Tech Coast Angels is the leading source of funding to early-stage companies in Southern California. TCA has over 450 members and is also one of the largest angel networks in the world. An analysis by CB Insights ranked TCA #1 out of 370 angel groups on “Network Centrality” and #5 overall in “Investor Mosaic.”

History

Since its inception in 1997, TCA members have focused on building valuable companies, personally invested over $255 million in over 465 companies, and helped portfolio companies attract more than $2.2 billion in additional capital, largely from

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 ...

firms and strategic investors. In 2020, TCA invested $20 million in 64 companies. TCA members provide companies capital, counsel, mentoring and access to a network of potential investors and partners. TCA has chapters located in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire.

Company exits

TCA has had eleven IPOs and over 79 exits in total. Three of those (Mindbody, Greendot and Sandpiper Networks) achieved multiples between 149 and 265. TCA's successful exits include: * Mindbody (wellness business services software) *

Green Dot Corporation The Green Dot Corporation is an American financial technology and bank holding company headquartered in Austin. It is the world's largest prepaid debit card company by market capitalization. Green Dot is also a payments platform company and is ...

(over-the-counter prepaid

debit card A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The term '' plastic card'' includes the above and as an identity document. These are similar to a credit card, but u ...

) *Sandpiper Networks (internet infrastructure) *Companion Medical (smart insulin pen system paired with diabetes management app) *Leaselock (sells Certificates of Guarantee promising rent when tenant defaults) * BlueBeam Software (PDF collaboration software) * Parcel Pending (electronic Smart Locker storage system for multi-family housing) *

Truecar TrueCar, Inc. is an automotive pricing and information website for new and used car buyers. The service allows users to see what others paid for any new or used vehicle in their local area and receive upfront prices from a network of over 15,000 ...

(automotive lead generation) *Green Earth Technologies (oil substitute made from waste beef tallow) * Casestack (Integrated Logistics Outsourcing) *One Stop Systems (manufactures Computers for Industrial Applications) *

Lytx Lytx is a San Diego, California based technology company that designs, manufactures and sells video telematics products used by commercial and public-sector fleets to help improve driver safety and business productivity. Products include risk det ...

(Drivecam (video event recorder for driver feedback safety) * Cytom X Therapeutics (antibody therapeutics for a variety of serious diseases including cancer) * WiseWindow (open qualitative content aggregation platform) * Vital Therapies (liver assist device) *Beam Global (portable solar EV charging station with no grid ties) *

Language Weaver Language Weaver is the machine translation (MT) technology and brand of RWS. The brand name was revived in 2021 following the acquisition SDL and Iconic Translation Machines Ltd. and the merging of the respective teams and technologies. Language ...

(machine translation software) *WeGoLook (dispatches in-person Lookers to verify claims made by internet sellers) *

Portfolium Portfolium, Inc. is an American social networking platform company that allows university students and recent graduates to connect with businesses and employers and present their previous academic work and projects to supplement their resumes. The ...

(online social portfolio network) * AIRSIS (remote asset tracking & management) * Althea (cGMP manufacturing, analytical development, aseptic filling) * N Spine (spine stability system) * OptionEase (stock option audit financial software) * Retrosense Therapeutics (biologic approach to vision restoration in retinal degenerative conditions) * Greenplum (Intelligent Data Routing Systems) *Savara Pharmaceuticals (inhalable antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA in Cystic Fibrosis patients) *ClearCare (management of home care agencies) *eTeamz (B2C Amateur Athletic Community) *Olive Medical (HD surgical camera) *Pictage.com (online event photography services) * Trius Therapeutics (antimicrobial drug) * Molecular Medicine BioServices (contract clinical manufacturer) * Allylix (artificial fragrance production) In addition to the 79 exits, 103 companies in the portfolio were shutdowns with no returns. Based on all outcomes to date, TCA's portfolio has returned 4.8 times invested capital, and achieved an IRR of 22% on its portfolio.

Investment portfolio

The TCA investment portfolio page lists investments in general categories such as Life Sciences, Internet/Apps, Software, Consumer, CleanTech/Industrials, Hardware, Financial, and Business.TCA website.
Tech Coast Angels Investment Portfolio.
' Active portfolio companies include: *

Apeel Sciences Apeel Sciences is a company based in Goleta, California whose edible coating product Apeel can make avocados, citrus and other types of fruit last twice as long as usual by using a tasteless edible coating made from plant materials. The coating's ...

(tasteless edible coatings for fresh produce) *The Bouqs Company (Online Flower Shopping) *Buy It Installed (button integrated into retailer e-commerce site to include installation) *Cloudbeds (SAAS Hotel Hospitality Management Software) *Cognition Therapeutics (Memory Restoration for Alzheimer's) *

ElephantDrive ElephantDrive is a storage virtualization service used primarily as an Remote backup service, online backup tool, but also as a Remote Access Service, remote access service/collaboration tool. The service runs on Microsoft Windows, Windows, Macin ...

(storage-as-a-service software) * Kickstart (

Cadence Biomedical Cadence Biomedical is a medical device company that provides orthotic products to help individuals with severe mobility impairments to walk again. The company is located in Seattle, Washington and was founded in 2007 under the name Empowering Engi ...

) (helps people with severe disabilities walk) *myLAB Box (testing for STDs from the comfort of home) *

Ninja Metrics A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21� ...

(measures social influence) *

PharmaSecure PharmaSecure is a U.S.-based software and technology company. History PharmaSecure was founded by Nathan Sigworth and N. Taylor Thompson in 2007. The company was started to address the problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. The original technol ...

(mass serialization codes for products in emerging markets) * Procore Technologies (Construction Management SAAS) *

Ranker Ranker is a digital media company located in Los Angeles. The site features polls on entertainment, brands, sports, food and culture. Ranker claims to be one of the largest databases of opinions with more than 1 billion votes gathered on over mil ...

(UGC/ social platform for ranking things) *Whistle (allows hotels to communicate with guests through Mobile Messaging and SMS) * YouMail (voice messaging for cell phones)

References

{{Private equity and venture capital Financial services companies established in 1997 Venture capital firms of the United States