I didn't go to an Ivy League school, so breaking into VC felt impossible.

Instead, I found my way through the side door. I started at Lyft during the pink mustache days, co-founded their employee syndicate, and helped 300+ employees deploy $30M into startups.

That led me to help other tech companies (Airbnb, Square, Pinterest, Stripe) build their own alumni investing communities.

Eventually, I realized my real passion was making angel investing accessible to people who aren't in the traditional VC club.

That's how Angel Squad was born.

Today, I run Angel Squad at Hustle Fund. It's a community of 2,000+ professionals learning how to angel invest. TechCrunch called us the "YC of Angel Investing."

We've deployed $30M+ together, and our members include everyone from Google PMs to airline pilots to physical therapists. Basically, anyone who wants to learn how to write $1k checks into startups.

I also write Small Bets, a weekly newsletter where I share lessons on startups and angel investing - the wins, the losses, and everything in between.

If you're curious about angel investing or just want to learn more about the startup world, let's connect.

Brian Nichols

Last week my 7-year-old and I built a math app together. No code. Done in an afternoon. Genuinely better than the games I've paid for on the App Store.

That same week, one of our GPs cut her email workload by 50% using a personal AI agent she built herself. I got the bug bad enough that I splurged on a Mac Mini.

Something has crossed a threshold. Tools like Claude Cowork and Claude Code aren't "AI helps you write emails" territory anymore. We're talking agents that take over your browser, triage your inbox, draft responses, and run tasks on a schedule while you sleep. 

I say this as someone who is decidedly not a software engineer: the theoretical just became very, very tangible.

Every major platform shift creates a new generation of massive companies - and founders are right now building the infrastructure for how AI agents browse the web, make purchases, and communicate with each other. 

Think the internet in 1995, except the entire web needs to be rebuilt for machines, not humans.

That's a lot of companies that need to get built fast.

Which, makes this one of the best windows in history to be an early-stage investor. 

When kicking around the idea for this event, I realized that this is the first generational platform shift where $1k checks are a legitimate entry point. 

You don't need to be a GP or a big-shot angel writing $100k minimums to participate. The best angels in our network started small, stacked reps, and built real networks along the way.

Those days of "you can't play unless you're already in" - they're over. So for the first time ever, I’m taking my Small Bets newsletter LIVE for an Angel Investing 101 Bootcamp. 

45 minutes. 

You’ll hear my thoughts on why now is an incredible time to be an angel, and get to watch a fundraising founder pitch Hustle Fund GP Eric Bahn live. 
 
🦞 RSVP while we have space. This one’s gonna be big: https://luma.com/t6n3x6kl

Founder of Angel Squad | I write about startups, investing, and hard-earned lessons | Small Bets newsletter

Open article: 🎥 Small Bets LIVE: Angel Investing 101 Bootcamp · Zoom · Luma by luma.com

🎥 Small Bets LIVE: Angel Investing 101 Bootcamp · Zoom · Luma

Almost 2.5x more people joined Angel Squad so far to start this year vs. last year.

That number surprised me a little.

But what surprised me more was who joined.

+ A former Major League Baseball player. 
+ A pharma professional investing on the side. 
+ A private funds lawyer whose VC clients finally convinced her to write her own checks. 
+ A robotics engineer. 
+ A Stanford sophomore. 
+ A Harvard Law-trained AI strategy consultant. 

The professions are all over the place too:

+ ML scientists and senior engineers at big tech companies
+ Fintech operators, fractional CFOs, startup lawyers
+ Product managers, UX designers, enterprise sales reps
+ Ex-Goldman analysts, ex-McKinsey consultants
+ Founders who've exited and are ready to back others

Members joined from Europe, Southeast Asia, East Asia, LATAM, MENA, Australia, Kenya, Taiwan - and nearly every region of the US.

This is what I kept hoping Angel Squad would become.

Not another room full of Sand Hill insiders passing deals to each other. 

A place where the robotics engineer and the startup lawyer and the ex-baseball player can all learn this asset class together - and actually invest alongside each other.

