Top Angel Investors in New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s top angel investors and angel groups include Gary Hirshberg (Stonyfield Farm), Kyle York (York IE), Sonny Vu (Alabaster), Jeremy Hitchcock (New North Ventures), and the angel groups eCoast Angels and Granite State Angels, who back everything from food and consumer startups to SaaS and life sciences.
Allow me to tell you that New Hampshire is also becoming a home to innovation. Every month, we witness a rise in the number of startups, especially those related to tech. And discussing startups, let’s not forget the primary force behind these startups: the angel investors.
In New Hampshire, there are many angel investors who don’t just provide you with the funding but also provide you with the required guidance. So let’s jump onto the list of the top 6 angel investors in New Hampshire. You can also browse the full list of New Hampshire investors on AngelMatch.
Top Angel Investors in New Hampshire
Before we jump onto the list, remember that all angel investors have different investment interests and requirements. That is why I have mentioned the portfolio companies and investments of each of the angel investors and angel groups.
Let’s get into the list.
Gary Hirshberg
- LinkedIn: Gary Hirshberg
- Investor Type: Individual Investor
- Investment Interests: Food
- Investment Stage: Early
Gary Hirshberg is an American businessman and angel investor who is known for his work in the organic food industry. He co-founded Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer, and served as its CEO from 1983 until 2011.
As an angel investor, Hirshberg has a preference for startups in the AgTech, Food and Beverage, and Consumer Health sectors. He also arranges screening contests and pitching events through the Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institute.
When funding startups individually, Gary Hirshberg usually funds startups through investor meetings and also invests through fundraisers.
Some of his portfolio companies are:
Tacombi: Tacombi is a taqueria and products company. They also started producing their own authentic, traditional “Vista Hermosa” tortilla products.
Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce: Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce is a food company that produces all-natural, elevated applesauce. Hirshberg made a five-figure personal investment in the company and mentored its founder through his entrepreneurial boot camp.
Atlast Food (now MyForest Foods Co.): Atlast Food, now known as MyForest Foods Co., is a food technology company that produces ingredients for plant-based and whole-cut meat products. The company was originally known for creating whole-cut plant-based meats like bacon and steak.
Kyle York
- LinkedIn: Kyle York
- Investor Type: Individual Investor
- Investment Interests: SaaS and B2B
- Investment Stage: Early
Kyle York is a well-known angel investor and the co-founder, CEO, and managing partner of York IE. He has been actively investing as an individual angel in startups for over a decade.
When making investments, Kyle York prefers startups that are related to business-to-business, subscription, and Software as a Service at the earliest stage through Series A startups.
He has advised and invested in over 100 startups over the past decade, many as part of his individual angel portfolio. Before becoming an investor, Kyle York had a successful career in the tech industry. He was an executive at Dyn, a cloud-based Internet Performance and Domain Name System company, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager.
Kyle York also focuses on guiding his portfolio companies through mentorship programs. Some of his notable portfolio companies are:
Auditoria: Auditoria is a SaaS company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to automate key finance processes. The company’s mission is to make organizations more efficient and competitive.
Finmark: Finmark provides financial planning and modeling software for startups. The platform is designed to help businesses make better financial decisions faster.
Metadata: Metadata is a B2B demand generation company that uses AI to optimize paid media campaigns for marketers.
Sonny Vu
- LinkedIn: Sonny Vu
- Investor Type: Individual Investor
- Investment Interests: Tech
- Investment Stage: Early and Seed
Sonny Vu is also a notable angel investor in New Hampshire who funds tech-based startups. As for his experience in the entrepreneurship community, he co-founded Misfit, which was later acquired by Fossil Group for $260M. He now invests through Alabaster, his personal investment vehicle, which has backed more than 30 deep-tech startups.
Discussing his individual investments, Sonny Vu prioritizes ventures that are related to the tech industry and have the lowest of competition. He often invests in startups that are gaining a lot of hype or have a solid plan to prove their worth.
Some of his investments are:
Cradlewise: Cradlewise is a sleep tech startup that has designed a crib that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to help a baby sleep. The crib is designed to track the health of infants and children.
Butlr: Butlr is an AIoT and real-time behavior analytics platform that helps companies create a better workplace and optimize their operations.
The Desire Company: The Desire Company is a media and retail startup that creates online videos, guides, and classes to help users better understand the quality of retail products.
Jeremy Hitchcock
- LinkedIn: Jeremy Hitchcock
- Investor Type: Individual Investor
- Investment Interests: Cybersecurity
- Investment Stage: Early and Seed
Jeremy Hitchcock is a well-known entrepreneur and an angel investor who has been actively investing in the tech scene. He is a co-founder and general partner at New North Ventures and is a personal angel investor in over 50 companies.
During the meetings, Hitchcock prefers to invest in startups that are in the sectors of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and next-gen communication. Startups that have the lowest number of competitors and the highest ROI are more likely to secure an investment.
Once a startup has been funded, Jeremy Hitchcock ensures that he provides it with the best guidance. Jeremy Hitchcock is also an entrepreneur, and he knows how to guide startups at different stages.
Some of his portfolio companies are:
Dyn: Dyn was an Internet performance management company that also dealt with web application security. It offered products to monitor, control, and optimize online infrastructure and also provided domain registration services and email products.
Minim: Minim is a networking company that develops software and designs hardware for Internet security. The company offers a mobile app, cable modems, gateways, WiFi routers, mesh WiFi systems, and other home networking products with an emphasis on home automation.
eCoast Angels
- Website: eCoast Angels
- Investor Type: Angel Group
- Investment Interests: Technology, Healthcare, and Industrial Products
- Investment Stage: Early and Seed
eCoast Angels is one of the oldest and most active angel groups in the country. Founded in 2000 and based in Portsmouth, the group is made up of member investors who back highly scalable early-stage companies, principally in the New Hampshire coastal region, and pair capital with hands-on mentorship and follow-on support.
eCoast typically writes checks of $250,000 to $3 million at seed and early stages, and prefers to be the first professional investor into a deal. Some of its active portfolio companies are:
Flexxbotics: Flexxbotics builds a robotic production platform that digitalizes manufacturing with autonomous process control for smart factory environments.
CanvasGFX: CanvasGFX makes a connected knowledge platform that turns 2D and 3D product models into interactive work instructions for manufacturing frontline workers.
Qidni Labs: Qidni Labs is developing portable dialysis technology aimed at making treatment accessible to patients with kidney failure who lack access to traditional dialysis.
Granite State Angels
- Website: Granite State Angels
- Investor Type: Angel Group
- Investment Interests: Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Information Technology
- Investment Stage: Seed and Early
Granite State Angels brings together more than 35 experienced entrepreneurs based in Hanover, New Hampshire who make individual decisions about seed and early-stage investments in the northeastern United States. Members meet monthly to review business plans and often take active roles in the companies they back, from board seats to help structuring an investment.
The group typically invests $100,000 to $1 million per deal. Notable past investments include:
Avaxia Biologics: Avaxia was an early-stage biotechnology company developing gut-targeted antibody therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease.
GateRocket: GateRocket developed hardware verification and debugging tools for chip designers, later acquired by Synopsys.
Incentive Targeting: Incentive Targeting provides web-based software that lets retailers create targeted, closed-loop promotional campaigns using shopper purchase history.
Wrap-Up:
On a lighter note, remember that angels will always want to fund a startup that can prove to be profitable. You just need to read some good pitch deck examples, check out our guide to New Hampshire investors who back software startups, and, most importantly, understand the preferences of an investor in order to secure the investment successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a well-crafted pitch deck important?
Yes, a well-crafted pitch deck is very important. It’s a visual story that explains the startup’s idea, how it will make money, and why it’s special. A clear pitch deck helps angel investors understand the startup quickly and decide if they want to invest.
How much do angel investors in New Hampshire typically invest?
It varies by investor. New Hampshire’s angel groups tend to write larger checks than individuals: eCoast Angels typically invests $250,000 to $3 million per deal, while Granite State Angels invests $100,000 to $1 million. Individual angels set their own ranges deal by deal.
What industries do New Hampshire angel investors focus on?
Coverage spans food and consumer goods, SaaS and B2B software, cybersecurity, and life sciences and healthcare. Individual angels tend to invest in sectors tied to their own operating background, while angel groups like eCoast Angels and Granite State Angels back a broader mix of early-stage technology and healthcare companies.
How can I get in front of groups like eCoast Angels or Granite State Angels?
Both groups accept pitches through an application process on their websites and meet regularly to review deals. Having a clear, concise pitch ready before you apply matters.
