29 Top NYC Angel Investors
Last Updated: By TRUiC Team
As the cultural and financial epicenter of the United States, New York City is the perfect place for entrepreneurs to seek angel investors. NYC has a large amount of angel funding available, with many groups concentrating on types of business.
In this article, you’ll learn about the best NYC angel investors and the funding they are offering entrepreneurs. You’ll also understand the key individuals behind the angel investor scene in NYC and a bit of their background.
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Best Angel Investors in NYC
New York City is filled with financial opportunities, but the angel investor individuals and groups below have taken a particular interest in the city’s startup scene. Here are the top angel investors in the "Big Apple."
1. 37 Angels
37 Angels is much more than just an angel investor, they help close the gender gap in startup investing using educational content. The group includes a BootCamp on angel investing listed on the website. The process of getting involved with 37 angels is clear and easy. The group believes in using transparency to provide clear and open communication for all parties involved.
2. Golden Seeds
Golden Seeds stand out from other Angel investor groups in that it focuses on helping women entrepreneurs succeed. It is one of the nation's most active investment firms, with over $170 million invested in over 225 companies. The company was founded in 2005 and believes in extensive research that shows diverse teams produce a better average return on equity.
3. HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York
The largest angel investor group in the city of New York, HBS Alumni Angels is a part of the Harvard Business School. The firm has over 350 angel investors with over $20 million invested across 100 different early-stage companies. The school hears about 1-2 pitches every month and hosts all pitches in person.
4. New York Angels
The New York Angels Group is helping all early-stage founders reach their potential with capital, counsel, and network support. All the founders of the New York Angels are professionals, entrepreneurs, operators, and industry experts so they have the experience needed to guide entrepreneurs. The firm also has an internship program and special interest group in finTech, Blockchain, and Life Sciences.
5. Long Island Angel Network
Even though the name suggests this angel investor group resides in the neighboring city, all investments are made in New York. The Long Island Angel Network invests most of its resources into technology-based companies that are early stage and have high growth potential. The company is not very active but makes about four or five investments every year.
6. BoxGroup
The BoxGroup likes being one of the first investors in any company it has its eye on. It has invested in some of the most successful companies in recent years, like Plaid, Airtable, and Ramp. The firm wants entrepreneurs that look at the world differently and change how it functions with help from BoxGroup.
7. Founder Collective
Founder Collective hopes to be more than just a financial backer of entrepreneurs, they want to be the most aligned VC fund for founders at the seed stage. The hope of the firm is to be a partner for startups from the idea stage all the way through to IPO. All founders have experience building technology-based companies that have had successful exits.
8. Roger Ehrenberg
Roger Ehrenberg is one of the founding members and managing partners of the IA Ventures firm. Ehrenberg has the most experience with companies that gain their competitive advantage through data. Some of the most recent investments by Ehrenberg include Betr, Stadium Live Studios, and Hang.
9. Joanne Wilson
Joanne Wilson has had a long career filled with many different positions. From retail to wholesale and media, Joanne eventually settled on investing and is now an active angel investor with over 90 companies in her portfolio. Some of the most successful companies include Food52, Makers Row, and Union Station.
10. Aamer Abdullah
Aamer Abdullah has been in and around investing for years. He has held many important positions within different companies like Greenewable Solar and Ribbon Home. Aamer has made a couple of personal investments into Pogoseat and BizeeBee. Abdullah is also one of the founders of M1 ventures.
11. David S. Rose
As the founder and executive chairman of Gust, David S. Rose has been a part of over 850 different equity investments. He is also the founder of New York Angels and was named “The Godfather of Silicon Alley” by Business Week. Rose has written multiple books on startups and investing, making him one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry.
12. John Frankel
John Frankel is the co-founder and managing partner of ff Venture Capital. He has over two decades of experience in early-stage investing and has made many different investments in companies like SinglePlatform, Appboy, and Greenhouse. Frankel focuses on drones, cybersecurity, enterprise software, crowdfunding, and other technology-enabled companies.
13. Nasir Jones
Perhaps better known by his hip-hop alias Nas, Nasir Jones is an American rapper and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1990s East Coast hip-hop scene. Nas is now an active investor and has made investments in notable companies like Magic Spoon, Altered State Machine, and Everyrealm. The former rapper also has nine companies with exits that he has invested in.
14. Kal Vepuri
Kal Vepuri is the founder and chairman of the company Brainchild, which is a software development firm. He has also been an active angel investor and has made investments in companies like SUKU, Rentlykey, and Volley. Prior to their stint at Brainchild, Kal was a technology entrepreneur, a consultant, and an institutional private equity investor.
