Mid-America Angels invested $3.6M in record-breaking 2016
January 9, 2017 | Bobby Burch
For the second consecutive year, the Mid-America Angel Network posted a record-breaking year of investing.
In 2016, the Kansas City-based network invested $3.6 million via 15 deals in startups, topping its 2015 totals of $2.8 million in nine investments.
“What you see here is the result of several years of work, not just one,“ MAA managing director Rick Vaughn said in a release. “2016’s success was driven by our existing portfolio along with an increase in investable deal flow. This is the result of many complementary organizations and programs working together to encourage entrepreneurial growth in Kansas City and across the region.”
The record-breaking totals are thanks in part to the Mid-America Angels’ expansion. Angel investors from Manhattan, Kan., and St. Joseph, Mo., joined the network in 2016, which helped facilitate more applicants to tap MAA funding.
New companies that joined the MAA portfolio in 2016 are JobShakers, Life Equals, Tomboy Exchange and Kenzen. Most of the deals in 2016 provided follow-on capital for existing portfolio companies, the organization said. Since its launch in 2006, the angel group has made 85 investments totaling over $21 million.
Related Posts on Startland News
Founder facing gender bias: Don’t call me a victim; call me investors
It’s like pulling teeth to get key investors and resource organizations to help push female entrepreneurs forward, said Carlanda McKinney, citing implicit bias and a lack of effective support mechanisms. “I don’t think it’s intentional at all. I think it’s a byproduct,” said McKinney, co-founder of Raaxo, an online tech platform used to design and…
Top founder salutes Rick Vaughn: A mustached hero with a herculean task
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. The dude is amazing; the dude is a legend. He rocks a mustache and his name is Rick Vaughn. If you don’t know him, it’s too late. He’s already gone. Well, not quite gone; this isn’t an obituary. Rick is just retiring from…
Movista exit: Mid-America Angels portfolio firm scores $12M growth equity investment
A $12 million Series A growth equity investment in Movista is a significant win for Mid-America Angels, as well as for the region, said Laura McCoolidge. The Arkansas-based startup — which uses a mobile-first, real-time platform to power labor and workforce management software for retailers, manufacturers, and service providers — is among the leading portfolio…
Surging investment network Mid-America Angels announces new director
Nebraska angel investment leader Laura McCoolidge Classen is the new managing director of Kansas City-based Mid-America Angels. Classen, who most recently served for five years as the director of Nebraska Angels, succeeds Rick Vaughn, MAA’s founding managing director. Vaughn will continue working with MAA on a part-time basis. “I enjoyed working with many colleagues in…