With names like "City of The Future" and "Tech Hub," Irvine is currently facing exceptional startup growth, thanks to its dedicated angel investors that fund startups.

According to a report, almost one-third of Fortune 500 companies are present in Irvine, with most of its workforce being highly educated. Reading stats like these, you might also think, what can be the best way to find investors for a new startup and list my business among the Fortune 500 companies?

Well, that's what this article is for. The following article highlights the list of the top 6 angel investors in Irvine and their investment interests.

Top 6 Angel Investors in Irvine:

Following is a list of some of the top 6 venture capitalists in Irvine.

Cove Fund

Website: Cove Fund

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech, software, E-Commerce, and Healthcare.

Investment Stage: Seed Stage

Headquartered in Irvine, Cove Fund is a seed-stage venture capital firm that was founded in 2014 by Fred Selby, Hans Imhof, and Howard Mirowitz. After raising 48.6M in funding and funding around 50 Southern California-based startups, Cove Fund is ready to find more deserving ventures and provide them with the required capital.

During the screening tests, the investors are highly focused on technology and life science companies that have the potential to address large markets with highly differentiated products and services.

Once a startup has been funded, Cove Fund also provides its portfolio companies with much-needed guidance at different stages of a startup. They are currently hosting different seminars and mentorship programs to boost the startup growth in Irvine.

The investment range of Cove Fund ranges from $1M to $5M. Notable portfolio companies include:

Carlsmed: A company that utilizes machine learning technologies to analyze prior surgical data to predict the optimal surgical plan for each patient and create personalized 3D printed devices delivered sterile to the OR.

Daasity: Daasity's platform revolutionizes how companies access and work with e-commerce & direct-to-consumer data, enabling companies to leverage the power of a data warehouse.

ECFX: ECFX develops innovative software to address unmet automation needs in the legal industry, filling in gaps in legal workflows with Intelligent Automation.

Go Venture Capital

Website: GO VC | We Make Startups Go

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Seed and Late Stages

Another prominent name in the Irvine investment community is Go Venture Capital. The network has been funding startups since 2017, having around 3 current portfolio companies.

While their portfolio numbers may not look big, GO venture capital is known to fund startups with high funding amounts at late stages. During the screening tests, the investors focus on startups that have a strong team, solid market presence, and a strong potential for growth.

Similarly, GO VC also takes pride in its experienced mentorship network. They have hired prominent mentors from Silicon Valley to guide their portfolio companies during stages when things are not going in the right direction for their startup.

The investment stage of GO Venture Capital can range upto $1M to $50M. One of their famous investments includes:

VictoryXR: A company specializing in virtual reality and augmented reality educational products, providing immersive learning experiences for students. The amount secured in the Series A funding round was $1.25 million.

Sail Capital Partners

Website: sailcapital.com

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech, Healthcare, and Clean Energy.

Investment Stage: Seed

Sail Capital Partners also aims to fund seed-stage startups in Irvine. The network was founded by the investor Dr. Walter L. Schindler, and it has funded a total of 16 startups investing around $500M.

Like many other ventures in Irvine, Sail Capital Partners also aims to invest in startups that can guarantee a high return. Specifically, the network prefers ventures that can at least generate 4x ROI within 2 years of investment.

They also organize many mentorship programs for their portfolio companies and guide them through different challenges.

The investment range of Sail Capital Partners can range upto $50M, as there are 11 investors in the firm. Notable investments include:

Hua Medicine: A clinical-stage innovative drug development company in China. They secured funding through a Series C round, raising $50 million.

Xtreme Power Conversion: A company involved in power conversion technology. They received $29.5 million in a Series C round.

Ice Energy: A company focused on energy storage solutions. They raised $24 million in a Series C round.

Flex Energy Solutions: A provider of clean energy and energy efficiency technology. They secured $18 million in debt financing.

