Among many other cities in Connecticut, New Haven is an emerging startup hub showing massive business growth. In fact, the city has been ranked as the top city among the list of 12 hottest cities to start a new tech startup.

Similarly, there are many successful startups in the city, boosting the confidence of new entrepreneurs to pitch to investors and secure funding for their ideas as well.

Are you also one of those entrepreneurs with a great New Haven-based business idea but want to secure funding to get things started?

Well, this list of the top 5 angel investors in New Haven is meant for you. So, without further ado, let's get started.

Top 5 Angel Investors in New Haven

Following are some of the top-ranking angel investors that fund startups in New Haven listed according to their funding rankings.

Digital Currency Group

Website: The investor & operator of the crypto industry | DCG

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Blockchain

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Headquartered in Stamford, Digital Currency Group is a prominent venture capital firm that funds startups all across Connecticut. The network was founded by Barry Silbert in 2015. The network is known for its dedication and commitment to startups that provide innovative products or services in the blockchain industry.

As an active venture capital firm, the network has made more than 200 investments in many cryptocurrency companies across the US for more than 1 Billion Dollars. The Digital Currency Group consists of 29 investors, many of whom are entrepreneurs turned into investors.

When funding startups, the investors analyze the idea, competitive market, and growth potential of the startup. They also have a separate mentorship network consisting of blockchain experts who guide their portfolio companies.

The investment range of Digital Currency Group can range from $100M to $500M, depending on the growth potential of the startup. Some of their investments include:

Blockchain.com: A platform offering ways to buy, hold, and use cryptocurrency. They secured a Series E funding round, raising $110 million.

Beoble: A social module for Web3 that integrates community and social features into various services. They raised $2 million in a pre-seed round.

Coin Metrics: A crypto asset data and infrastructure company. They raised $6.7 million in a Venture Round.

Neutral Exchange: A platform aiming to provide a stable and efficient user-driven digital asset exchange. They raised $3.2 million in a pre-seed round.

L Catterton

Website: L Catterton

Investor Type: Private Equity

Investment Interests: Fitness, Clothing and Tech

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

L Catterton is one of the biggest private equity firms in Connecticut. Headquartered in Greenwich. The network was founded in 1989 and has funded more than 250 startups related to consumer products, consisting of over 100 investors.

The founders, J. Michael Chu, Frank Vest, and William E. Simon, started L Catterton with the goal of making it one of the most active VC firms in the Connecticut Investment Community. That is why L Catterton arranges around 3-4 pitching competitions annually to boost the startup growth.

During these competitions, the investors focus on startups that can drive growth and bring new products to the market. They prefer entrepreneurs who have experience and technical knowledge in LBO Models and market sizing.

Aside from investments, L Catterton also takes an interest in arranging mentorship programs for their portfolio companies. However, they haven't shown interest in conducting any mentorship programs or startup accelerators.

The investment range of L Catterton can range upto $500M. Some of their portfolio companies include:

Peloton Interactive: A leading interactive fitness platform that revolutionized the fitness industry with its connected, technology-enabled exercise equipment and immersive, studio-style workouts.

Birkenstock: A renowned footwear brand known for its comfortable, orthopedically inspired sandals.

Pinarello: An iconic brand in the cycling world offering high-end road bicycles.

Freetrade: A fintech company that offers a commission-free stock trading platform.

Horizon Technology Ventures

Website: Horizon Technology Finance 

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech, Healthcare and Supply Chain.

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Having more than 700 portfolio companies, Horizon Technology Ventures is also an active investment firm that offers growth-oriented loans to startups. The network was founded in 2003 by Daniel Devorsetz, Jerry Michaud, John Bombara, and Robert Pomeroy. Funding more than a Billion dollars, they are dedicated to boosting ventures that have a strong foundation.

During the investment, the investors at HTA evaluate a company's management team, investors, equity history, and technology value. They only fund startups that can generate at least 3X ROI within 36 months.

