Hyde Park Angels

In 2007, I was working as a junior trader at Lehman Brothers. I hated it - the dehumanizing culture, lack of creativity, and singular focus on transactions and money left me feeling uninspired and lost. I didn’t know it then, but Lehman’s bankruptcy in ‘08 was a gift, and I left in search of a calling. I spent a few years meandering - writing, working odd jobs, grad school in Hong Kong - ultimately ending up back in NYC in 2009, having stumbled upon a young, passionate group of misfits that folks were calling “founders.” These founders felt more like artists than assets, more obsessives than executives. They were avant garde, they were building the things they wanted to see in the world, and to my surprise, people called venture capitalists gave them money to pursue their dreams. I was in love with their fringe eccentricity, extraordinary craftsmanship, and wild ambition. I was in love with the beautiful new works of art they called startups. For the next 15 years, I dedicated my life to working with founders – first at betaworks, and then over three funds at Notation with my partner Alex Lines. A lot has changed. The venture ecosystem went from cottage industry outsider to institutional insider – from a nascent practice to a consensus component of institutional portfolios. The result has been the industrialization–and bankerization–of venture. Firms that make dozens or even hundreds of investments per year, relentlessly focused on assets under management, using the same copy-paste transactional language, all drowning in a sea of sameness. Similarly, what was once a risky leap of faith has become a credentialing factory: accelerators churn out 1,000s of startups per year and fundraising rounds are the new requisite bullets in Linkedin resumes. The environment today feels eerily similar to the one I left on Wall Street so many years ago. Into the Asylum I’ve always believed the best early-stage founders are artists – they're obsessive about new and unusual things, they feel compelled to bring creation into the world, and they are often misunderstood for long periods of time–even lifetimes. Building businesses is their art. The good news is that as the new “banks” in venture continue to expand their tentacles, they also enable new alternatives. What if we treated founders like artists, instead of like assets? We plan to spend the next decade trying to answer this question. We think it means: A firm that’s small by design, that makes a handful of investments per year, and that eschews board seats and administrative control. A small team of partners moving mountains to help when asked and otherwise getting out of the way. A place for founders to tune out the noise and focus on making something truly great. A source of calm, trust, and support for founders who are manifesting beauty through one of the hardest things you can do: starting a company. The path forward We believe there are exceptional founders who, like us, want to win their own way, who want to work with VCs who care more about them and their companies than assets under management. If this sounds appealing to you, please get in touch. Whether you're a founder or in between things, we’d love for you to come visit us at our studio in Brooklyn. And if you would like to join a small team dedicated to the art of venture rather than the business of banking, contact us at hiring@asylum.vc.

BAS supports young companies and invests to take a minority stake in the companies. Startups can profit from the active role that BAS members take in the company, like unpaid consultants. Each year BAS organises 20 dinner meetings in Zurich and Lausanne/Geneva where founders can pitch their business proposition. Mentoring Most of BAS investments receive mentoring and guidance from BAS members. Startups benefit from the members' diverse skills across a broad spectrum of industries. BAS members do not count their time and are happy to share their rich networks. Investment As a general rule, BAS invests in Swiss based startups with high growth potential. The due diligence process is very straightforward to make investing as uncomplicated as possible for angels and startups. The shortest investment decision yet took us one week. Community BAS works well thanks to the exclusive and experienced nature of its members. BAS members are generally successful founders or executives. They are experienced investors with an interest in mentoring and in investing in high-risk startups.

