Angel Capital Association (ACA) is the official industry alliance of over 100 of the largest
angel investor
An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital for a business or businesses start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or owners ...
groups in the United States. Since its founding in 2004, it has played a significant role in bringing together the previously separate angel and
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...
industries, in order to make networking, practices, and innovation in the field of investment easier.
ACA, which grew out of four Angel Organization Summits convened by the
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Kauffman Foundation) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private foundation (United States), private foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded in 1966 by Ewing Marion Kauffman, who had pre ...
in 2002 and 2003, sponsors an annual summit meeting in a different city each year at which the leaders of the major organized angel groups, together with government leaders, academics and venture capitalists, share best practices and build new ideas based on this knowledge. ACA has become the nationally recognized voice of the angel investment community in the US, mirroring the role that the National Venture Capital Association plays for the venture community. ACA is the official US representative member of the
World Business Angels Association.
Since ACA was formed with a charitable purpose of education and research in the field of angel investment, chairmembers and leaders of ACA are frequently involved in educational programs such as the Power of Angel Investing Seminars produced by ACA's affiliated foundation, the
Angel Capital Education Foundation. While individual angel investors and angel group leaders participate in ACA events, membership in the organization itself is only for organized groups of angel investors that meet ACA's requirements, and not for individual investors. ACA's website lists angel groups across the nation which bring together investors in local regions or specific industries.
The founding chairman of ACA was James Geshwiler of Common Angels in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, who was succeeded by
John May of the New Vantage Group in
Washington DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. The current chairman of the organization is Tony Shipley of Queen City Angels of
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
ACA LEADERSHIP May 14, 2020
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References
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External links
Angel Capital Association Official site
Angel Resource Institute
Trade associations based in the United States
Angel investors