IRA Capital

Website: IRA Capital - Alternative Investing Redefined

Investor Type: Private Equity Firm

Investment Interests: Medical, Tech, Space, AI, and Consumer Products.

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

As a private equity firm, IRA Capital likes to focus on growth-oriented startups and aims for profitability through their investment. Founded in 2010, the network has funded several Irvine-based startups and continues to expand its portfolio.

However, the only tough side of IRA Capital is its rigorous screening tests and selection process. Even when many startups apply for an investment, IRA Capital primarily invests in commercial real estate assets throughout the United States, with a concentration in medical and other sectors. The investors prefer startups that can at least generate 5-6x ROI within 3 years of investment.

The investment range of IRA Capital can range upto $10M, depending on the startup. Some of their portfolio companies are:

SpaceX: SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company. It's known for its Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft, aiming to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars.

Nimble: Nimble is a loaning company that provides quick solutions to short-term financial needs. Nimble is known for its fast and convenient service in the financial sector.

Outcomes4Me: Outcomes4Me is an AI-driven platform that empowers cancer patients by providing personalized, evidence-based treatment options and information.

K5 Ventures

Website: K5 VenturesK5 Ventures

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech, Consumer Products, AI and Cloud. 

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Headquartered in Southern California, K5 Ventures is a venture capital firm that has expanded its presence with offices in Irvine, Newport Beach, Orange, Los Angeles, and Beijing. The network was founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs Amir Banifatemi and Ray Chan.

Funding 57 companies since its inception, K5 Ventures is dedicated to boosting startup growth. The team of investors often prefers startups that have unique ideas and their services/products can solve real-life problems.

Aside from investment activities, K5 Ventures partners also take a deep interest in startup events and portfolio mentorship. The network partners with more than 60 mentors to provide advice and support to startups, including training in product development, revenue models, customer development, sales, and marketing. Entrepreneurs can participate in their three-month accelerator program.

The investment range of K5 Ventures ranges from $850,000 to $50M. Some of their portfolio companies include:

TrueVault: TrueVault is a company that provides a comprehensive suite of privacy tools designed to simplify multi-jurisdictional compliance with data privacy laws.TrueVault has raised a total of $6.2M in funding over three rounds.

inDinero: inDinero is a cloud-based platform that provides accounting and tax services. It offers real-time financial insights and integrates an all-in-one technology with a financial operations team. inDinero has raised a total of $9.9M in funding over seven rounds.

Submittable: Submittable is a social impact platform that helps organizations collect and review any type of content in one easy-to-use platform. Submittable has raised a total of $64.3M in funding over seven rounds.

Huntington Ventures

Website: huntingtonventures.com/company

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Huntington Ventures is a VC firm that is headquartered in Irvine and funds startups across the city. The network was founded in 2000 and has made 30 investments, most at the seed stage.

When funding startups, Huntington Ventures highly focuses on companies that can generate high profits and drive growth. The investors usually fund startups that have strong business models and can produce 3-4x ROI within 24 months of investment.

The investment range of Huntington Ventures ranges from $100,000 to $2M. Some of their famous investment include:

Movea: Movea is a provider of motion sensing and data fusion software and firmware. Movea was acquired by InvenSense, and it raised a total of €13.8M in funding.

Touchdown Technologies: Touchdown Technologies designs, manufactures, and supports MEMS probe cards used in the production of semiconductors. Touchdown Technologies was acquired by Verigy Ltd. and raised a total of $55.2M in funding over three rounds.

Canon Nanotechnologies: Canon Nanotechnologies, together with Canon, is a market and technology leader for high-resolution, low-cost-of-ownership nanoimprint lithography systems and solutions for the semiconductor industry.

Wrap Up

Summing up, angel investors are always interested in funding startups that can generate high growth and solve market problems.

However, as an entrepreneur, it is important for you to describe your startup growth, its impact, and most importantly, a strong reason for the investors to fund your startup.

Good Luck!

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