New World Angels

New World Angels

New World Angels launched in 2003 as a direct response to South Florida's fragmented startup ecosystem. Rhys L. Williams and founding members built the organization on the premise that disciplined early-stage capital could retain ambitious technical founders who would otherwise migrate to Silicon Valley or Boston. The group pools capital from a rotating membership of accredited investors who also serve as the screening committee and active due-diligence leads. No single family's wealth drives the firm — it functions as a structured angel syndicate where individual members write personal checks alongside the collective vehicle. Deployment concentrates on Seed and Series A rounds, with typical initial checks ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 and reserves allocated for follow-on pro-rata. The group has backed companies across enterprise AI, cybersecurity, digital health, and media infrastructure, with confirmed historical positions including TigerText, a healthcare-communication platform acquired by symplr, and immersive-attraction technology developed by the Orlando-based startup Falcon's Creative Group. Deal flow originates from research institutions (Scripps Florida, Florida Atlantic University), regional accelerators, and direct founder referrals across Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward counties. Aggregate deployment exceeds $100 million into over 100 companies as of 2015, with the group typically closing 8 to 12 new investments per year (per South Florida Business Journal, 2015). Membership has historically fluctuated between 50 and 65 accredited investors, each committing capital and domain expertise. No recent operational event within the last 24 months is verifiable from the firm's limited public disclosures. The group does not maintain a permanent fund structure or external LP base, making its activity rate a direct function of member engagement and regional deal quality. The structural distinction is the native tri-county sourcing lens. Unlike national angel platforms that evaluate a distributed funnel, New World Angels physically screens founders across a compact geography — often requiring in-person pitches in Boca Raton — and co-invests alongside Florida-specific institutions, including the Florida Institute for Commercialization of Public Research and various university venture-advisory boards. This proximity mandate creates a deliberate information advantage in a region where institutional venture firms are sparse and founder references are densely networked.