through portals and individually. ACA provides professional development, public policy advocacy and significant benefits and resources to its membership of 220 angel groups and more than 12,000 individual accredited investors. www.angelcapitalassociation.org; @ACAAngelCapital.