Tech coast angels
Encyclopedia
Tech Coast Angels
Tech Coast Angels is an angel investorAngel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
network in the United States and one of the leading sources of funding to early-stage companies in Southern California. Since its inception in 1997, TCA members have focused on building valuable companies, personally invested nearly $100 million, and helped portfolio companies attract more than $1 billion in additional capital, mostly from venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firms . TCA members give companies more than just capital; they also provide counsel
, mentoring and access to an extensive network of potential investors
, customers, strategic partners and management talent. TCA has more than 250 members, including its venture capital affiliates, in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Westlake/Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire.
Noteworthy investment exits for the TCA include "Sandpiper Networks" and "Green Dot Corporation
Green Dot Corporation
Green Dot Corporation is an issuer of prepaid MasterCard and Visa cards in the United States. These products are available at nearly 50,000 retail stores, including CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and RadioShack; as well as with discounted offerings at Meijer and Wal-Mart.The cards may be used like...
", both returning 100X or more of TCA invested capital
.
In February 2011, Tech Coast Angels announced that Mike Napoli has moved into the position of Chairman of its Board of Directors. Napoli has been a member of TCA since 2000, has previously served on the TCA Los Angeles Network Executive Committee for seven years.