Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, or maybe Houston. You must have heard these names as the future hubs of tech innovation. But, all these names lead back to one single region… Texas!
Home to 20+ unicorns, Texas has emerged as one of the biggest startup landscapes worldwide. Every year, hundreds of startups close funding deals that are worth billions of dollars. And the best part?
Your startup could also do the same, having a go-to list of some of the most active investors in the city.
So, to help you pitch to the right people, we have come up with the following list of top angel investors in Texas who fund software startups.
Find Out The List of Top Angel Investors in Texas Who Fund Software Startups
John Watson
- Focused Sectors: Farming, Flowers, Wholesale, Advice, Consulting, Employee Benefits, Management Consulting, Building Maintenance, Building Material, Construction, Web Development, Advertising, Information Technology, Marketing, Software, Health Care, Hospital, Medical, Customer Service, Laundry and Dry-cleaning, Service Industry, Manufacturing, Recruiting, Women Founded, E-Commerce
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Glowpoint, Grand Flower Growers, River Aggregates, Van Gilder Insurance, East West Copolymer, GRT Rubber Technologies, Bridge Capital Solutions Corporation.
John Watson is an active angel investor who focuses on early-stage startups. He has been funding startups since 2016 and has built a reputation for backing innovative companies that show strong potential for scalable growth. Watson invests in seed and Series A stages, preferring companies with a solid product-market fit and a compelling growth strategy.
Before becoming an angel investor, Watson held roles at Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, where he worked as a senior investment analyst.
To date, Watson has funded over 30 startups. His investment range falls between $50,000 and $250,000 per startup.
Scott Grass
- Focused Sectors: Software, Consumer Internet, Mobile, Local Advertising, Advertising Platforms, Ad Targeting, Advertising Networks, Deals, Coupons, Advertising, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Games, Retail, Food and Beverages, Water, Social Games, Fantasy Sports, Casual Games, Social Television, Small and Medium Businesses, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Automotive Centers, Impact Telecom, Tin Roof Bars, Condit Exhibits, MinuteKey, Guerdon Modular Buildings.
Scott Grass is an active angel investor with a strong focus on early-stage startups. His investment journey began as a career in venture capital with River Valley Capital Partners and Sycamore Partners, where he held a senior advisory role in retail investment.
Likewise, Grass has been investing in startups since 2014, with a strong interest in the software sector. He typically invests in seed and Series A stages, helping companies accelerate their growth during the early phases. Like most other angel investors, Scott Grass prefers to invest in startups that can promise high returns and deal in big markets. He prefers becoming the “earliest partner” of startups and providing them with expert mentorship throughout different startup stages.
The investment range of Scott Grass is between $100,000 and $500,000 per company.
Marco Rodriguez
- Focused Sectors: Manufacturing, Energy, Real Estate, CRM, Information Technology, Advanced Materials, Construction, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Engineering, Fashion, Service Industry, Water, Hardware, Marine Technology, Navigation, and Software.
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Reach Wireline, FloCap Injection Services, A&L Industries Services, MKD Electric, Mustang Extreme Environmental Services, Marport Deep Sea Technologies
Marco Rodriguez is also an experienced angel investor who likes funding software startups in the early stages. He prefers to invest in companies with disruptive innovation and strong leadership teams.
When investing in companies, Rodriguez wants to help startups transition from early product development to growth and market entry. His interest lies in finding a fresh, market idea, analyzing the investment team, and understanding whether the business is capable of generating high returns or not.
Like most other angel investors, Rodriguez has also built his experience and investor expertise by working with VC firms. Just a decade earlier, he started his career by working with firms like K5 Ventures, where he held a partner role, and Palladium Equity Partners, where he served as a senior associate.
Ever since, Rodriguez has invested in over 20 startups to date, with many successful exits. His investment range falls between $50,000 and $300,000 per startup.
Kyle Bethancourt
- Focused Sectors: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, CleanTech, Enterprise Software, GreenTech, SaaS, Social Impact, Sustainability, East Asian Founded, East Asian Led, Women Founded, Advanced Materials, Energy, Hardware, Internet of Things, Oil and Gas, Software
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Brex, Airtable, Validere, and Gusto
With a strong focus on enterprise software, Kyle Bethancourt is also a famous name in Texas’s angel community. He started funding startups in 2017 when he first used to invest in ideas through other VC firms.
