Wharton Alumni Angel Network (WAAN) Boston

Wharton Alumni Angel Network (WAAN) Boston: Nov 9 Non-Life Sciences & Nov 19 Life Sciences Pitch

WAAN Boston hosted its quarterly pitch event in November. This was the first time that the organization had split pitches by sector focus. Each of the two events drew interests from nearly 60 alumni and investors from affiliate groups. A few days prior to the event, attendees were given an investor package which contained video presentations, pitch decks and executive summaries of companies pitching at the event. Participants were encouraged to read the material and come to the pitch event to interact directly with the founders and other like-minded investors. Subsequent, further due diligence teams were organized for companies of interests. Two companies ultimately received capital from our investor base and affiliate network.

Participating non-life-sciences companies:

 Amberjack - Direct-to-consumer, vertically integrated men’s dress shoes

 Omniview Sports - Personalized, all-in-one (sports viewing, fantasy leagues, betting) sports related app

 Rise - A platform for community of women to freelance, connect and empower.

 Traction Technologies - A SaaS collaboration platform used to automate the evaluation process of new technologies across teams in an enterprise

 Ziotag - AI-powered video play that creates tables of contents and allows for easy content searches

Participating life-sciences companies:

 Agile Devices - Patented design that focuses on steerable microcatheter technology

 ExpressCells - Supplies cells and cell lines to the research community

 nest Collaborative - An online platform of Board-Certified Lactation Consultants targeted at new parents

 noleus Technologies -  A medical device that treats post-operative complications associated with abdominal surgeries

Wharton Alumni Angel Network (WAAN) Boston: Dec 2 Conducting Due Diligence on Startups with an Expert

After the two recent pitch events, WAAN hosted an education event for a refresher on due diligence on start-ups. Christine Fuchs (WG 96), a director with Launchpad Venture Group and a board member of the Capital Network, and her Launchpad colleague Alex Brown (WG05) gave an engaging and interactive talk on why and how angel investors do due diligence. 95 people signed up for the event. Specific topics covered under due diligence included team leadership, customers & markets, product & IP, competition, financials & business model, and deal terms & exits. Despite the challenges with the virtual setting, the speakers were able to weave in seamlessly responses to people’s questions real-time and made no reservation to continue to share their insights post the presentation.