FAQs

Investors
Founders

GENERAL

What is 1000 angels?

1000 Angels is a private, digital venture investment community for investors who want to be at the forefront of technology and innovation. 1000 Angels members are able to build a portfolio of high-growth early stage investment opportunities without any management fees, carried interest, or capital commitments. Our community of High Net Worth Individuals, Family Offices and Early Stage Funds are able to use our private digital platform to access a robust pipeline of carefully selected and vetted investment opportunities. See Short video here.

Does 1000 Angels charge companies to raise capital?

1000 Angels strongly believes that companies shouldn’t need to pay to raise capital. All capital raised on the 1000 Angels platform goes directly to the companies to support growth. We don’t charge founders to apply for funding or raise money on the platform. However, less than 1% of applicants to the platform are selected as featured investment opportunities.

Who would benefit most from joining the 1000 Angels community?

Accredited Investors, Family Offices, Venture Funds, and Corporations:

Accredited Investors: Build your venture portfolio without management fees, carried interest or capital commitments. Choose the companies you invest in, how much you invest, and when you invest. And keep 100% the gains from your investments.
Family offices: Family offices rely on 1000 Angels to provide high quality deal flow and support them with the due diligence process. 1000 Angels also work with family offices to help them identify investment opportunities in specific sectors. Family office members leverage 1000 Angels to expand their networks and find syndication partners on our platform.
Funds: We serve as an additional channel of high quality deal flow for funds that invest at the Seed and Series A stage. All of our opportunities are fully vetted and typically have lead investors that are attractive syndication partners for most fund managers.
Corporations: Corporate members are able to increase their presence in the innovation community through a 1000 Angels membership. We can provide access to a pipeline of startup opportunities within a target sector, and we can provide diligence reports that allow you to leverage our team and experience within your organization.

How does 1000 Angels protect my information?

1000 Angels does not release any information on transactions completed on the platform. And because our portal is private, founders can be confident that their information is secure and not available to competitors who are browsing for information.

Who do I contact if I have a question?

If you have any additional questions, be sure to email us at contactus@1000angels.com.

HOW THE INVESTING PROCESS WORKS

What is the investment process?

Our members invest individually on an opt-in basis. Members are presented with the most attractive deals from our pipeline of selected investment opportunities. When you decide to make an investment, you directly own the equity in the company. We do not use fund pooling vehicles such as LLCs or SPVs.

How are investment opportunities selected?

We use a rigorous set of criteria to determine which investment opportunities are presented to 1000 Angels members. Our investment team has over 15 years of experience and relies on that expertise to select a handful of new opportunities each month from the approximately 300+ applications received monthly.

Do I have to invest in every deal?

Members choose which deals they would like to invest in. There are typically 6-9 live investment opportunities on 1000 Angels at any one time. Members are provided with diligence reports, founder videos, and company information to help guide their investment decisions.

What is the typical minimum investment?

The typical minimum investment per company is $10-50K. How much you choose to invest in each company is up to you, but the minimum check size for each deal is determined by the founder. For rounds of $500K, minimum investments tend to be on the lower end, and for rounds of several million, the minimum check size tends to skew to the higher end of the range.

What is your due diligence process?

Due diligence is very important to us. Although we are never leading rounds and most companies on the 1000 Angels platform have already secured investments from top funds that have put them through their own due diligence process, we also perform our own diligence. You can download our due diligence checklist below for more information on all the aspects of the company that we evaluate in the investment recommendation.DOWNLOAD

How many investment opportunities are on the platform?

We aim to add 3 investment opportunities to the platform each month. These are fully vetted opportunities that are ready for investment. However, our members also have access to the hundreds of companies that submit an application for funding on 1000 Angels through our executive summary gallery. This gallery provides a mechanism for our members to weigh in on which of the applicants they find most interesting, and to allow investors with a specific sector focus to increase the number of opportunities they have access to.

How much do you charge? Are there any fees?

1000 Angels members pay a flat annual membership fee. See our membership pricing. So no matter how much or how little you invest, there are no additional fees or carried interest. We also never charge founders and fees. Period.

What kind of returns can I expect from investing in startups?

Venture investments as an asset class can yield attractive returns, but like any other asset class, when investing, returns are never guaranteed. However, the “target” return for a well-balanced portfolio of high quality startup investments is typically an IRR (internal rate of return) of 25%. This represents a cash on cash return of approximately 3x over 5 years and 9x over 10 years.

Are returns guaranteed?

Returns are never guaranteed and investments in early-stage, private companies are high-risk and illiquid. It is advisable to consult with your financial advisor to determine if venture assets are a sensible addition to your portfolio strategy.

How are the deals structured?

Typically we are investing in Preferred Equity or capped Convertible Notes of C Corporation. However, each deal is unique, and you will have access to all investment documentation to help you understand the form of the security. And our team is always here to answer any questions you may have. All investments are made directly into the target company as we do not use pooling vehicles such as LLCs or SPVs.

Can I invest through an IRA?

Investing through an IRA is possible. 1000 Angels has partnered with a number of leading providers including PENSCO, Millennium Trust and other IRA services to enable this investment vehicle. Email contactus@1000angels.com to learn more.

How are you different from other platforms out there?

