Angel Invest Boston

Accredited Investor? Check Out Our Syndicates: Link to Syndicate Page DACA recipient, Berkeley grad, and a Googler, Victor Santos is not a typical startup founder. His Boston-based startup, Airfox is addressing a huge problem: access to affordable financing in Latin America. Through a partnership with one of Brazil’s leading retail lenders, Airfox is able to gather data that enables lower-cost lending in a country where consumers routinely pay interest rates of 400% per annum. Highlights from the interview include: Airfox seeks to accelerate financial inclusion in developing markets. Focus for next three years is Brazil. Imagine your neighborhood bank being a payday lender; 50% of population use only cash. Airfox mobile app acts as free banking simplifying user’s life. As data builds on app, Airfox creates an alternative credit profile and user can take micro loans. Scalable sub-prime lending at more affordable rates. Via Varejo, Brazil’s biggest retailer to low-income people, with 1,000 stores gives Airfox

Accredited Investors, Join Boston's Leading Angels in Our Syndicates: Learn More About Our Syndicates Brilliant Spanish postdoc, Carlos Castro-González, goes to MIT’s “Magic Wand” lab, and joins a superb international team to address an important medical problem. Leuko, their startup, now has a device and software that can tell when cancer patients are becoming immuno-compromised. Leuko’s product has the potential of saving 4,000 lives and $1.5 billion every year by cutting in half opportunistic infections associated with chemotherapy. Some highlights from this charming conversation with a well-spoken scientist & founder: Carlos Castro-González bio. What Leuko does. How the company came about. How Carlos became an unlikely entrepreneur. MIT’s Martha Gray Lab, often called the “Magic Wand” lab building a new approach to applying technology to real-world medical problems. What the device and software actually do. Potential impact. Who might pay for this product? How much money and time will it take to get

Invest Alongside Boston's Leading Angels: Learn About Our Syndicates A Renaissance man still lives in our times. He’s been a priest, a Harvard prof, a non-profit exec and he’s now a founder.  The startup Larry Sullivan helped found has built a platform on which C-level executives implement strategic initiatives. The proof of the pudding is that Chiefofstaff.com’s platform has been adopted by some of the biggest names including Deloitte. Larry is a charming guest. His vast knowledge and dry humor made for a really fun podcast! Highlights include: Larry speaks nine languages, plays rock on a faculty band and is a devoted husband, father and grandfather. com is a B-to-B SaaS platform to help C-level execs implement strategic plans. I was surprised to discover that poor implementation of strategic plans is a top worry for CEOs of large enterprises. Larry was a beta tester for the platform when he was CEO of a large foundation. The results were so impressive that Larry joined founder Bob Epner at the startup. Pla

Some of our most interesting founders are immigrants. That is certainly the case with Federico Cismondi, a bioengineer from MIT. His path began at the foothills of the Andes and has led Federico and his co-founders to build a company, doDoc that is radically changing how the world’s technology leaders handle complex documents. This was a scintillating interview. Highlights include: doDoc is not your grandfather’s Google Docs, it’s more like Google Docs on super duper steroids. doDoc allows users to do things no other platform offers, for example an owner can share a portion of a document, not the entire document. On doDoc every piece of information is an object allowing great flexibility in privacy, accountability and presentation. Pharmaceutical companies appreciate that every key stroke is instantly auditable. This saves a lot of time for auditors and significantly reduces the risk of mistakes. doDoc’s founders are from Argentina and Portugal and yet was founded in Cambridge. It probably has the best socce

Amanda Drobnis has a technology that facilitates the use of tissue from animal placentas to regenerate tissue in other animals. The procedure, known as a placental allograft, is gaining acceptance in human medicine. Amanda plans to translate that trend to the veterinary space. I met Amanda at a mentoring session at The Capital Network (TCN), a really valuable institution that helps founders and investors. Some of the highlights of the interview include: Intro and a Shout Out to The Capital Network How Amanda Discovered What She Wanted to Do in Life Regenerative Technology in Use in Human Medicine Being Applied to the Animal Space “…this therapy in particular is really interesting because it has all of the proteins and all of the properties to regenerate tissue, and we can now have the technology to use it at a room temperature.” “…almost no chance of [tissue] rejection” Creating a New Source of Recurring Revenue for Vets “…you already have a population of veterinarians and influencers that understand the val

