By: Ben Freeberg
ARC Angel Fund NYC is a member-led Angel Fund that invests in seed- and early-stage companies. Angel Fund is a hybrid between an Angel Group and Venture Fund, in which the General Membership makes investment decisions through various committees, and members can personally invest alongside the fund.
The firm is run by Michael Kelley, Edward Reitler, and Joe Rubin, each of whom has decades of venture capital and legal experience. Joe also runs FundingPost, which puts together VC and Angel investing conferences nationwide. Mike is a principle at Merion Investment Partners. Edward is the Managing Partner of The Reitler Law Firm. The team is supported by an 8-member Executive Committee, led by Jeffrey Finkle and Tom Nicholson, also seasoned veterans in the industry.
The team is investing out of its second fund, which continues to give people who are new to the angel investing community an exciting platform to get involved in the industry with the support of a large organization, who, for example, uses its Founding Partners law Firm, Reitler, to make sure all of the documents are in order. Companies present to the membership each month. The members get the opportunity to ask questions of the CEO, and then vote on each investment.
For VCs and Institutions:
ARC Angel Fund invests in any industries that its members have experience with a focus on tech-enabled businesses. Based in NYC, the group is focused on the surrounding Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. ARC Angel Fund works with early stage VCs, who are interested in keeping a pulse on the developing tech market, as well as late stage investors, who play a larger role within the ecosystem once their companies’ develop.
For Entrepreneurs:
You don’t necessarily need a warm intro to get in, as many companies who submit the online application have went on to receive funding from the group. It is imperative, however, to have great pitch that showcases the entrepreneurs understanding of his or her market and public speaking ability. Engage the audience during the pitch, grab and keep their attention.
Once selected through an initial screen, each entrepreneur gets in front of ARC Angel Fund’s investment committee, where ARC’s members can view firsthand the entrepreneur’s understanding the company he or she is building and the market the Company is attacking. How many customers are using your product or service? If ARC Angel Fund starts putting capital behind your business, how big can it get? Be present and engaging with your pitch and be sure to focus on your company’s vision, traction to date, potential to scale and overall knowledge of the industry.