APPLY
INVESTMENT PROCESS:
We invite companies from all sectors to submit their business plans for funding. Applicants do NOT need to have a Harvard affiliation. Our geographic focus includes, but is not limited to, the Greater New York area, including Connecticut, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Our process is as follows:
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Application. Submit an application through our Gust website. We encourage referrals and recommendations from our members. A list of members can be found here.
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Screening. Our members will evaluate your application based on the information you supply on Gust. We select 4-6 companies to present at each of our monthly pitch nights. Presentations are almost always made in person and by the CEO. A schedule of upcoming pitch nights is posted on the home page.
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Evaluation. If there is sufficient interest following pitch night, the interested angels will form a “deal team” which will conduct further due diligence on your company.
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Investment. While angels make individual investment decisions, we work to make the timing and process efficient for our entrepreneurs. As appropriate, we also syndicate our investments with other HBS Alumni Angel chapters and angel networks. Angel financing rounds can be up to $1 million or more, including syndicated investors.
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Mentorship. We seek to actively mentor HBSAANY companies, as desired by and tailored to the company. Our Chief Mentor consults with the entrepreneur, and selects a Lead Mentor for the company. The Lead Mentor, who will often be an investor in the company, will seek to assist the company individually and via the HBS and Harvard alumni networks. We also offer Expert Mentors in particular disciplines.
“HBSAA of New York has been an incredible resource for our company. Their network of seasoned professionals is first rate and highly accessible. HBSAA played a key role in helping to advance our company to the next level.”
Jeff Tomkins, Co-Founder, advisorCONNECT
MENTORSHIP
You’ve heard of “value added investors” and “smart money.” The Harvard Business School Alumni Angels (HBSAA) of New York is the real deal, helping founders of companies in which our members have invested, through our Mentorship program. This program matches founder/CEOs with an HBSAA member who volunteers to provide mentorship.
MENTORSHIP:
“I finally met Jim today and WOW. He’s exactly the kind of mentor I need to progress on our marketing strategies. We’ve agreed to stay in touch every 2-3 weeks and he offered to help as needed. Thanks again for all your help finding and connecting me with Jim.”
Evelyn White, Founder and CEO, BookaLokal
“The HBS Mentorship Program and having the opportunity to talk with such an experienced entrepreneur and investor as Bill Pollak, has made an incredible impact for EnerKnol and for me as a founder.”
Angelique Mercurio, Founder and CEO, EnerKnol
The HBSAA Mentorship program also provides access to the vast experience of our members through the Expert Mentor part of the program. Our membership has tremendous experience in many industries, functions and stages of company growth. Dozens of them have volunteered to be Expert Mentors, to provide specific expertise sought by the founder/CEO in a one-time consultation with a CEO on the specific topic of interest to the CEO.
Our objective in the Mentorship program is to help the management team and increase the odds of the company’s success.
SPONSOR ORGANIZATIONS:
SPONSORS
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. WSGR represents companies at every stage of development, from entrepreneurial start-ups to multibillion-dollar global corporations, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance and advise them. The firm’s broad range of services and practice areas are focused on addressing the principal challenges faced by the management, boards of directors, shareholders, and in-house counsel of our clients.
If you are interested in becoming an HBS Alumni Angels Sponsor, please contact us at angels@hbscny.org.
Speak With A Geek is a leading technical recruiter, bringing together top IT talent with employers of choice. The company’s agile approach to hiring makes it the preferred platform among enterprises seeking on-demand, full-time, and contract help. Through top-tier level testing, hackathons, code challenges, and video interviews, SWAG ensures its clients and “Geeks” are matched with only the brightest candidates and opportunities. SWAG is passionate about diversity and inclusion in technology and has adopted a number of initiatives to facilitate the hiring of women and minority talent.
WithumSmith + Brown is a full-service accounting and consulting firm well versed in the disciplines relevant to doing business in today’s world. Withum’s dedicated technology team offers a broad base of client experience to software developers, systems/network integration firms, e-commerce, edtech, adtech and fintech companies, technology manufacturers and digital media, as well as service providers. In addition to traditional accounting, tax, auditing and consulting services, the firm’s Technology Services Group provides customized advisory services related to today’s most pressing and complex technology issues.
BENEFITS
HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York is the largest angel group in the Northeast in membership, with 275+ angel investors and growing.
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Our members have invested $8 million in over 55 companies.
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We provide active mentorship to invested companies, and assign a Chief Mentor based on company needs drawn from company investors as well as our large membership
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We also provide access to the vast HBS network of leading executives in companies of all sizes.
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We have expertise across 12 investment Sectors covering the breadth of the NY economy, with Sector Leads and Sector Teams.
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We assist companies through their development and participate in follow-on funding rounds.
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We provide access to our Venture Capital Advisory Board for Series A and other rounds.
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We hold monthly pitch nights, and on average invest in 1-2 companies of the 4-6 that pitch each month.
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We syndicate companies for further funding with other HBS Alumni Angels chapters in California, Chicago, London, Paris, Brazil, China, India, and elsewhere.
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We are also part of the HBS Club of NY and benefit from their commitment to HBS Entrepreneurship and the Alums in the Alley program.
ENTREPRENEUR BENEFITS: