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Entrepreneurs' Center Angels
The Entrepreneurs' Center Angels operates as an angel investment network affiliated with the Entrepreneurs' Center, a Dayton-based nonprofit incubator...
Entrepreneurs' Center Angels
The Entrepreneurs' Center Angels operates as an angel investment network affiliated with the Entrepreneurs' Center, a Dayton-based nonprofit incubator founded in 2000 with backing from the Ohio Third Frontier and local economic development entities. While the Center provides mentorship, grant funding, and commercialization assistance to early-stage firms, the angel group mobilizes private capital from individual investors seeking exposure to the region's deal flow. The group maintains additional chapters in Fort Worth, Johnson City, and Philadelphia. Deployment centers on seed and early-stage equity rounds, with check sizes typically ranging between $25,000 and $100,000 per round. The group requires portfolio companies to hold a current relationship with the Entrepreneurs' Center or a partner incubator, effectively making the angels a curated extension of the parent nonprofit's pipeline. Sectors historically represented include advanced manufacturing, materials science, healthcare IT, and sensor technology, reflecting the Air Force Research Laboratory and Wright-Patterson adjacent startup density in Southwest Ohio. The network operates without a dedicated fund vehicle. Members commit to evaluating a minimum number of deals annually and contribute capital on a per-deal basis through an SPV structure managed by the Center's administrative staff. The precise number of active angel members or total capital deployed has not been disclosed publicly. No separate RIA registration or SEC filing is identifiable for the angel entity, which appears to operate under informal member agreements rather than pooled discretionary management. Structurally, the group functions less like a traditional angel network and more like an investor commons grafted onto a publicly funded incubator. That architecture—in which the incubator vets companies through a grant and services funnel before exposing them to private capital—creates an unusual pre-diligence layer atypical of standalone angel groups. Whether the Center participates in any carried interest or administrative fee arrangement from angel-led rounds is not publicly disclosed.
General information
Firm type
Fund of Funds
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Dayton
Corporate office
Dayton, OH, United States
Additional offices
Fort Worth, TX · Johnson City, TN · Philadelphia, PA
Frequently asked questions
How does the Entrepreneurs' Center Angels source its investment opportunities?
Deal flow is derived almost exclusively from companies currently participating in or graduated from the Entrepreneurs' Center's incubator and accelerator programs in Dayton. These companies have already received mentorship, commercialization support, or grant funding through the Center, creating a pre-vetted pipeline before angel members see the opportunity. The Center is a designated Ohio Third Frontier Entrepreneurial Signature Program partner, which further shapes its intake toward technology ventures with federal or state research connections.
Is the angel group structured as a fund, or do members invest directly?
Members invest directly on a deal-by-deal basis, typically through a special purpose vehicle managed by the Entrepreneurs' Center. There is no pooled, discretionary fund vehicle. Each member makes an individual capital-commitment decision for every round they choose to participate in, and the group does not appear to operate as a registered investment adviser.
What distinguishes this angel group from other Ohio-based networks?
The institutional link to the Entrepreneurs' Center is the core differentiator. Most angel groups in Ohio, such as Ohio TechAngel Funds or Queen City Angels, function as independent investor networks. The Entrepreneurs' Center Angels instead operates as a private-capital adjunct to a federally and state-funded small-business development organization, meaning the portfolio companies have already passed through a non-investor diligence and milestone process before seeking angel funding.
Which geographies does the group actively invest in?
The primary focus is the Miami Valley region around Dayton, Ohio, with proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and regional universities. Satellite chapters in Fort Worth, Johnson City, and Philadelphia suggest some capacity for deal review in those areas, but the pipeline remains anchored to companies with an Entrepreneurs' Center relationship, which is Dayton-centric.
What is the relationship between the Entrepreneurs' Center Angels and the Entrepreneurs' Center itself?
The angel group is an affiliated network of accredited investors that leverages the Entrepreneurs' Center's administrative infrastructure, deal screening, and reputation. The Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering business advisory services, grant administration, and technology commercialization support. The Angel group operates under that umbrella but makes its own investment decisions, with the details of any shared economics between the two entities not publicly documented.
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