It’s simple: Curation. 1000 Angels provides a select number of investment opportunities ready for direct investment. Our members don’t need to sift through hundreds of opportunities to find the gems. We do the work for you. And most importantly, as a member, you directly own equity in each company you add to your portfolio. There are no management fees or carried interest that you typically see with other syndicate platforms. Unlike other crowdfunding platforms who take up to 10% of your invested capital out of the company right off the top, 1000 Angels never charge founders. The company receives 100% of your investment and you get to keep 100% of your gains.

What are the tax advantages to direct early-stage investing?

Investments made in Qualified Small Businesses (those with less than $50 million in assets before and after the round) are 100% exempt from capital gains when held for at least 5 years. The typical investment life of an early stage investment is 5-10 years. Most opportunities on 1000 Angels are Qualified Small Businesses.

MEMBERSHIP

What qualifications do I need to join the community?

Our members are accredited investors as defined by Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines. Prospective members submit a simple application for approval by our membership committee, which is typically approved within 24 hours.

What are the membership levels?

There are three levels of membership – DirectorPrincipal, and Venture PartnerLearn more about our membership levels. Professional investors (funds and family offices) must join at the Venture Partner level, but otherwise, our members can choose the level of service they feel is right for them.

Cancellation policy?

Annual Memberships may be cancelled at any time and are non-refundable.

Monthly Memberships may be cancelled at any time and are non-refundable.

Should you need to terminate your annual or monthly membership, please email our membership team at membership@1000angels.com.

What can I do while I’m on a membership trial?

Potential members on trial have access to our digital platform after the 30-day Cooling Off period. To bypass the SEC-mandated 30-day cooling off period you can provide documentation that proves you are an accredited investors. The simplest way to do this is to have your accountant or lawyer send us a dated letter confirming that you meet the SEC “accredited investor” guidelines.
After your cooling off period has ended, you will have access to view all the investment opportunities on the platform. To make an investment, you will need to be an active member.

Do I need to be an accredited investor to invest if I don’t reside in the U.S.?

Yes. Even if your primary residence is not in the U.S., 1000 Angels is a U.S. company and therefore, will need to comply with U.S. laws and regulations.

GENERAL

What are your fees?

There are NO FEES to apply, pitch, or raise funds from our network. It’s a fee-free zone for top founders. But be aware, we only select the top 1% of applicants and cannot provide feedback to the 99% who aren’t selected. We’re sorry, we’re busy people too.

What type of investors are on the 1000 Angels platform?

Our community of investors is growing rapidly and its composition includes accredited investors, family offices, seed funds, and early stage venture funds. We have a large number of strategic investors, successful founders, and influencers in our membership that we hope can be helpful to your company’s growth. Meet some of our members.

How do you screen your investors?

Only Accredited Investors can join 1000 Angels. We screen them to make sure they are legit and not just fishing around for information.

How long does the review process take before I’m up and running on 1000 Angels?

We are HIGHLY selective. Only 1% of opportunities submitted are featured on the platform. The process from application to funding can take anywhere between 3-8 weeks. If you do not hear back from us upon submitting your application, we are still considering your application. All reasonable applications are made available to our membership on our executive summary gallery even if you are not selected to be featured on the platform.

How are you different than AngelList and other platforms out there?

AngelList operates under a syndicate model where angel investors, in exchange for carried interest, lead individual investments into a number of different companies via Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). These are not direct investments. 1000 Angels facilitates direct investments where no carried interest, management fees or transactional fees are charged to the investor. And we don’t take a penny of the capital you raise from our investors.

How long will it take me to raise money on your site?

We work our hardest to get your funding completed within 60 days, however, we will keep your deal open for up to 90 days if you are developing traction that warrants an extension.

What’s the average amount companies raise on your site?

We typically work with allocations of $200-500K in rounds of $500K-$5 million.

What types of companies does 1000 Angels’ typically look for?

We typically work with companies raising between $500K-$5MM in Seed or Series A rounds. You must have a lead investor and part of the round committed or closed. However, don’t let that stop you from applying – if you think your company has potential to succeed, we encourage you to apply regardless. And we like to start the relationship early.

What do you look for in a company?

Management Team
Business Model
Market Size
Traction
Unit Economics, CAC and CLTV
Scalability of distribution
Capital Efficiency
Market Opportunity
Competitive Positioning
Marketing Plan
Deal Terms

What’s the due diligence process?

We will ask you to submit an investor deck, financial projections, historical financials, deal documents, management and advisor bios, any relevant contracts, a cap table, and some nice images to use for your profile. Once we have had a chance to review everything and we feel it checks out, we will add you to the queue of companies to be featured.

Who sets the minimum investments?

The founders set the minimum check size they will accept. It typically ranges from $10-50K depending on the size of the round.

How are the deals structured?

Members will invest directly in your round at the terms established by your lead investor.

Where do I apply to raise capital on 1000 angels?
How long will it take once I submit my application?

The process from applying to funding can range anywhere between 3 to 8 weeks. If you don’t hear from us right away, we are still in the process of reviewing your application.

What kind of interaction is going to be expected of me with investors?

Unless a fund is considering a larger ($200K+) investment in your company, we will handle most questions and communication. We are here to make your capital raising process easier, so we take care of as much of the communication as we can on your behalf.

Is my information going to be shared publicly?

Your application information will only be shared with 1000 Angels members via a private digital portal.

Are entrepreneurs able to attend the events?

Each month we invite 3-4 founders to attend and present at our member conference. You must be selected and invited to present in order to attend.