San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) investors have selected 15 semi-finalists from a record 124 applications. The San Diego & Imperial SBDC encourages interested accredited investors to get to know this start-up investment conference put on by SBDC partners.

About the San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC)

The San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) is a three-year-old University of San Diego (USD) School of Business program. It activates accredited angel investors and engages promising early-stage companies. The SDAC investment team has selected 15 semi-finalists to compete in this year’s conference.

In the weeks leading up to the main event, applying companies compete for increasingly limited opportunities for time and engagement with accredited angel investors. In the first round of selections, angel investors spent weeks reviewing materials before selecting the top 30 companies that advanced to the quarter finals. Those 30 companies were invited to make a 3-minute pitch to as many as 70 accredited investors.

Silas Smith, joining SDAC III’s Investor Team this year said, “As a new investor, it’s been exciting to work with so many great companies and investors at SDAC this year. The investor team is very humble and transparent about sharing knowledge, and collectively brings a wide diversity of experience to the table. I feel like I’ve learned a ton and at the same time have been welcomed to contribute my own domain knowledge and expertise.”

Investors spent two weeks evaluating pitches, and reviewing materials before selecting 15 companies who will compete in the semi-finals.

The SDAC 2021 Semi-Finalists

This year’s SDAC III Semi-Finalists are as follows:

  • Advocat Technologies
  • AQUATRAX
  • Canvass Labs
  • ChargeNet Stations
  • CommSafe AI
  • Digital Proteomics LLC
  • Eyedaptic
  • Fixing CO2
  • Fluid Power AI Inc
  • Hempress Hygienics by Austin Lane Co.
  • NERD BIO
  • OmniSync Incorporated
  • UpLyft
  • Verity Packaging, Inc.
  • Yatiri Bio

Learn About SDAC Investing

The SDAC III investors will continue this selection process by inviting all 15 companies to provide a 10-minute pitch. Investors will choose six finalists from the remaining pool of applicants Feb. 17. Jen and Sam Patel said, “As third year investors in SDAC, we have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge, experience, and confidence in angel investing.  The exposure to such a diverse group of companies is amazing, and has allowed us to begin building a robust portfolio. We look forward to continuing growth and opportunities through SDAC.”

Founders are getting a lot out of the program as well. Semi-finalist Rupak Doshi with OmniSync shared, “We’re excited, humbled, and nervous, all at the same time! SDAC investors have provided strong validation for the approach to streamlining government grants and contracts, and we look forward to further strengthening our relationships with them, advisors from The Brink SBDC, and our fellow entrepreneurs.”

The SDAC is both industry and stage agnostic and proudly considers everything from life science to software applications. Semi Finalist Natalie Castellana with Digital Proteomics shared, “We participated in the SDAC E-track last fall and have learned so much! We are thrilled to continue in the competition and share our platform for mining the human immune system for the next generation of antibody drugs.”

How to Attend the Conference

Those interested in learning more about angel investing are encouraged to see the conference website as investors are still connecting. Companies will continue to compete until March 20, when the top six companies – having completed the due diligence process – will pitch at the finale for an investment estimated to be $200,000.*

SDAC’s combination of entrepreneurial education, up to $1.5 million in investments to winning companies, as well as its low angel fund investment threshold of about $6,000, has made it one of the largest angel investor programs in the country.

*Actual investment depends on the number of units purchased by participating investors. SDAC I and II had over $1,000,000 of direct investment.

Media Contact:

Amy Duncan, SDAC III Fund Manager
[email protected]
(858) 254 7009

Mysty Rusk, SDAC Founder
[email protected]
(916) 612 7590