Investor Profile: Sand Hill Angels — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Sand Hill Angels funding comes with something a venture cheque alone cannot offer: more than 160 experienced Silicon Valley operators investing their own money and time. Founded in 2000, Sand Hill Angels is one of the most active angel groups in the world, backing early-stage technology start-ups.

Investment thesis

Sand Hill Angels invests in big ideas and disruptive, scalable technologies that can build profitable businesses, favouring companies that value patient capital and long-term support over a quick exit. Its members are successful Silicon Valley executives and accredited investors passionate about entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of disruptive technologies.

Sectors and stages

Sand Hill Angels primarily invests from seed to Series B in technology start-ups. Deal review runs through three special interest groups: Consumer, Enterprise and Life Sciences, reflecting the breadth of its members' expertise. Its portfolio spans software, artificial intelligence, health and biotechnology, medical devices, fintech, education, gaming, energy and consumer products.

Fund size and cheque size

As a member-led angel group rather than a pooled venture fund, Sand Hill Angels does not publish a single fund size, and its fund size is therefore not publicly disclosed. Individual members decide whether and how much to invest in each deal, so no standard group cheque size is published either; founders should expect a syndicated angel round assembled from interested members rather than one fixed ticket.

Notable portfolio

Sand Hill Angels' portfolio includes cell-therapy platform ImmuneBridge, wellness-testing platform Fitnescity, medical device company CloudCath, membrane maker Membrion, and Magnetic Insight, which builds cellular imaging to measure cancer immunotherapy. Earlier investments include autonomous robot company Savioke, taxi platform Flywheel, vaccine developer Vaxart, gaming marketplace Skillz, lawn-care service Sunday, college-guidance platform Empowerly.

Partners

Sand Hill Angels is a volunteer, member-led organisation rather than a firm with named general partners, so there is no partner roster in the venture-fund sense. Deals are reviewed by its special interest groups and a screening committee, and a deal lead is assigned to guide a company once investors show interest. Members include founders, executives and technologists.

Programs, credits and perks

Sand Hill Angels does not publish a standard credits or perks catalogue, and founders should not expect one. Its programme is practical support: coaching across marketing, business development, operations, finance, engineering and management, plus access to members' networks for customers, channels and service providers. It also runs Sand Hill Angels RAW, a pitch-practice forum where investors give real-time feedback in a low-pressure environment.

How to apply for funding

How to get funding from Sand Hill Angels follows a clear, published process, and completeness matters: the group warns that an incomplete application will almost always lead to a disappointing response. Founders apply through its deal management platform, Dealum, with contact information, company basics, market opportunity, key documents and financial data. Special interest groups review deals monthly; selected companies present on the last Thursday evening of the month in a 10-minute pitch plus 5 minutes of questions, with a longer 35-minute second pitch on the second Thursday for those that advance.