Asheville Angels

Jeffrey Kaplan, the founder and managing director, oversees deal sourcing and coordinates the diligence process. Individual investment decisions are made collectively by the group's members, who each conduct their own evaluation before committing capital on a deal-by-deal basis. The group does not operate a centralized investment committee with pooled discretion.

The group sources primarily through its member network, regional accelerator programs, and partnerships with North Carolina-based venture funds. Asheville's tight-knit entrepreneurial community generates a steady stream of referrals. The syndicate also receives deal flow from co-investor angel networks in the Southeast and beyond, particularly for companies that align with its enterprise software and consumer sector preferences.

The group prioritizes North Carolina and the broader Southeastern US but will review opportunities in other markets when there is a co-investor relationship or existing member connection to the company. Most portfolio concentration remains in the Carolinas, reflecting the syndicate's deliberately regional focus.

Initial investments generally range from $250,000 to $1 million across the syndicate's participating members. Individual member commitments vary by deal. The group typically participates in priced equity rounds and convertible notes, often serving as the lead or co-lead investor for pre-seed and seed-stage companies in its target sectors.

Asheville Angels operates as a member-led syndicate, not a pooled venture fund. Members make individual investment decisions and hold securities directly in their own names. The group provides diligence infrastructure, deal screening, and coordination, but each investor retains full discretion over whether and how much to invest in a given opportunity.