Our Investment Syndicates: Link to Our Syndicates Page Techstars and Shark Tank alumna Alice Lewis is building both a business and a movement. Her startup, Alice’s Table, offers a “business in a box” to entrepreneurial women who need a flexible schedule and want a meaningful activity. Alice’s Table helps with logistics, marketing, training and technology; the members, called “execs”, bring energy and connection with local brick & mortar businesses hungry for new things to keep their locations busy. Don’t miss this sparkling interview with her generation’s Martha Stewart. Highlights include: Alice Lewis’ Introduction – The Martha Stewart of Her Generation Building a Movement as Well as a Business – Women Connecting Across Functional & Economic Strata to Create Events that Are Fun and Meaningful Alice’s Parents Are Both Entrepreneurs – This Inspired Her to Get Started Being in a Musical in the 8th Grade Helped Her Realize She Has a Talent for Management “I thought I was going to the art world 100%. My

Repeat founder Keith Elliston has found the capstone to his brilliant career. His startup Axiomedix is supporting the creation of a massive bank of patient data tied to the genetics of each patient to enable medical research on an unprecedented scale. Imagine what could be learned by comparing the medical records of millions of patients with their genomic data! Keith also has the ambition of building blockchain technology to create a transparent marketplace where patients might make their medical data available to researchers in a safe and accountable way. Don’t miss this engrossing and accessible peek into the future of patient-centered medical discovery. Here are some highlights from the podcast: Keith Elliston, PhD Bio “I think one of the things about that and about entrepreneurism is luck favors the prepared. You need to be in a position for these things to happen.” Synopsis of Keith Elliston’s Career The Collaboration between Merck & Rutgers Shaped Keith’s Thinking about Translating Findings from th

Accredited Investors, an Exciting Syndicate Is Under Way: Click to Learn More Coming from a family of lawyers in Italy, Laura Indolfi was an unlikely candidate to found a tech startup. Yet, her love of engineering and fascination with materials took her to the storied labs at MIT led by Elazer Edelman and Bob Langer. Her startup, PanTher Therapeutics is using off-the-shelf cancer drugs and biomaterials to create a new way to treat cancers that are really hard to treat such as pancreatic cancer, Laura’s first target. Don’t miss this lively interview with a stellar founder. Highlights include: Laura Indolfi Bio How Laura Indolfi Decided She Wanted to Be a Materials Engineer Laura Indolfi Explains Why She Came to the US “Like the first six months I was thinking of probably I will go back to Italy and probably join my family into the law firm. But once you pass that moment and you get adjusted to the space then it was much better.” The Founding Story of PanTher Therapeutics Business Mentors Have Been Very Helpfu

Accredited Investor, an exciting syndicate is under way:Learn More Here How do you become the giant player in a fragmented business like that of finding voice-over talent? This is just one of the questions that intrigued me in this interview with David Ciccarelli, CEO & Co-Founder of Voices, a business he stated and runs with his wife and co-founder Stephanie. If you’re raising money, this episode and “The Secrets of Fundraising” (Click Here) are must listen. Highlights include: Introduction to David Ciccarelli & Voices.com “"What is the intersection of this? Art, science, technology, music, sound," and really had this desire to do something in that space…” “That's been the same idea right from the very beginning to what we do now is, it's evolved to a global marketplace of over 500,000 users from all around the world…” David Ciccarelli and His Wife Stephanie Are Co-Founders – How Do They Make It Work? David Ciccarelli’s Parents Encouraged an Entrepreneurial Mindset The Remarkable Funding History of

New Syndicate! Sign Up to Learn More: Link for Signing Up Running a landscaping business while in grade school gave Sean Eldridge a taste for entrepreneurship. Years later, after a successful career in large corporations, he decided to start a business, Gain Life, building software to change people’s lives. Big players in the insurance business are betting that Gain Life will help their bottom line. Here are some things that came up during my interview of Sean Eldridge: “…these individuals had… transformative experiences through either medical or surgical weight loss… They became a different person. They had an identity shift.” “…you sort of became a missionary for mind change around health.” “Yeah. I think it probably all started back when I was probably in sixth grade. I started a lawn mowing business…” “…I loved… being able to marshal resources that weren't under my own control, to be able to help individuals and make some money while doing it.” In College, Sean Dreamed of Starting a Sports Publication on

