Jon Pierce

(See below for links to photos, slides and video of the event)

When I started planning Angel Boot Camp a couple months ago, I had a hunch there were a lot of people in Boston with the means and inclination to do angel investing. They just didn’t know whether it was right for them, how to be successful at it, or how to get started. If we could only connect them with the people who are doing it and doing it well, it would be a huge win for Boston. Still, I really didn’t know how big a turnout to expect.

Well, with roughly 275 people in attendance at the invite-only event, a good number of which were new or prospective angels, I think we can safely say that hunch was correct. If you consider that we probably only reached a fraction of would-be angels in the area, it’s hardly a stretch to think we could double that number next time. The task now is to build on what we’ve started. I have some thoughts on how to do that and will share them soon. But I’m pretty pumped about the future of angel investing in Boston!

Want to hear about upcoming Angel Boot Camp events and initiatives?

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Let me know what you thought of Angel Boot Camp in the comments. Please also take the feedback survey if you attended.

In case you missed it, we’ve posted the video and slides online. You can also check out photos from Bill Warner and Steve Garfield. Note that the video uploads are still in progress. Lower quality versions of some of the talks are also available here.

(See more videos and slides from Angel Boot Camp)

Here’s a roundup of what other people have been saying:

Brad Feld with Suggestions for Angel Investors

Don Dodge on How to be an Angel Investor… and Make Money

Jeff Bussgang on Angels Soaring During Innovation Month

Will Herman on Here’s What I’m Thinking When I Make an Angel Investment

WBUR interview with Scott Kirsner and John Landry on how Angel Boot Camp Keeps Investors Cash Close to Home

Wade Roush’s coverage in Xconomy

Jennie White’s coverage in BostInnovation

Scott Kirsner’s article on angel investing in the Boston Globe

I also want to thank everyone who helped make Angel Boot Camp possible:

First, the speakers. We had over 20 of them, and they were all outstanding. Second, the sponsors, Microsoft NERD, DLA Piper, Silicon Valley Bank and CommonAngels, who enabled us to keep the event free. Lastly, the many people who contributed behind the scenes: Bill Warner, who has been working hard to revitalize the ecosystem and is a constant source of inspiration; Gus Weber and the crew at Microsoft NERD, who have been an invaluable resource to the community over the past couple years; Roy Rodenstein, who helped lead the charge on the startup pitches; and Chris Sheehan of CommonAngels, Reed Sturtevant and Katie Rae of Project 11 Ventures, Sim Simeonov of FastIgnite, John Landry of Lead Dog Ventures, John Prendergast of Blueleaf, Sachin Agarwal, formerly of oneforty and currently helping Blueleaf, Shawn Broderick, David Cohen and Brad Feld of TechStars, John Harthorne, David Constantine and Akhil Nigam of MassChallenge, Healy Jones of OfficeDrop, Joe Medved of SoftBank Capital, Rob Go, formerly of Spark Capital, Itai Nevo of DLA Piper, Laura Fitton of oneforty, Durjoy “Ace” Bhattacharjya, Rich Miner of Google Ventures, Jeff Bussgang and Matt Witheiler of Flybridge Capital, Dayna Grayson of North Bridge Venture Partners, Bilal Zuberi and Kevin Wang of General Catalyst, Brian Balfour of Viximo, and Tim Rowe, Geoff Mamlet and Carrie Stalder of the CIC and Venture Cafe. I also want to thank Brian Del Vecchio, Amanda Schuneman, Nikhil Kalghatgi, Robby Grossman, Sachin Agarwal and Mike Kowalchik for volunteering at the event, and Derek Dahmer for recording and editing the video you see above.