Joshua Siegel, the co-founder of Georgetown Alumni Angels (GAA), wants DC start-ups to know that he and the 53 other angels who make up the new venture capital group have funds to invest. Siegel and fellow alumnus Andrew Romans founded the group in October 2012 with the purpose of helping Hoya graduates across all fields connect and share resources.
"We represent an ecosystem that nobody else can tap," Siegel explains.
GAA is currently planning three pitch events per year. None are scheduled for the District; Siegel is located in New York and Romans is in San Francisco. The first event, scheduled for the first week in March, will take place in New York. Siegel says he has already selected the four companies who will pitch there.
"We're looking for four more," Siegel states. "I look at every single deal, three or four deals a day. I want as many people as possible to contact us or visit our
GUST profile."
In order to apply for funds, start-ups should have at least one person on the team who is somehow connected to Georgetown University — whether as a current student, faculty member, alumnus or alumna, or through some other affiliation. And while tech start-ups are certainly welcome, innovators in other industries should also feel free to apply.
"We're not particularly industry-focused," Siegel says.
While Siegel is happy that GAA has attracted more than fifty members in three months, he would like to see that number grow to more than 500. "Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford all have professionally-managed clubs [like these]."
In addition to reading deals and recruiting angels, Siegel is actively looking for successful Hoyas to act as mentors and sponsors for the start-ups the Georgetown Angels will bring under their wings.