Ranked “Most Active Bay Area Angel Investment Group” for Seventh Consecutive Year
Keiretsu Forum, the world’s largest private equity angel investment network, announced the 2010 investment activity of its Northern California members totaling $8.1 million invested in 16 ventures, making it the most active Bay Area angel investment group for the seventh consecutive year. The rankings were announced in the May 6 issue of The San Francisco Business Times.
Keiretsu Forum provides a structured approach to private equity investing. Like-minded business leaders work together and assess investment opportunities, but then make individual investment decisions. Keiretsu Forum members provide significant guidance and support to entrepreneurs in order to maximize the success for both startups and investors.
Randy Williams, Founder and CEO, said, “I founded Keiretsu Forum in 2000 with the vision of providing a more disciplined approach to angel investing. We provide a collaborative and supportive environment that increases the odds of success for everyone. Angel investors and the companies they help fund are a driving force in the economy.”
“Keiretsu Forum is a well thought out organization that has brought together a world-class collection of private investors with domain expertise in a variety of industries to participate in, capitalize, and grow early stage companies,” said Jeff Gray, CEO of Glue Networks, a company that was funded by Keiretsu Forum members in 2010.
Membership in Keiretsu Forum is by invitation only and is extended to accreditedprivate equity investors who share the Keiretsu Forum vision and actively contribute to the Keiretsu Forum process. In Northern California, Keiretsu Forum has 350 members in chapters in the East Bay, North Bay, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley who meet once a month to review presentations. One of the differentiators of Keiretsu Forum is the access to high quality early-stage companies in diverse industries: technology, healthcare/life sciences, consumer products, real estate, and other industries with high growth opportunity. The Keiretsu Forum community is strengthened through education on angel investing, as well as charitable giving. Keiretsu Forum members have contributed more than $1 million to over 100 non-profit organizations.
Keiretsu Forum Funding Activity
A representative sample of ventures that received funding in 2010 is: Informifi, Castlewood Surgical, Glue Networks, and Rothman Healthcare.
Investment distribution by number of deals per industry is: 44% in technology, 19% in consumer, 19% in real estate, 12% in healthcare/life sciences, and 6% in financial services.
Investment distribution by amount invested per industry is: 41% in real estate, 27% in technology, 14% in consumer, 12% in healthcare/life sciences, and 6% in financial services.
