In conducting due diligence for early stage companies, we often consider a company’s portfolio of patents and/or patents pending. If the idea behind the company is compelling, most likely there will be competitors and we’d like to understand what (if any) barriers the company has to such competition. Patents are an obvious potential barrier. But do they really matter? After all, some patents can be worked around, and others which are relevant end up having little value unless the company is prepared to defend them, and has the resources to do that. In a classic example, in the late 19th c ..read more

The ACA and angel investing community are thrilled to welcome Dr. Charu Ramanathan as a keynote speaker to the Summit of Angel Investing in Columbus, OH. Dr. Ramanathan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vitalxchange. Dr. Ramanathan is a serial entrepreneur driven by a passion for leveraging technology to advance health equity and access. Currently serving as the co-founder and CEO of Vitalxchange, she leads a digital parenting platform dedicated to fostering health equity from infancy, empowering families to nurture healthy and confident children. Concurrently, Dr. Ramanathan holds the role of co ..read more

The Angel Capital Association (ACA) Summit represents a beacon for black investors, founders, and high-growth startups. This event, heralded as the industry’s flagship, convenes a diverse community of new and experienced angel investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurial minds to explore critical topics and trends in angel investing. The summit offers an unparalleled opportunity for learning, networking, and investment discovery, specifically tailored to empower the black entrepreneurial ecosystem. Here are a few benefits that can be experienced by attending this dynamic event. Networking ..read more

The Ann and Bill Payne ACA Angel University program has been on the road to educate new angels! On February 28, in Florence, CO, Elaine Bolle, Kevin Kudra, and Katelynne Staehnke were in attendance at the Fremont County Angel Investing Workshop, sponsored the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (CO OEDIT) . At this event, Elaine Bolle delivered the Fundamentals of Angel Investing course. ACA Board member Kevin Kudra was one of the course panelists and shared his angel investing experience with the event attendees. Katelynne Staehnke delivered a presentation on ..read more

The great bull market of 2010 – 2021, fueled by cheap capital, caused a nearly unprecedented rise in the valuations of speculative assets, from real estate to angel and venture equity. By 2021 investors were paying 2x the “normal” price of early-stage deals, 4x for growth deals and 7x for late-stage deals. As presidential economic advisor, Herbert Stein, famously said, “Things that can’t go on, don’t.” With war, inflation, supply chain disruption, epidemics and the end of nearly free capital, the twelve-year party ended in 2022. What some have called “startup apocalypse,” began with a dec ..read more

The ACA and angel investing community are thrilled to welcome Kwame Anku as a keynote speaker to the Summit of Angel Investing in Columbus, OH. Kwame is the Founding Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Black Star Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund. He was named the 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and is also one of only twenty-one recipients of the prestigious Aspen Ascend Fellowship from The Aspen Institute. In May, Kwame will join the ACA Summit, three days of quality content, interactive discussions a ..read more

On February 27 and 28, the ACA Public Policy Team convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss legislative priorities for the upcoming year and meet with numerous lawmakers and legislators, highlighted by a meeting with the new SEC Commissioner Jaimie Lizarraga. The trip started with the public policy team meeting to discuss this year’s priorities. Chief among these priorities is continuing to advocate for the accredited investor definition, QSBS and Section 1202, funding caps and continuing to build out the Ann & Bill Payne ACA Angel University. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the team went t ..read more

Understanding the Web3 Landscape The world of Web 3.0 marks a significant departure from the traditional paradigms of today’s web, evolving the web experience. It’s a leap from the early days of Web 1.0’s read only web with static pages (print media, educational sites, online directories, or archives) and the user-generated content of Web 2.0 (Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube), to a decentralized digital economy where vast majority of the power is redistributed to the individual internet users. The Decentralized Web: Building Blocks for Web3 Web 3.0 is built on a foundation of decentralization. Unl ..read more

What you need to know about the Corporate Transparency Act The Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) became effective January 1, 2024 and it applies to a broad swath of private companies. The CTA is part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, with the purpose to combat money laundering and other illicit activities through anonymously owned entities. The CTA applies both to newly formed and already existing entities, and it imposes obligations on covered entities to report the identity of their significant beneficial owners and the people exercising control over the entity (along with ..read more

In this Issue:  What's New in 2024 Qualified Small Business Stock and Section 1202  Accredited Investor Definition  SBA Business Loan Programs Workforce Development Reforms R&D Tax Credits in New Tax Package What to Know in DC House Committee on Small Business Who’s new at the SEC PATH Act Upcoming DC Fly-In: ACA on the Hill What's New in 2024  With the new year comes new things on the horizon for the Angel community. With the fiscal year budget still not finalized, there are still many on which to stay up to date. In our second edition of the Public Polic ..read more