🚀 Week 13 by the Numbers

🍾 Investments Made: 1

We’re so back.

To start this issue, I want to apologize to my most avid newsletter readers who have repeatedly contacted me asking when the next article will come out. Fear no more.

For the past several weeks, I’ve been busy attending graduations and weddings in Texas, Montana, and Colorado.

And, like my dear friends heading onto their next stage of life, Boulder Angels has also undergone a transformation.

The first 10 weeks of Boulder Angels were like chicken pox: highly contagious, but easily forgotten. We had not yet done anything with lasting impact.

Now, like shingles, we’re back and better than ever and we’re here to stay.

What gives us this sense of longevity you might ask? Boulder Angels just completed our first investment. This $25k check from a Buff alumni angel investor into a Buff alumni founder is just the start of something much greater for Boulder Angels and Buffs everywhere.

Picture this. 200+ Buff investors piling $1M+ in investment to CU Boulder’s and Colorado’s best startups every year.

An annual Boulder Angels gala highlighting our portfolio’s exits, unicorns, and most impactful members.

Incredible events engaging mentors, investors, founders, and community members from around the country.

And perhaps best of all, a box at Folsom field 🤤 reserved and completely free for members who’ve invested in fellow Buffs in the past year (or for whoever pays me $10k under the table).

This might seem like a fantasy, but it’s not. UNC, Duke, IU, Berkeley, Baylor, Colombia, MIT, Princeton, HBS, U of Maryland, UVA. All of these institutions have alumni angel networks actively deploying millions every year into university affiliated startups.

It’s our turn.

I believe in this concept so much I even put it on my license plate. Corny? Maybe. Committed? Absolutely.

Buff Density in Colorado VC

I've always been impressed with the caliber of local VCs that emerge from CU Boulder’s existing VC programs like the Deming Center Venture Fund (DCVF) and CU Boulder's graduate VCIC team. DCVF alone has over 123 alumni. It got me thinking... with talent like this coming out of CU Boulder, what is the density of Buffs in the Colorado VC community?

Of the 51 venture funds I could find that are either Colorado based or have an office in Colorado, here are my findings:

- 59% of Colorado VCs have a Buff on their investment team (30 of 51 firms)

- 24% of all Colorado VC investors are Buffs (45 of 189 investors)

That’s quite a few Buffs in Colorado VC! And that’s just in Colorado.

If any of said VCs with Buffs are reading this, I am offering your fund membership in Boulder Angels for of the cost of your average 40 gallon hot water heater. I’d love to welcome investor members for free, but custom license plates don’t pay for themselves!

Did you know that Tom Humphrey, General Partner at Blackbird, Australia’s largest venture fund which raised a $1B AUD fund five in 2022, was a lecturer at CU Boulder for over two years from 2018-2020? Hell yeah.

Or, have you heard of Napoleon Ta, a Buff and Partner at the legendary Founder’s Fund since 2013? Badass.

Buffs are scattered not just around Colorado, but around the globe doing some seriously intense VC work.

Join the Buff Investment Revolution!

Are you a CU Boulder alum ready to fuel the next big startup? Become a Boulder Angels investor member and help us deploy millions into the best Buff-led ventures. Connect with us at [email protected] or visit boulderangels.org to join the herd and make an impact today!

See you in the next edition.

-H