15. Gary Vaynerchuk
One of the biggest faces in digital marketing, Gary Vaynerchuk is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company. He is also the CEO and co-founder of VaynerMedia, a full-service agency servicing Fortune 500 clients across the company’s four locations. Gary has made investments in over 60 companies, with notable ones being PureWow, Resy, and Slack.
16. Adam Rothenberg
Adam Rothenberg has been at the center of New York angel investors for years and is currently a partner at BoxGroup, a New York City-based seed-stage venture capital firm. Adam has been involved with companies like Appboy, Blue Apron, and ClassPass. He is also a founding member of entrepreneurial organizations such as FirstMark Capital, TechStars NYC, and StartOut.
17. Tom Peterson
Tom Peterson has been with the same venture capital firm, El Dorado, since 1986. He has a wealth of experience in early and later-stage investments, with a focus on software, service, and communication companies. Peterson was an investment officer prior to joining El Dorado, so he has been investing most of his life.
18. Empire Angels
Empire Angels know what it's like being a young entrepreneur trying to seek funding and build a business. The founders are all millennials who have found success themselves and now look to support early-stage young entrepreneurs looking to scale. The firm looks to redefine how traditional angel investing operates by implementing no bureaucracy, quick decisions, and collaborative diligence.
19. Tri State Ventures
Only startups that have a protected proprietary position in their market will be considered by Tri State Ventures. There aren't any sectors Tri State focuses specifically on, but past investments include healthcare, IT products and services, energy, and consumer products. The firm believes funding is lacking for early-stage entrepreneurs and looks to bridge the gap.
20. Arc Angel Fund
ARC Angel Fund is a member-led fund that invests in early-stage companies with high-growth potential. All members of the group are able to actively participate in funding rounds or personally invest alongside the fund. Most of the focus of ARC is on software, IT, internet, tech-enabled services, and digital media.
21. SoundBoard Angel Fund
SoundBoard invests in early-stage companies and has a diverse range of investors who each bring their own perspectives and insights into the decision-making process. The fund has a collaborative approach with entrepreneurs and looks to underserved geographies for their investments.
22. JumpStart Angel Network
Located right next door to New York in New Jersey, JumpStart Angel Network is a group of fellow serial entrepreneurs, business executives, and venture capitalists who look to invest in early-stage tech companies. The sectors Jumpstart invests in include Saas, B2B, health tech, medical devices, alternative energy, and cybersecurity.
23. Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon is a current general partner at one of the largest investment firms in the nation, Andreessen Horowitz. He co-leads the $350 million crypto fund for the company and is the founder of two startups of his own, including the popular SiteAdvisor. Dixon is a prolific investor in seed companies and co-founded Founder Collective, a venture fund.
24. Charlie O'Donnell
Known around the NYC startup scene as the most accessible early-stage investor, Charlie O'Donnell has worked with companies like Slack, Appboy (now Braze), and Blue Apron. O'Donnell is the founder and sole partner of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, an early-stage venture fund that he launched in 2013. The fund makes seed investments into consumer and enterprise internet companies.
25. Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson has a long history in venture capital and now is an active angel investor in NYC. He founded Flatiron Partners, an early-stage venture fund that was active in the late 1990s. Wilson is now a partner at Union Square Ventures, one of the most well-known VC firms in the world. Some of his most recent investments include Blueprint Power and Engagio.
26. Jeffrey Finkle
Jeff Finkle is deeply tied to the New York City investment scene as the current chairman of the New York Angels and president/CEO of the International Economic Development Council. Finkle is also a venture partner at Osage University Partners, an early-stage venture fund that he joined in 2007. Prior to his work in VC, Finkle was an entrepreneur himself.
27. Jalak Jobanputra
Jalak Jobanputra is one of the founding partners of Future/Perfect Ventures, which is an early-stage venture capital fund. Jobanputra has over 18 years of experience in and around venture capital, media, and technology. She has a well-documented career working at various venture capital firms in some of the biggest cities in the world.
28. David Tisch
David Tisch is the co-founder and managing partner of BoxGroup, an early-stage investment firm that has invested in over 250 companies. Tisch is also the chairman of Spring, a commerce platform for Gen Z. He's had various other roles in startups, including as the co-founder of TechStars New York.
29. Adam Quinton
Holy Cross Energy is a solar and sustainable energy company where Adam Quinton serves as a board member and treasurer. Some of the more personal investments for Quinton include LawGo, VenueBook, and Hire an Esquire. Adam was also the founder and CEO of Lucas Point Ventures and a former managing director at Golden Seeds.