We democratize angel investing by giving you access to deals, lower the barrier to enter, and build confidence through education & peers. Pitch your Start Up Our focus is early-stage startups in Asia Pacific across all verticals. We invest in pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds. We are strong advocates of female leadership. Having at least one woman on your executive team is required. We invest up to 200K USD per company. We know building a company is not easy. We support startups teams with capital, knowledge, mentorship, a global network and we take board seats. Our angels are executors. We roll up our sleeves to support our investments with further growth and scaling. Above all, we invest in people. We invest in founders who refuse to die. Founders who choose agility over ego. FAQs Got a question? We've got answers. Do you only invest in women? We invest in startups and founders with potential, no matter whether it is a woman or a man. Although at least one of the executive team members should be a woman. We actively scout startups with female founders. At least 75% of our portfolio companies are women-led. What is the average investment amount? As a collective, we invest up to 150K USD per startup through syndication. This allows each investor to join with amounts as low as 5K USD. You decide per startup whether you want to invest or not. Is there a fee to join? Not yet. The first three months are free to join. We meet once a month where you discuss the deals on the table, and you will have full access to all deals. After three months, you decide whether you want to continue or not. The annual fee is SGD 750. I have no experience. Can I join? Absolutely! Every month, new angel investors join our network, both seasoned investors and newbies. You will see you have way more to contribute than you might think. We meet every month, and we have onboarding sessions to educate you on the basics. Check the 'Education' tab on this page to find more resources. I am a man. Can I join? Sorry guys, Epic Angels is for female investors only. We all read about the funding gap. Currently, only 2% of venture capital goes to women-led startups despite it being well-established that gender diversity leads to higher financial returns. Instead of trying to convince men to invest in these female founders, we believe the solution is to create more female investors.

Breega is one of the fastest growing VC funds in Europe with more than €500M AUM. We built Breega to provide founders with the help we wish we’d had. Breega propels pioneering and purpose-driven founders from idea into impact. We closed our first fund in 2015 and now have €500m AUM and 70 trailblazing portfolio companies. Crafted for founders by founders, we built Breega to provide start-ups with the help we wish we'd had. And we’ve created an investment proposition that’s purposefully designed. We call it full stack funding: providing capital and connections, expertise and experience, support and solidarity for entrepreneurs at every step of their journey. We invest across Europe through our 3 offices in Paris, London and Barcelona, focusing on pre-seed to Series B stage. We believe in a future where tech entrepreneurship has catalysed universal prosperity – so we decided to build a different kind of VC. Build by Founders. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we’ve been through the highs and lows of founding, failing, fundraising and flourishing. We built Breega to provide founders with the help we wish we’d had. For Founders. We wanted to “Bridge the Equity and Experience Gap” (hence the name Breega) – and fulfill the lack of operational expertise we saw in VC at that time. Breega began investing in 2015. We now have 70+ trailblazing startups in our portfolio. Our purpose today. To propel pioneering and purpose-driven founders from idea to impact.

Born out of a love for building startups and a passion for backing entrepreneurs with heart, Corazon Capital (spanish for “heart”), a leading Chicago-based venture fund, brings a coastal approach to Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A investing. There’s no such thing as “too early.” With a rare blend of investing experience and operating expertise, Corazon Capital provides unusually pragmatic, actionable counsel to the entrepreneurs it supports. Corazon Capital believes that the best entrepreneurs and the smartest VCs will intentionally solicit both financial and operating investors in their syndicates, with Corazon Capital recognized across geographies for its deep operating knowledge and reach inside and outside of Chicago. Authenticity We communicate with candor, operate with integrity, and demonstrate pragmatism Courage We think independently, act boldly, and look for non-obvious opportunity Human We show empathy for others, cultivate equanimity, and balance our whole selves across work and play Curiosity We seek growth, learn from our failure, and welcome the future Humility We invite diverse perspectives, strive for equity, and embrace inclusivity

We fund early stage ventures determined to change the way we live and do business. We are doers, here to help you grow Having been at the forefront of technological innovations, we hold a passion that matches yours to solve problems, sometimes, in unconventional ways. We believe in questioning the status quo, doing the right thing, and getting stuff done efficiently while pushing onward and upward. Accelerating innovation in SoCal and beyond We think Los Angeles is an optimal place to build a company, and also enjoy life. We are committed to pushing innovation in Southern California, but support founders across the globe.