Oh, and don't forget the best part...they all meet our strict "no a-holes allowed" policy.

AI captured nearly 50% of all global venture funding last year. Over $200 billion.
Most people have no way to access these companies before they IPO.

Every major tech wave creates a new generation of massive companies. The internet gave us Google and Amazon. Social gave us Meta. Mobile gave us Uber and Airbnb.

We're in the middle of the next one. 

Founders are building new infrastructure for how AI agents browse the web, make purchases, and talk to each other. It's like 1995 for the internet, except the web is being rebuilt for machines, not humans.

A lot of companies need to get built. 

A lot of opportunities for early investors to get in.

The best news is that this wave is different because you don't need to be a full-time VC or write $100K checks to participate.

Most of the best investors in our Angel Squad community start with $1K-$5K checks. Learned from the reps. Built real networks along the way.

We're taking our Small Bets newsletter (55K+ subscribers) live for the first time ever. 45-minute bootcamp. 

We already have 300+ RSVPs.

I'll break down how angel investing actually works and why the timing is so good right now.

Then a real founder is going to pitch Eric Bahn, GP at Hustle Fund, on the spot. 

Shark Tank style (except Eric is super nice).

You'll watch Eric evaluate the deal in real time, and he might invest on the spot. 

Whether you're an experienced investor or you're just getting curious about the space, come hang.

RSVP below. We'll send the recording to everyone who signs up.

👉 https://luma.com/t6n3x6kl

Army Veteran | Venture Capital | Startup Operator | Ex-3x Capital (Web3)| SportsTech | Former Team USA Athlete 🇺🇸| Storyteller | Member at Texas Venture Alliance

Military Veteran ➡️ Venture Capital 

Driven, intuitive, and adaptable leader who is known for instilling value in others through consistency, transparency and candor. Instills concrete core values with inarguable standards. 

My Value-Add

➡️ Prior Investment Associate experience (sourcing, due diligence, analysis) in seed to Series A startups across all sectors. 

➡️ ·  A deep rolodex (LP/GP/founders/SMEs) in TX, North America, LATAM, Europe, and the Middle East

➡️ former  head of business development/startup operator, Podcast Host, Community Manager and Startup Operator for Go Global World, an Artificial Intelligence Investor to Startup Matching

➡️ Heavily involved in the FoF, SPV and Pre IPO Secondaries Market with a track record of structure deals with tier 1 san Francisco tech companies, Elon Musk and Sam Altman Led Ventures

➡️ Partner at CEP Capital Partners LLC, Raising Debt Capital all over the US up to $50MM for SMBs, lower middle market, Middle Market Companies and Real Estate 

Former Nationally ranked Powerlifter, Functional Fitness Athlete, Army Veteran, and always looking for the next adrenaline rush and to create fruitful relationships.

 Email: gonzaleschris1995@gmail.com

Chris Gonzales

Why Sports is the New "Safe Haven" for Tech & Capital 

The era of sports being just "games" is officially over. We are witnessing a massive institutional takeover of the sports and entertainment sector, with 2025 deal values projected to hit a staggering $200 Billion.

But this isn't just about big checks; it's about a fundamental shift in how we consume culture. 

Here’s why the smart money is pouring in:

Content is the Only King: In a fractured media landscape, live sports are the last remaining "appointment viewing." This is why Netflix and other tech giants are no longer just streaming—they’re buying the whole stadium.

The Private Equity Pivot: With $880B in dry powder, US private equity is moving from traditional tech into "passion assets." These are recession-resistant industries with fanbases that don’t just "subscribe"—they belong.
Vertical Integration: From betting and fantasy to AI-driven performance analytics, investors are building an ecosystem where every second of a fan's attention is monetized.

The Bottom Line: We are seeing the "Financialization of Fandom." As franchise values skyrocket (up 10x in 20 years), the barrier to entry for the average investor is rising, while the influence of institutional capital is becoming absolute.

#sports #assetmanagement #tech #startups #venturecapital #privateequity

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