Once invested, Horizon Technology Ventures provides access to its portfolio companies with its experienced network of mentors. They guide startups at certain stages when things aren't going in their favour.

The investment range of Horizon Tech Venture ranges from $1M to $50M. Notable companies in their portfolio are:

TemperPack: TemperPack specializes in sustainable packaging solutions for perishable goods.

Kodiak Robotics: Kodiak Robotics focuses on developing autonomous technology for long-haul trucking.

SafelyYou: A company that aims to reshape dementia care by supporting those living with Alzheimer's, their families, and care communities.

Everstream Analytics: A startup that provides supply chain risk analytics to help businesses manage risks such as port congestion, catastrophic weather, and geopolitical events.

Great Rock Capital

Website: Home (greatrockcapital.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech, Automotive and manufacturing Industry

Investment Stage: Early

With a strong focus on tech-enabled businesses, Great Rock Capital invests in Connecticut-based businesses. The network was founded in 2015 by Stuart Armstrong and has funded around 20 startups.

Although their investments may look low, but Great Rock Capital focuses more on funding, guiding and ensuring the success of their portfolio investments. After conducting rigorous screening tests and selecting the deserving ventures, Great Rock Capital provides expert guidance to these startups.

They conduct workshops, networking events with executive access to portfolio companies, and startup classes and seminars to boost startup growth.

Consisting of 5 investors, the Great Rock Capital has invested around $500M in different cities in Connecticut. They have an investment range of $10M - $50M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Madison-Kipp Corporation (MKC): MKC is a producer of lightweight, high-pressure aluminium die castings, precision machined components, and system subassemblies.

GT Technologies: GT Technologies is a global company that designs, develops, and manufactures a complete line of valvetrain components and systems, as well as precision machining and stamping components. Great Rock Capital funded $27.9M at Seed Stage.

Fisher Dynamics: Fisher Dynamics is an engineering seating systems company and the automotive industry's premier supplier of seat structures and core mechanisms. They secured an investment of $40M from Great Rock Capital at the seed stage.

SMG Industries: SMG Industries operates as a transportation services company. They specialize in the transportation of infrastructure components. The company got a funding deal of $31.7M.

Activant Capital

Website: Activant (activantcapital.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Fintech, Insurance and Blockchain

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Activant Capital is a global investment firm that focuses on seed-stage startups. Headquartered in Greenwich, Activant Capital has funded around 70 startups and is operating 11 funds. Funding startups since 2015, Activant Capital has expanded its portfolio and also has offices in New York and Berlin, Germany.

During the screening tests, investors prefer startups that can drive growth and ensure profitability. However, if a startup shows a unique idea that doesn't have any competitors, Activant Capital is known to fund such ideas in the early stages.

Aside from their investments, they also have a mentorship team that guides their portfolio companies. They do not get involved in any networking events and keep funding startups their primary focus.

The investment range of Activant Capital ranges from $20M to $100M, depending on the startup. Some of their recent investments include:

Celonis: Celonis is a leader in the field of process mining and execution management software. Celonis has raised a total of $2.4B in funding over several rounds.

Bolttech: Bolttech is an InsurTech company that offers a digital insurance platform. It provides a range of insurance products and services. Bolttech has secured a total funding amount of $493.2M.

Truework: Truework is a platform that streamlines the verification of income and employment, catering to banks, lenders, and other entities. It aims to put consumers in control of their data during the verification process. Truework has raised $118.9M in funding.

Vartana: Vartana is a B2B payments platform that offers versatile payment options and financing solutions. Vartana has raised a total of $89M in funding.

Wrap-Up

So, there you have the list of the top angel investors that fund startups in New Haven.

Similarly, even with this list, it can sometimes be confusing about how to pitch such investors. Just keep in mind that investors prefer startups that can generate profitability and have a positive impact on the ecosystem.

Prepare a pitch deck that represents your startup growth, related stats and how your startup can outperform its competitors.

Good Luck!

Frequently Asked Questions