Join us for a total immersion into the exciting world of angel investing!

Investing in start-ups can be inspiring and exhilarating, but also a little scary. Have you ever considered angel investing, but did not feel fully equipped? You are not alone. Where do I find great start-ups? How do I evaluate their investment potential? What’s the right amount to invest? How do I set the terms and structure the investment?

Angel Excelerator has invited top local and national investors to provide some answers, including:

David Hornik
Partner
August Capital

Howard Tullman
President & CEO
Flashpoint Academy

Brad Feld (via Skype)
Managing Director
Foundry Group

Matt McCall
Partner
New World Ventures

Jim Dugan
CEO/Co-Founder/Managing Partner
OCA Ventures

Steve Miller
Principal & Co-Founder
Origin Ventures

Matt Downs
Managing Partner
Sandbox Industries, BCBS Fund

John Sabl
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

Troy Henikoff
Co-Founder & CEO
Excelerate Labs

Brian Hand
CEO
Timelines

Bob Geras
President
LaSalle Investments

Ira Weiss
Managing Director
Hyde Park Angels

Armando Pauker
General Partner
Apex Venture Partners

Karin O'Connor
President
Perimeter Advisors

Sam Guren
Managing Director
Hyde Park Angels

Agenda

11:30 - 12:00: Hors d'oeuvres & Networking
12:00 - 12:05: Kick-off & Welcome: Ira Weiss
12:05 - 12:30: Speaker: Howard Tullman
12:30 - 12:45: Speaker: Brad Feld (via Skype)
12:45 - 1:35: Individual Angels Talk About Their Experience (7 min each): Brian Hand, Karin O’Connor, Bob Geras, John Sabl, Armando Pauker, and Ira Weiss
1:35 - 1:45: Break
1:45 - 2:35: Panel Discussion - Positioning an Angel Investment for Later VC Funding: Jim Jerue (moderator), Matt Downs, Sam Guren, Jim Dugan, Matt McCall, and Steve Miller
2:35 - 3:00: Speaker: David Hornik

Venture Showcase

After the Angel Excelerator, the Venture Showcase will highlight some of the city's most successful tech companies and discuss some of the benefits and challenges of building great technology companies in Chicago.

August 30, 2011, 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Gleacher Center, Room 300

Agenda

3:30 - 3:45: Introduction & Kickoff: Adam Koopersmith
3:45 - 4:45: Showcase of Chicago Companies: Cleversafe, SAVO Group, Edulender, Braintree, and Sittercity
4:45 - 6:00: Panel Discussion - The Present And Future Of The Chicago Tech Scene: Kevin Willer (moderator), Lon Chow, Paul Lee, Matt Moog, Brett Goldstein, and Bret Maxwell
6:00 - 8:00: Networking with Cocktails and Food (Gleacher Room 621)

Speakers

Kevin Willer (Moderator)
President & CEO
Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center

Paul Lee
Partner
Lightbank

Lon Chow
General Partner
Apex Venture Partners

Adam Koopersmith
Partner
New World Ventures

Brett Goldstein
Chief Data Officer
City of Chicago

Matt Moog
Founder & CEO
Viewpoints Network

Bret Maxwell
Managing General Partner
MK Capital

Angel Excelerator is a joint initiative between Hyde Park Angels and Excelerate Labs, and was partially inspired by AngelConf and AngelBootcamp, but is not affiliated with either.

About Excelerate Labs

Excelerate Labs is an intensive summer accelerator for startups driven by proven entrepreneurs and investors. Led by world class entrepreneurs Sam Yagan (OKCupid, Sparknotes) and Troy Henikoff (SurePayroll), the program is unique in attracting scores of mentors from around the country to work with the teams in direct 1-on-1 meetings.

The program selects ten companies every spring to participate in the 13-week intensive summer program. Starting on June 1st, the ten companies build connections and their business during the program. The program culminates in an Investor Demo Day on August 31st, where the companies showcase their progress and plans to more than 200 angel and venture investors from around the country.

Excelerate is supported by i2a, Sandbox Industries, Hyde Park Angels, Tribune, Lightbank, OCA Ventures, New World Ventures, DFJ Mercury, Merrick Ventures, and many prominent angels.

About Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC)

The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) works at the intersection of business success and civic engagement. It identifies the region's most promising entrepreneurs and helps them build high-growth, sustainable businesses that serve as platforms for economic development and civic leadership for the Chicagoland area. Since 2003, the CEC has helped our client entrepreneurs secure $268.5 million in revenue, raise $160 million in financing, and create or retain 6,350 jobs. In turn, CEC clients fuel the entrepreneurial ecosystem of our city by mentoring young talent, advising their peers, and joining the CEC "movement" to inspire entrepreneurship in Chicagoland.

About Hyde Park Angels

Hyde Park Angels invests in seed and early stage businesses, primarily located in the Midwest. HPA is a group of current and former executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists who are interested in investing their time and money into outstanding startups. HPA is affiliated with the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth.