We want to back big thinking entrepreneurs; founders with the ability to galvanize a passionate and skilled team around them; a generalist mindset that understands it takes more than good technology to build a successful business
We are currently most interested in cyber security, cloud applications and infrastructure and data analytics
Not Interested In
We have limited interest in EnergyTech mainly due to economics, slow adoption and long sales cycles
1. Applications solving large and non-obvious problems in data-intensive industries
2. ML-driven applications that have found a path to an initial data advantage and have the potential to create a definitive intelligence advantage
3. Business operations platforms for SMB vendors who have never had a good one, esp that are driven by mobile, esp that drive payment flow
4. Large-scale applications and HW/SW systems that sell into government
Not Interested In
I like to be surprised by things I think I may not be interested in and so try not to rule anything out.
Partner @venrock • Investor @claralending, @Centricient, @dataminr, @care, @gilt Groupe • Studied at @stanford-university, @university-of-oxford-2
Sean Jacobsohn
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • Sales (& Marketing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Future Of Work • Human Resources • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility • Woman Focused
Description
Co-President of @harvard-business-school Angels. Venture Partner at Emergence Capital. Former VP of BD at @cornerstone-ondemand and @wageworks (both had IPOs).
Cyan Banister
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Sales (& Marketing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Future Of Work • Human Resources • Online Social • Consumer • Woman Focused
Description
Partner at Long Journey Ventures
Cyan Banister is a Co-Founder of Signal Media Project. She also serves as Partner at Founders Fund. Prior to joining Founders Fund, Cyan was an active Angel Investor with a portfolio including Uber, Thumbtack, SpaceX, EShares, Postmates and Affirm. A self-taught engineer and entrepreneur, Cyan has held a number of technical leadership positions throughout her career. As an early employee at IronPort, which was acquired by Cisco, Cyan oversaw support infrastructure and performance for a global customer base. Cyan has a passion for the arts and is a voracious film, documentary and media consumer. She co-founded and served as Editor-in-Chief at Zivity. She also served as Advisor at Hinge Capital. She also serves on the Board of The AI Foundation.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • BioTech • Businesses Solutions • Sales (& Marketing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Developer tools • Online Social
Description
General Partner at CRV
Most Interested In
AI as applied to the real-world: autonomous vehicles, cyber security, demand forecasting, etc.
Also any SaaS application (B2B only)
Focused on Seed and A's only
Not Interested In
Not interested in Consumer software, FinTech, HC IT, Bio.
Not pursuing later stage deals
Santo Politi is a Co-Founder and serves as General Partner at Spark Capital. He has led Spark's investments in eToro, Convert Media, Genie, Oculus, Orchard, Qriously, Storenvy, Triggit and Zazma. He also led Spark's previous investments in Adap.TV (acquired by AOL), Admeld (acquired by Google), CT-100/CNET (acquired by CBS), IPWireless (acquired by General Dynamics), KickApps (acquired by KIT Digital), Lexity (acquired by Yahoo!) and OneRiot (acquired by Walmart). He served as a board member of 5Min (acquired by AOL) and thePlatform (acquired by Comcast). He was previously a Partner at Charles River Ventures (CRV) where he led investments in BigBand Networks (NASDAQ: BBND), Broadbus Technologies (acquired by Motorola) and Groove Mobile (acquired by LiveWire). Prior to Charles River Ventures, he served as President of New Media for Blockbuster Entertainment (NYSE: BBI). He also previously co-founded BT Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm affiliated with Bankers Trust where he led successful investments in Aether Systems (NASDAQ: AETH), DigitalThink (NASDAQ: DTHK) and Novatel Wireless (NASDAQ: NVTL). He previously held various engineering and management positions at Matsushita Electric Industrial, Panasonic and Weston Instruments. He holds an MBA in finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from NJIT and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. He serves as a Board member at Qriously, PreVeil, Uncommon and Lightmatter.
Salil Deshpande
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
Salil Deshpande serves as Managing Director at Bain Capital Ventures. He is an Advisor of Quantum Metric. He is a Board Member of Rentomojo, Aria Systems, RedisDB, Iron.io, Typesafe, Eventful and Hazelcast. He is a former general partner with San Francisco-based Bay Partners. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University and M.S. from Stanford University. He serves as board member at ScaleArc and Rollbar.
Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Future Of Work • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Mobility
Description
Partner at Index Ventures
Martin Mignot serves as a Partner at Index Ventures. He also serves as Advisory Board Member at TheFamily. He specialises in SaaS, marketplaces, bitcoin and mobile. He worked on 50+ transactions to date, including Assistly, Auxmoney, BaseCRM, Cloud.com, Codecademy, DimDim, Factual, Farfetch, Flipboard, Funding Circle, Gluster, HouseTrip, Just Eat, Lookout, Nasty Gal, Notonthehighstreet, onefinestay, PeoplePerHour, TrustPilot, Soluto and SoundCloud. He is actively looking after Index's investments in Algolia, Capitaine Train, Drivy, Rad and Swiftkey. Prior to joining Index, Martin was in the TMT team at UBS Investment Bank and cofounded the beauty subscription business Boudoir Prive (acquired by Joliebox/Birchbox) and a student web radio service.
Partner, Investment Committee at TCG (The Chernin Group) | Kauffman Fellow
Series A VC (and beyond)
Marco DeMeireles serves as Principal & Head of Private Investments at Balyasny Asset Management. He is focused on public and private technology investments across Consumer Internet, Digital Media, Enterprise Software, HCIT and IT Infrastructure businesses globally. He attended Williams College where he graduated with a degree in Economics and Leadership studies. At BAM, Marco's investment experience spans Venture Capital, Growth Equity, Public Equities (equity long/short) and personal LP investments into leading fund managers. He has sourced and led the Firm's investments in Avant, Cuebiq, Orbital Insight, Outcome Health (fka ContextMedia), and Peloton where he serves as Balyasny's shareholder representative. Prior to joining BAM, Marco was with Technology Crossover Ventures, focused on growth stage investments, and began his career in Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division advising Technology clients based in Menlo Park. While at Morgan Stanley, Marco worked with companies in the storage, hardware, software, security, digital media and consumer internet sectors on a variety of transactions including public equity offerings (Palo Alto Networks), debt financings (Rovi, HP), leveraged buyouts (Dell/Quest) and strategic M&A assignments (Cisco/Meraki).
Eric Ver Ploeg
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
Menlo Park - California, U.S.A.
Previous Investments
• Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners:
(mid stage)
• Ver Ploeg Venture Syndicate:
• Metric Ventures:
• AdKnowledge:
(early stage)
• ENPICOM BV:
(mid stage)
• Arches Capital:
(early stage)
• REXai:
(early stage)
• EclecticIQ:
(early stage)
• Cybersecurity Investment Fund:
• Iristrace - turning business risks into business values:
(early stage)
For my personal angel investing: category creators with defensible business models.
For my DTCP investing: Enterprise SaaS and recurring revenue businesses who are past $10m ARR and interested in doing more business in Europe.
Not Interested In
Whatever category the venture echo chamber has declared "hot" right now.
Eric Ver Ploeg serves as a Managing Director at DTCP. He serves as a Board Member/Observer at Anomali, CipherCloud, Innovid, Inuitive, Pinger, Ranovus, and ShareThis. Prior to DTCP, Eric was a Managing Director at VantagePoint Venture Partners, where he headed the mobile practice, leading rounds of funding at Spatial Wireless, OZ Communications, and many others. Eric has personally invested in numerous startups and has also run a quant hedge fund. Before beginning his investing career, Eric co-founded two venture-backed startups, where he raised five rounds of venture capital. Eric earned a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, as well as an MBA and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
How to connect with Angel Investors in the Businesses Solutions industry?
In the Business Solutions industry, angel investors such as Jason Calacanis, Naval Ravikant, and Reid Hoffman are highly active. These investors focus on startups offering innovative solutions in enterprise software, business process automation, and productivity tools. Jason Calacanis, an early investor in Uber and Robinhood, looks for disruptive business solutions with strong market potential. Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList, invests in startups that provide scalable and efficient business tools. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, seeks out companies that enhance business operations and connectivity. To connect with these investors, attend business tech conferences, enterprise software expos, and networking events such as SaaStr Annual, Dreamforce, and TechCrunch Disrupt. Utilize platforms like AngelList and LinkedIn to identify and reach out to potential investors. When pitching, emphasize how your business solution addresses key challenges in enterprise operations, such as improving efficiency, reducing costs, or enhancing productivity. Highlight any traction you’ve gained, such as partnerships with corporations, user growth, or positive feedback from clients. Building relationships through initial informal meetings or discussions at industry panels can help establish trust with these investors. Demonstrating the impact of your technology through case studies or user testimonials can also add credibility. Personalize your outreach by referencing the investor’s previous investments and explaining how your venture aligns with their interests. Demonstrating a sustainable business model with clear revenue streams, such as subscription fees, licensing, or service contracts, will further strengthen your pitch. Leveraging endorsements or case studies from business experts can also enhance your credibility.
Case Studies: Successful Funding Rounds with Angel Investors on Angels Partners
Exotic Orange & Angels Partners: Turning Financial Simplicity Into Investment Success
