# Gopher Angels

Gopher Angels is an Angel Group based in Minneapolis, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Angel Group
- **Headquarters:** Minneapolis, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Minneapolis, MN, United States
- **Founded:** 2011
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** gopherangels.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/gopher-angels

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Gopher Angels is Minnesota's most active angel investment network, driving innovation in the Midwest and across the U.S. The network grows Midwest startups through capital and experience and invests in scalable early-stage companies. It is open to accredited angel investors and supports entrepreneurs with capital, wisdom, and connections.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- Digital Health
- Consumer
- AI/ML
- AgriTech & FoodTech

## People

- David Russick — Co-Founder
- Bill Woodburn — Co-Founder

## Questions

### How does Gopher Angels structure its investment decisions?

Members evaluate deals through monthly screening sessions, relying on lead institutional VCs to set terms and lead diligence. Individual members then decide whether to participate in each deal through the group's pooled LLC. The network does not have a centralized investment committee with gating authority over member choices.

### What is Gopher Angels' relationship with institutional venture funds in the region?

The group functions as a disciplined sidecar, co-investing alongside funds that lead rounds. Confirmed lead partners include Matchstick Ventures and Great North Labs, both Minnesota-based seed funds. Gopher Angels explicitly avoids competing for allocation leverage or board seats that the lead VC controls.

### Which sectors does Gopher Angels explicitly avoid?

The network has publicly stated it does not invest in real estate, retail franchises, or capital-intensive hardware manufacturing. It also avoids life sciences companies that require FDA clinical trial pathways, preferring digital health and medical-device adjacent plays where regulatory timelines are shorter and enterprise sales cycles map to member expertise.

### How is Gopher Angels different from a venture capital fund?

Gopher Angels does not raise a blind pool or charge management fees on committed capital. Deals are syndicated on a per-company basis through an LLC, and each member decides whether to participate individually. This structure avoids the deployment-pressure incentives that traditional fund managers face and aligns member interests with opportunity-level diligence rather than portfolio theory.

## Related profiles

- [GOOSE Capital](https://altss.com/profile/goose-capital)
- [GordonMD Global Investments](https://altss.com/profile/gordonmd-global-investments)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:06:57.816Z

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