Open Angel Forum Blog

Boulder Event is March 21st, Applications Now Open!

Krute — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:33:23 +0000

This post is syndicated from Rob Delwo’s blog here. Rob is a Chapter Head for Boulder along with David Cohen and Tim Falls.

On March 21st, 2012 we will be hosting Boulder’s fifth Open Angel Forum (OAF). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the OAF it was founded by Jason Calacanis, who heard that investors were charging entrepreneurs to pitch. Jason and the rest of the investor community were appalled by the pay to pitch mentality, so Jason founded the OAF, whose mission is:

To provide entrepreneurs with access to the angel investor community based solely on merit (and without fees). Additionally, we strive to build collaboration between angel investors and to inspire high-net worth individuals to become angels.

David Cohen, Tim Falls and I started the Boulder chapter shortly after Jason’s inaugural event. The goal of the OAF is to get companies funded. We try and create a relaxed atmosphere that’s small enough to encourage conversations between investors and entrepreneurs. We limit the event to 20 qualified Angels who have made at least 3 investments in the past year. You can sign up to be considered as an Angel for OAF5 here.

The entrepreneur selection process is competitive, we usually get 50 to 60 applications and pick only 5 or 6 companies to present. You can apply to OAF5 as an entrepreneur here. We try and pick the best of the applicants, and I think we do a pretty decent job, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t miss great companies. So please don’t feel discouraged if you apply and aren’t selected. Also, we’re always willing to provide feedback and insight into our decision-making to those who aren’t selected

Overall, I think the first four OAFs have been a success. Out of 23 companies who have participated:

13 have raised their seed round shortly after the OAF.
4 have gone on to raise their Series A
2 have gone on to raise their Series B (It’s still early and I expect a few more to close)
2 were accepted to TechStars Boulder (several companies were TS, DreamIT and other incubator alumni)
1 was accepted to Excelerate Labs Chicago
1 company was acquired

Here are some quotes from OAF Alumni:

“Participating in the OAF significantly increased the credibility of our company and team. Investors from the Forum provided a key portion of our investment and accelerated completion of our Series A funding. Also, relationships established during the OAF meeting with co-presenters and hosts have led to significant opportunities.” Team Snap

“We acquired investment as a direct result of presenting at OAF. Forkly“

“We pitched while we were in the DreamIT incubator. The Boulder OAF opened an audience of investors that we may not have typically been able to reach.” Adaptly

“It was a good experience to learn what investors might be looking for and how to position ourselves better.”- Snugg Home

“Introduction to David Cohen, Nicole Glaros, TechStars, High Country Venture, Jim Franklin, Chris Marks and in general, exposure to the Boulder ecosystem.” Full Contact

“The OAF was our first pitch. We learned a lot from watching the other companies and the investor Q&A. It really helped us refine our pitch…” meeps

“We met some great folks, and it led to an investment.” Fast Customer

In addition to the positive comments, I did receive some feedback on ways to improve the event. I plan to take these comments to heart, and hopefully we can make the OAF5 the best forum yet.

Entrepreneurs APPLY HERE

Angel Investors APPLY HERE

Seattle, November 2nd – Applications now open!

Krute — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:40:18 +0000

Join Andy Sack, Jason Calacanis and numerous Seattle angel investors at the 3rd Meeting of the Seattle Chapter of the Open Angel Forum. If you have a company that is currently looking for funding, applications are now open (apply here). If you are an angel investor interested in attending for the first time, please fill out the form here. If you are a service provider, you can find more information here.

Boston October 27th, now accepting applications!

Krute — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:15:23 +0000

Join Bill Warner, Kate Rae, Reed Sturtevant and bunch more amazing local angel investors for our 5th Boston Open Angel Forum. Applications are now open for companies looking to raise funding (apply here). If you are an angel interested in attending, you can apply here. Service providers can find more info here.

Philadelphia event is September 20th, now accepting applications!

Krute — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:16:13 +0000

We are excited to be returning to Philadelphia on September 20th! Join local chapter heads Gabriel Weinberg and Antonio Tedesco along with many other angels from the Philadelphia area. Companies can apply here, deadline is Fri Aug 26th. Angels can apply here, and any one interested in sponsoring can apply here.

Boulder August 3rd

Krute — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:55:08 +0000

A few more days to apply to present at the upcoming Boulder Open Angel Forum on August 3rd! Rub elbows with the most excellent David Cohen, Brad Feld and a host of other Boulder investors.

Companies can apply here.

Angels can sign up here.

Now accepting applications for New York, deadline is June 2nd!

Krute — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:48:45 +0000

We will be heading to New York for Internet Week, and will be holding Open Angel Forum on June 9th at 7:00 PM. If you would like your company to be considered, please apply here. Investors interested in joining can apply here, and service providers can find more information here.

We’re Expanding

Krute — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:08:49 +0000

We are looking to add five more chapters to our lineup by the end of the year, and we want your help selecting the cities. Currently we have chapters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Boulder, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, London and Seattle. We will be doing our first event in Austin this fall.

So… what fantastic cities are we missing? Chicago? Washington DC? We are looking for one entrepreneur and one angel in each city to take on the role of chapter heads. These should be folks who share our vision to help entrepreneurs gain access to quality investors based on merit (and without fees).

Let us know your recommendations in the comments, or email us at info@openangelforum.com

Meet the companies from our Philadelphia event last week

Krute — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:29:50 +0000

Big thanks to Gabe Weinberg and Antonio Tedesco for their help to get the first Philadelphia event together. It was a great event, check out the companies who participated.

Meet the presenters from our Boston event!

Krute — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:56:00 +0000

We had a great group of companies present at the Boston event last week. Check them out!

Open Angel Forum Seattle April 27th

Krute — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:51:02 +0000

We are now accepting applications for Open Angel Forum Seattle that will be Wednesday April 27th! Interested companies can apply here, investors here. Sponsors can learn more about the event here. We are very excited to be heading back to Seattle after a great inaugural event last fall. Deadlines for companies to apply is Friday April 15th.