Investment Criteria

The Columbia Angel Network aims to strengthen the community of startups led by Columbia University alumni. We accept applications from US-based companies, with at least one Columbia alumni in a leadership role, preferably as part of the founding team. We are also keen to support alumni who have shown a commitment to furthering entrepreneurship within the Columbia University community. 

CAN generally makes investments of $50 - $200k as part of a pre-seed, seed or series A round. Given this, we expect rounds to be between $500k and $5M, but will consider any size round. CAN will currently not lead a funding round as our preference is for companies who have already secured a lead investor in the round. 

CAN considers the following when selecting companies to pitch to our members: 

• Current focus is limited to US-based startups 

• Founding team should contain at least one graduate of a Columbia University-affiliated school 

• Founding team should have demonstrated experience in their company’s industry  

• Preference for demonstrated ability to generate revenue 

• If the company has not yet generated revenue, CAN likes to see traction demonstrated in some form, such as:

1. Growth in user-base  

2. A successful pilot or in-market beta test 

3. Monetizable assets (IP, patents, product awaiting approval, etc.)   

Application Process:

CAN follows a flexible process, but the standard timeline we tend to follow is:

• Step 1: Apply online

• Step 2: Within a week, you’ll hear back if you qualify for further diligence from our selection committee

• Step 3: The selection committee chooses startups for our pitch nights on a rolling basis; if you are selected we’ll put you in touch with a dedicated deal lead to manage the process of pitching to our members

• Step 4: Selected ventures pitch to the full CAN community at the next available pitch night

• Step 5: CAN coordinates a streamlined diligence process on behalf of interested investors, who can then invest individually

If you have any questions, please reach out: info@columbiaangelnetwork.com