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OVERVIEW

The AoA membership consists of over 100 individual accredited investors and representatives of investment firms, many of whom have been part of Seattle’s leading companies including Amazon, aQuantive, McCaw, Microsoft and T-Mobile, as well as many decades of startup experience. The AoA screening and investment process has been well honed over the years to be both efficient for the angel investor and respectful to the entrepreneur, resulting in 95% of our members making at least one investment over the last two years and 100% of our portfolio companies persisting since 2006.

Leveraging an unsurpassed flow of excellent deals, a top-notch screening process, and a deep and experienced investor group, the AoA has directly invested over $60 million in more than 160 great companies. Recent examples of AoA investments that have achieved successful outcomes are: Clarisonic (acquired by L'Oreal); DashWire (acquired by HTC); Insitu (acquired by Boeing); SNAPin Software (acquired by Nuance); the Coffee Equipment Company (acquired by Starbucks); CleverSet (acquired by ATG); and Shelfari (acquired by Amazon). As of today, virtually all AoA companies that have received investments in the last four years are still in business or have been acquired. Notable among them are LiquidPlanner, Modumetal, Redfin, Meteor Solutions, Julep Nail Salons, MicroGREEN, BuddyTV, and many others.

In 2009, the AoA launched a $4.4 million Seed Fund that co-invests alongside AoA members. Companies become eligible for a matching investment by the Seed Fund when two or more AoA members invest in a company for at least $100,000 in aggregate.

The AoA screening and investment process has been well honed over the last 12 years to be both efficient for the angel investor and respectful to the entrepreneur. AoA members willingly share their knowledge and experience with other members. Typically one of our members will step up to lead a new deal and will be assisted by other members who are interested in considering an investment. Together they conduct due diligence, guide the entrepreneur, and negotiate the deal terms. Each member then makes their own investment decision. It is typical that one of the AoA members will then take a board seat.