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Cornerstone Angels
Cornerstone Angels is a Northbrook-based angel investment network connecting individual accredited investors with early-stage venture deals across the...
Cornerstone Angels
Cornerstone Angels is a membership-based private investment group composed of successful entrepreneurs and business executives. The group seeks to provide financial capital, mentorship, and advisory support to high growth organizations. The company will consider opportunities nationally, but is focused on the greater Midwest given its Northbrook, IL base. The group invests across sectors with particular interest within Software, Media & Entertainment, Mobile, Manufacturing & Industrial, Consumer/Retail & Food/Beverage, Business Services, Healthcare Services and CleanTech. We do not currently invest in Life Sciences, Biotech, or Real Estate. Our goal is to provide our financial and mentor capital to help build a dynamic entrepreneurial and investor community in the Midwest, though we do consider opportunities across the country. To work towards this goal, we target opportunities which can grow quickly into large sustainable businesses, and which will fuel innovation and job creation within our region. We target companies raising $500K to $3MM. Our sweet spot for initial investment is in the range of $100K to $500K. With these considerations, we are either involved as a single party in a small round or as part of a larger round. Based on the specific financing needs, our investments have ranged from as little as $10k up to ~$1MM, and through our network and alliances with multiple investment parties, we can be helpful in bringing together syndicates of several million dollars. Cornerstone Angels is a member of the Angel Capital Association and is active in collaboration and syndication with Angel groups nationwide. We actively support companies and entrepreneurs under funding consideration by making introductions to other parties as relevant and based on interest. Through our efforts since our launch we have built a portfolio of 17 companies.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Northbrook
Corporate office
Northbrook, IL, United States
Frequently asked questions
How does Cornerstone Angels source and evaluate deals?
Cornerstone Angels sources opportunities through member networks, direct founder outreach, and relationships with Midwest accelerators and university commercialization offices. Deals are screened by a central committee that filters for founder-market fit and capital efficiency before presenting selected opportunities to the full membership. Members then attend company presentations and conduct independent diligence before committing, with Cornerstone Angels structuring the investment vehicle for each deal.
Is Cornerstone Angels a venture fund or an angel network?
Cornerstone Angels is an organized angel network, not a traditional venture fund. Members commit capital on a deal-by-deal basis through single-purpose entities rather than into a blind pool. The group handles deal sourcing, due diligence coordination, legal structuring, and post-close monitoring, but each member decides individually whether to participate in a given round.
What investment stages and sectors does Cornerstone Angels target?
Cornerstone Angels focuses on seed and Series A rounds, typically engaging with companies at pre-revenue through initial commercial traction stages. Sector focus spans enterprise software, life sciences, and consumer technologies, with a geographic emphasis on the Midwest. The group favors capital-efficient business models and founding teams with deep domain expertise.
Who runs investment decisions at Cornerstone Angels?
Individual investment decisions rest with each member, who reviews curated deal flow and chooses whether to participate. Cornerstone Angels' centralized team runs the screening and due diligence process, negotiates deal terms, and manages post-close board observation and reporting, creating a structured funnel without pooled decision-making on allocations.
What is Cornerstone Angels' known posture on co-investments alongside external VCs?
Cornerstone Angels routinely co-invests alongside institutional venture funds, often filling a portion of seed or Series A rounds where the group's member base can supply individual commitments collectively sized in the mid-six figures. The group's single-purpose-entity structure per investment keeps cap tables clean and aligns with standard institutional round documentation, making Cornerstone Angels a compatible syndicate partner for lead VCs.
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