Gamer turned AI maven, Kevin Lyman is implementing Jeremy Howard’s vision of harnessing the super chips that power gaming machines (GPUs) to interpret medical images. Deep learning algorithms are already making radiologists faster and better at their work. It’s a story of man plus machine not man versus machine. Don’t miss this accessible report from the frontier where machine is starting to make a tangible difference in medical care. Some highlights from the interview: Kevin Lyman Versions 1.0 & 2.0 Kevin Lyman, Gamer Turned AI Maven Stints at Hasbro, SpaceX & Microsoft The Inventors Guild Jeremy Howard of Kaggle Fame Decides AI Is Ready to Take on Medical Imaging-Founds Enlitic GPUs: Good for Gaming + Processing Medical Images “…deep learning has managed to turn AI into more of an engineering problem than a science problem.” “…you can see most AI setups today as being like a black box.” Kevin Lyman Dropped Everything to Join Jeremy Howard at Enlitic “…they didn't just give us the $10 million in our

The secrets of startup fundraising revealed by an angel steeped in Boston’s tech investing scene. 35 minutes is all it takes to make you a better fundraiser. Sal Daher, CFA of the Angel Invest Boston Podcast is your mentor. Topics covered include: Introduction Why Do You Need Funding? “So, raising money has to be for a purpose. There's a real danger of getting money and it killing your ” Secret #1: Raising Money Is Selling – Stephen Hawking vs. Willy Loman – Warm Calling not Spamming Secret of Fundraising #2: Ask for Advice to Get Money, Ask for Money to Get Advice Secret of Fundraising #2.50: Start with the Least Likely Prospects – Your Pitch Will Improve Secret of Fundraising #2.75: Angels & VCs Require Different Pitches Secret of Fundraising #3: Fundraising Can Paralyze Your Business Types of Funding “The problem is, early on, who knows what your company's worth?” Understanding the Difference Between Angel Money and VC Money “…do not underestimate the value of a functioning board.” Sean’s Question on

His bonhomie masks a keen intelligence that has, for decades, taken note of what makes or breaks founding teams. Joe Caruso is the CEO Whisperer, the Father Confessor to Founders. Joe’s an intrepid angel investor who goes where other angels fear to tread. This makes him a highly sought-after board member or advisor. I was privileged to sit down with him for an hour and to imbibe his wisdom and good humor. Typical Joe Caruso comment: “…you don't train a Labrador to flap its ears. It makes for a lousy butterfly.”   Here are some highlights of what we discussed: Joe Caruso Introduction Joe Caruso Bio How Joe Discovered He Wanted to Be the Father Confessor to CEOs How Roxbury Latin School, the One True School, Figured in Joe Caruso’s Formation Joe Caruso Drops Out of High School and Enrolls at Northeastern University Boston’s Unique Environment for Learning: Jeff Bezos Take Note “I'm in the cafeteria … and at the table is a newspaper from the prior June … and they had a list of starting salaries of all the peopl

Few are as well positioned to see the huge opportunities that exist for small and medium businesses in digital marketing as the founder of Constant Contact. In his new company, Brevi, Randy Parker is using software to allow mom & pop businesses to access those opportunities in ways that pay. I had loads of fun talking to this most clever and affable guest; and I learned a lot. Here’s what we touched on: Randy Parker Introduction How Randy Parker Discovered He Wanted to Build Software What Took Randy Parker from Florida to MIT “So, I was third generation entrepreneur. My kids now I say are fourth generation entrepreneurs when they're doing things.” “…in a consultant practice it's always, essentially, you're usually being hired to solve something that other people haven't figured it out.” “I grew up in a family thinking about A/B tests, and marketing…” Roving Software / Constant Contact Started as an Information Agent for Business Constant Contact Was Essentially a SaaS Business by Another Name Sal Daher T

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angel in Our Syndicates: Link to Syndicates Page Angel investors Catherine Friend White and Ben Littauer answered questions about investing in startups in front of an audience at Babson College. Then the audience got to ask questions. The conversation ranged from the optimal portfolio size to the usefulness of the blockchain. Here are some highlights: Sal Introduces Live Event - Thanks Nina Block & Margaret Jone from Babson for Making it Possible Sal Introduces Angel Catherine Friend White Sal Introduces Angel Ben Littauer How Catherine Became an Angel Investor How Ben Became an Angel Investor “…there are about 32 [angel groups] here in New England…” “…I have so many soft values that I get from doing this [angel investing]…” KnipBio & UltraCell Cognition Therapeutics – Susan Catalano “Having run my own company for 27 years, I have also my own list of what not to do…” “If you have 25 [investments], you can probably diversify away a fair amount of the risk.” “One of the bi