For the first time, Kyle worked as an associate at Sequoia Capital, where he focused on high-growth technology startups, and later at Battery Ventures, serving as a senior investment associate, where he analyzed and supported investments in B2B software and cloud infrastructure.
When investing in startups, Kyle Behancourt prioritizes startups with strong technical founders, clear product-market fit, and the ability to scale efficiently. He invests in pre-seed to Series A rounds, providing both capital and mentorship to help founders refine their products and go-to-market strategies.
Other than his investment activities, Kyle has also been organizing startup events and demo days, providing a platform for young companies to present their ideas. He has invested in over 15 startups so far, with an investment range between $100,000 and $400,000.
M. Neil Kallmeyer
- Focused Sectors: Health Care, Hospital, Software, Hardware
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Surgical Notes, PCS Software, Hart InterCivic.
M. Neil Kallmeyer is a seasoned angel investor who likes investing in companies with innovative solutions and the potential to disrupt traditional industries. Kallmeyer invests in startups at the seed and early growth stages when they are gaining traction but still require strategic and financial support to scale.
Before becoming an angel investor, Kallmeyer worked with Riverstone Holdings, where he served as a managing director, leading investments in energy and infrastructure sectors. He also held senior positions at EnCap Investments, focusing on energy technology ventures.
Since the beginning of his investor career in 2013, Kallmeyer has been actively involved in organizing startup events as he loves sharing his experience to help startups scale. His investment range is between $200,000 and $500,000.
Walter Pinto
- Focused Sectors: Manufacturing, Energy, Real Estate, CRM, Information Technology, Advanced Materials, Construction, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Engineering, Fashion, Service Industry, Water, Hardware, Marine Technology, Navigation, and Software
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: Reach Wireline, FloCap Injection Services, A&L Industries Services, MKD Electric, Mustang Extreme Environmental Services, Marport Deep Sea Technologies.
Funding startups for over 5 years now, Walter Pinto is an active investor who likes to back tech-related startups. He started investing in businesses, with a career in VC and has worked with many notable names.
Moreover, Walter Pinto makes most of his startup investments through fundraisers and startup events. He selects companies that have a high ROI and have already sorted out a solid growth model.
In addition to his investment activities, Walter Pinto attends mentorship programs. He also delivers public talks that can help founders understand his mindset and prepare a solid pitch to secure funding.
The investment range of Walter Pinto lies around $500,000 as he mostly invests at the seed or earlier stages.
Austin Sandvik
- Focused Sectors: Advertising, Marketing, SaaS, SEM, SEO, Software, Apps, Career Planning, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Human Resources, Recruiting, E-Learning, Education, Security, Training
- Present In: Texas
- Notable Investments: NinjaCat, RIVS, MediaPro
Austin Sandvik is a Senior Associate at Clovis Point Capital, a Houston-based private equity firm. He joined the firm in 2018 as an Associate and has since been promoted to Senior Associate.
Although Austin makes a huge number of investments through Clovis Point Capital, he also acts as an individual investor and is known for funding seed-stage companies.
As a private investor, Austin Sandvik focuses on investments in software and technology-enabled services companies, especially those with high growth potential in the lower middle market. The investment range of Austin Sandvik is around $50,000.
Wrap-Up:
In a nutshell, Texas's startup landscape offers many opportunities, but only if you’re willing to capitalize on them.
Every day, angel investors have to face many below-average pitch decks which means you have to come up with something that catches up to their attention.
So, instead of facing a blatant “NO” because of a bad pitch, let us wrap up with 3 tips that will help you catch the attention.
- Talk about the specific problem. A: good pitch deck should clearly define your problem and demonstrate how your solution uniquely solves it.
- Discuss traction early. Whether it’s user growth, revenue, or a solid proof of concept, showing traction helps investors trust that your business model works and has the potential to scale.:
- Be prepared to explain your revenue model, market size, margins, and potential profitability in detail.:
