Incredible evening at the Band of Angels monthly Deal Dinner. We kicked off the meeting with special guest Chris Yeh, venture capitalist and Stanford lecturer, who discussed his best‑selling book Blitzscaling (co‑authored with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman) and how he applies its lessons to investing in rapidly scaling early‑stage startups and AI. He also shared the successful funding of his company, UstreamTV, by Band of Angels members back in 2007 which was later acquired by IMB for $130M. The night continued with excellent presentations from companies in the medical device and enterprise software/AI spaces: Perceive Now, SalivIQ, and Vectorial AI.
Band of Angels Portfolio Day
Band of Angels members attended the 15th annual Portfolio Day — a long-standing tradition that allows us to reconnect with our portfolio companies and hear firsthand how they’ve grown since receiving investment from the Band. Big thanks to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for hosting, and Partner Hin Au for his insights on the intersection of AI & IP and the challenges when using AI to write patents. We enjoyed hearing from Sharat Sharan, CEO and Founder of Band of Angels portfolio company ON24. Sharat told the incredible story of raising his seed round from the Band of Angels and scaling to a public SaaS company that reached roughly $200M+ in annual revenue at IPO and debuted with a market capitalization around $2–3B, eventually being sold to Cvent/Blackstone for $400M.
Dr. Ronald Weissman Honored with Hans Severiens Award at 2026 Summit of Angel Investing
Big congrats to longtime Band member Ron Weissman for being recognized by the Angel Capital Association with the prestigious Hans Severiens Award. The Hans Severiens Award is one of ACA’s highest honors, recognizing individuals who have made significant, lasting contributions to the field of angel investing and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Art of the Deal Session with Band Member Ron Weissman
Many thanks to Band of Angels member Ron Weissman for leading this month’s Art of the Deal session on identifying and mitigating risks in startup investing. Very valuable insights for both new and experienced angel investors into early‑stage due diligence, how to assess and mitigate technology, product, team, business, operational, governance, and exit risks.
Band of Angels Defense, Intelligence, and Aerospace Group Hosts the U.S. Army FUZE
Band of Angels members took part in a two-hour collaboration session with the U.S. Army FUZE Program, a military focused innovation center bridging the gap between emerging technology and military applications. FUZE will invest in startups working on national security technologies. The productive session explored ways the Band can support these startups’ growth and bring new defense investment opportunities to its members. It was a excellent opportunity to engage early with how the U.S. government expects to partner with private investors.
