The Tech Coast Angels is reporting this morning that its members have now invested a total of $100M in Southern California companies, since it started in 1997. The angel investing group said the $100M was invested in more than 150 California-based companies, and included firms in the life sciences, software, Internet, biotechnology, media, business services, and consumer products areas. In addition to the lifetime total, the TCA released stats on its recent investing activity, and said it invested in 15 first-time financing and 16 follow-on funding rounds in 2008. ...Tags:

We thought today for our interview, that we'd get an update on the angel investment environment here in Southern California from Scott Sangster , the incoming President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels , the biggest angel investment group in Southern California. Scott sat down with us last week and gave us some hints and tips about finding angel investment nowadays, and how the economy has affected local angel investors. It It seems that the economy hit angel investors pretty badly over the last couple of years, along

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 -- Tech Coast Angels Fast Pitch. Over the years, Tech Coast Angels and several venture capital firms have funded many companies that have been Fast Pitch participants. Since its inception in 1997, Tech Coast Angels has provided more than $104 million to more than 160 companies, and attracted more than $1 billion from co-investors. Our Fast Pitch Competitions are "the" place for Southern California entrepreneurs to present their ideas to investors. Each competition consists of 10-12 entrepreneurs

The Orange County Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels is promoting a program to help jumpstart small companies, O.C. Tech Coast Angels, the new program will provide seed funding, strategic planning, and execution of day-to-day functions of startups. The San Diego branch of the Tech Coast Angels launched their own TCA Seed Track effort way back in December of 2006, initially focused on both technology and biomedical SeedTrack, building off of earlier efforts by the group's San Diego and other chapters. According to the O.C.

The Tech Coast Angels said this morning that the group has made an investment in Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a drug development firm developing small molecule drugs. According to the Tech Coast Angels, it invested $289,000 in a Series A round for Amplyx, which also scored $492,000 in funding from the Life Science Angels. The TCA's investment was led by San Diego Tech Coast Amplyx is based in the Bay Area. The Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investment group in Southern Californi

The Tech Coast Angels is stressing its mixer program, seed investment efforts, and a new website, as it kicks off a 2010 program, according to the angel investing group. According to the Tech Coast Angels' Richard Sudek, Chairman of the TCA, the group is looking to hold bi-monthly mixers which will help entrepreneurs connect with its angel investors, after a successful mixer in late 2009. The group also said it is focusing on its SeedTrack program, which is specifically focused on seed stage funding and extensive mentoring. The angel

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 -- The Tech Coast Angels 5th Annual Fast Pitch Competition will take place on February 24th at UCLA Anderson School of Management. CEOs of 12 early stage companies, selected from more than 100 applicants, will have 90 seconds to pitch their companies to a panel of judges.The event will also include a keynote presentation by Steve Streit, CEO of TCA-funded Green Dot, a panel of CEOs discussing their funding war stories and angels and venture capitalists providing tips on how to get early stage funding. Dinner and refreshments will be served after the program at a networking event attended by hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs and other industry experts.

Last month we Launched Los Angeles Tech and in the announcement we provide the Hot List for the first half of January 2009. When I drill down on that term, you can see why with posts like: Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Lops A Third Of Company THQ Lays Off 100 Employees, Closes San Diego Office Citrix Cuts 10 Percent; Santa Barbara Hit And it's also interesting to see what geographies are being associated with "Layoffs" more often than others: Layoffs Woodland Hills Layoffs San Diego Layoffs Santa Monica Layoffs Los Angeles I guess this is a sign

A new endowed fellowship fund, which will be awarded to a graduate MBA student at the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine, has been established to honor the Tech Coast Angels' Luis Villalobos. According to the Tech Coast Angels, the new fellowship--the Luis Villalobos Endowed Fellowship in Entrepreneurship--will be awarded to a student with an interest in entrepreneurship and/or starting or being part of a new business. Villalobos, founder of the Tech Coast Angels, passed away on October first.

Last night I attended a DealMaker Media (whom I love because they always host such great discussions) panel on raising angel money moderated by Dan Gould and with panelists Rob Hayes (First Round Capital, more seed or A round than angel), Scot Sangster (with OrganicStartup and the best spokesperson for Tech Coast Angels that I have met to date), Tom McInerney (TGM) and Jarl Mohn (who invests on his own “account” and whose track record is truly humbling). recently wrote a post on angel financing covering the topic of convertible notes but