Zipcar’s first investor, Jean Hammond, is Boston’s indispensable angel. Her hands-on approach has been pivotal to the success of her startup and several others. She co-founded the leading accelerator for educational technology startups, LearnLaunch. The interview was great fun and hugely instructive to me. Don’t miss it! Here are some highlights: Sal Introduces Jean Hammond From Studying Biology at Boston University to Running a Food Warehouse Jean Decides She Needs a Rigorous MBA – Goes to MIT Sloan Moved to Edinburgh & Worked at Fast-Growing Computer Networking Startup “By the time I left there [Spyder], I felt like I'd done all the different functions in a little startup and done it while growth was going on.” Jean Hammond Founds AXON “AXON was four years old when 3Com acquired it and had grown quite rapidly to a pretty good business, and we got a pretty good price.” Jean Hammond’s Second Startup, Quarry, Suffered from Bottlenecks in Telecom Infrastructure “We live in a magic world of technology today

Timeless values of loyalty and integrity have helped Phillips Kuhl build a thriving company at the heart of one of the economy’s most innovative sectors: biotechnology. Holding more than 250 conferences per year, Cambridge Healthtech Institute or CHI, helps participants discover new perspectives on the problems they are addressing. This impressive feat requires the concerted effort of 150 talented employees whose encouragement and guidance are Phillips Kuhl’s constant concern. I really enjoyed discovering how my friend of long standing built his remarkable company. Here are some highlights: Sal Introduces Phillips Kuhl “…consorting with biotech royalty…” Russian Studies & Economics at Haverford Reading Russian Novels to Stay Awake on the Night Shift “I always knew that I wanted to work for myself. I didn't work particularly well for someone else. I'm not great at following someone else's direction…” Grandmother Provided Phillips with a Model for Entrepreneurship Fast Growth Got the Attention of Vidar Jor

The possibility of transcending the limits of human intelligence in scientific discovery has led this young British scientist to leave academia and found a startup. Founder & CEO James Field and LabGenius are engineering the evolutionary process to create novel proteins that have remarkable qualities. I caught up with James at TEDMED and had a most revealing interview. Topics covered include: Sal Pitches the Syndicate Sal Introduces James Field, CEO & Founder of LabGenius James Field Was Inspired to Become a Scientist by Science Fiction Discovered Synthetic Biology by Participating in iGEM James Field Is the Second PhD from Imperial College on the Podcast, Beth Marcus Was the First “…the big flaw in my approach was that I was trying to apply rational engineering principles to nano-scale highly complex biological systems. And in my opinion, that's the wrong way to go about it.” “…if you start testing many designs in parallel and then selecting for the ones that work, you don't have to be smart.” “…Lab

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Click Here to Join Our Syndicates List   Aki Balogh had a project to apply machine learning to help content creators. Suddenly it looked like a business when Jeff Coyle, the VP of Search at an established company, joined him as co-founder. MarketMuse is now a fast-growing startup helping hundreds of companies figure out what content to create. Aki, Jeff and VP of Engineering at MarketMuse, Noah Davis, were in studio for an engaging interview. Some highlights: Sal Talks about Angel Invest Boston’s Syndicate Aki Balogh Talks about Going to Community College at age 15 Jeff Coyle Goes from Computer Science at Georgia Tech to Content Marketing A “Take Your Kid to Work” Day Gets 12-Year Old Noah Davis Interested in Software Engineering “I like computer science, but I was not going to be the best engineer. I wanted to do something with people.” Jeff Coyle’s First Job Out of College Gave Him Exposure to Entrepreneurship “So, I'd been trying to solve the problem that MarketMuse s

Invest Alongside Boston's Leading Angels in Our Syndicates: OPT IN HERE In this interview, repeat founder Jo Schneier addresses the problem of providing effective training to the 64 percent of the population that does not have a college degree. Drawing on Jo’s experiences and prior startups, Cognotion’s opening gambit is a training platform for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) an occupation with stratospheric job turnover. Cognotion seems to be succeeding in improving retention of its client’s CNAs. Here are some of the topics addressed: Sal’s Pitch for the Angel Invest Boston Syndicate Sal’s Intro of Jo Schneier How Jo Schneier Became an Entrepreneur Jo Schneier Is Pulled into Cognotion “We looked at all of the 64 percent of Americans that don't get a college degree, a four-year college degree. And we were asking ourselves, where did they land in the workforce? And were there opportunities for them where they can move from a minimum wage job up the ladder a little bit, so they start on the pathway up for