Supporting Excellence and Knowledge in Angel Investing
The Angel Capital Education Foundation (ACEF), is a charitable organization founded by the Kauffman Foundation that is devoted to education, information, and research about angel investing for investors, entrepreneurial support organizations, university faculty and students, and policymakers. The foundation provides professional development, best practices, networking opportunities and angel groups in the U.S. and Canada.
In 2007, angels invested an estimated $26 billion in entrepreneurial businesses in the United States, yet little is known about these maverick individuals who play such a crucial role to provide start-up capital for new businesses and ultimately to create jobs.
The programs of the ACEF include:
Power of Angel Investing Seminars and Workshops: ACEF provides a series of education programs developed by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in a variety of communities. The respected “PAI” program includes two full-day seminars and four half-day workshops that dig into aspects of the angel investment process:
- Angel Investing Overview seminar
- Starting an Angel Organization seminar
- Doing the Deal: Term Sheet workshop
- Due Diligence workshop
- Valuation and Portfolio Strategy workshop
- he Post-Investment Relationship: Entrepreneurs and Angels
ACEF is also exploring Webinars, podcasts, and other ways to deliver great education and new topics to interested audiences. In addition, ACEF partners with other national and international organizations to present PAI programs as pre-conference education.
Research and Data: ACEF collects data and provides analysis on angel group trends, investment activity and impact, best practices, and measures of success. Recent projects include establishing a database on quarterly investments of angel groups, determining the financial returns of angels connected to angel groups, and evaluating best practices for angel groups. ACEF also aggregates academic research about angel investing on its Web site.
Information and Publications: Working with top angel investors and the Kauffman Foundation, ACEF has developed a variety of information tools that can be accessed via www.angelcapitaleducation.org and in print. ACEF publishes a quarterly newsletter about angel groups, best practice papers, guidance documents for angel group investment practices and the “Guidebook on Starting an Angel Organization in Your Community.”
History
ACEF was founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2005 to support education and research in the field of angel investing. In early 2007, ACEF received IRS approval as a tax-exempt, public charity (501c3), and in March, 2007 it spun out from the Kauffman Foundation as an independent organization. The Kauffman Foundation currently provides grant and other support during ACEF’s early development. ACEF complements a separate organization, Angel Capital Association, a professional membership association of North American Angel groups.
Organizational Structure
ACEF was incorporated in September, 2005 and received its 501c3 public charity tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service in December, 2006. A seven-member Board of Directors governs ACEF.
Contact Information
For more information about ACEF, please check the Web site, www.angelcapitaleducation.org.
Entrepreneurs: Please note that ACEF is not a source of capital. Please do not call or email ACEF to request funding or contacts for your business. ACEF has an “Info for Entrepreneurs” page on its Web site and also includes links to all angel groups it is aware of in the “Resources” section of the site. Entrepreneurs may link to the individual Web sites of the organizations nearest them to learn more about their investment interests and processes.
Individuals interested in research, public policy, or education issues in the field of angel investing may contact:
Marianne Hudson
Executive Director
mhudson@angelcapitalassociation.org
