“Who is The American Angel?” And why does this matter?

First, some important data:

  • In 2014 angels invested an estimated $24B in more than 73,000 startup deals
  • Median deal size of angel investments rose to $850,000 from $510,000
  • Median pre-money valuation increased by 53 percent to $4.6M

Who are the men and women making angel investments in startups these days? A new survey is seeking to find answers. There are more than 200,000 angels in the U.S. alone, but little is known beyond some basic numbers.

The Angel Capital Association recently launched the online survey seeking to gill in the gaps of knowledge. The ACA is working in partnership with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in what they are calling the “first benchmark study” of angels.

“Few facts are known about the 200,000+ American angels who wield immense economic influence in the U.S. startup economy,” the survey says.

It’s seeking answers to such questions as:

  • Who are angel investors? e.g. Age, gender and ethnicity?
  • Do angels share commonalities? e.g. Education, career path or how they become angels?
  • Emerging trends? e.g. How they identify fundable early-stage companies? Factors that influence investing activity?

Active accredited investors can confidentially participate in this first-of-its-kind benchmark study atTheAmericanAngel.org