Community

Most people we speak to do not think angel investing is for them. The image they have in mind is some version of: you need a finance background, a serious amount of disposable capital, and years of startup-adjacent experience. Without those three, the door stays closed. That image is wrong. Here is what we have learned across our first three Angel Accelerator cohorts at AtVenture, and why the June cohorts are designed to break it. Who actually shows up Across Cohorts 1, 2 and

People ask us all the time what AtVenture actually invests in, and how we make those decisions. The short answer is we invest with one principle: Diversity in every deal. That principle shapes the kind of companies we back, who we back them with, and how we get to a yes or a no. Here is what that looks like in practice, and why we built it this way. What we invest in Our investment thesis is deliberately specific: Europe-based startups; (pre) seed stage; open across sectors a

Velina did not join the Angel Accelerator to make an investment right away. She joined to learn. “I joined to explore new ways to put my money to work beyond the stock market and to empower founders from non-traditional backgrounds.” That is exactly the stance we see most often in our cohorts. Curiosity, conviction, and the sense that there must be something more meaningful than another ETF. What Velina did differently is the part worth paying attention to. What changed in th

Last Thursday evening, 10 people sat around a table and made an investment decision. Not a simulation. Not a case study. A real decision, with real capital; and a real startup on the other side. This was the final session of AtVenture's first Angel Accelerator cohort. Four months earlier, most of these participants were exactly where many aspiring investors find themselves: curious, capable, and yet somehow still on the sidelines. The problem most aspiring angels face Angel i

10 angels. 4 startups. Strong pitches. Sharp questions. A truly supportive environment. That pretty much captures our November in-person AtVenture Angels Meet Founders event. We came together at Equals with an inspiring mix of angels and founders. What stood out immediately was the quality of the room: powerful pitches, thoughtful questions, and open, constructive conversations. Exactly the kind of environment we are intentionally building at AtVenture. Curious angels. Conf

Slush was great this year! Our co-founder Laurie Lancee joined the Dutch delegation with StartupAmsterdam and spent a packed few days connecting with innovators, investors, and ecosystem builders from across Europe. What stood out most was the quality of the conversations. We met familiar faces from the AtVenture community, including Coco Chen and Maud Vermeulen, and welcomed new people who are equally motivated to help reshape how early-stage capital flows. Alongside these o

Every now and then, people are surprised when we say this clearly and explicitly: Men are welcome at AtVenture. As angel investors. And as founders. AtVenture is not a closed space only for underrepresented groups. It is a space for people who want to actively contribute to a more diverse, balanced and resilient investment ecosystem. Because the work we are doing, closing funding and wealth gaps and shifting more capital toward diverse founders, doesn’t happen in isolation. I

Registration Now Open: Join the First Angel Accelerator Cohorts When we first started angel investing, we wished there had been a clear...

Last week we hosted our very first AtVenture webinar , bringing together over 30 angels and future angels — curious, ambitious, and ready...

Intro Angel investing often feels out of reach; reserved for ultra-wealthy individuals with multiple exits. In reality, it’s much more...