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New York Angels
New York Angels, chaired by Brian Cohen, has deployed over $150M into 300+ seed-stage startups since 2004 as New York's dominant structured angel...
New York Angels
New York Angels was founded in 2004 by David S. Rose and a core group of early-stage investors seeking to professionalize angel investing in New York. The group emerged from the New York New Media Association and quickly became the dominant angel network in the city. Its roughly 100 current members include serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and venture capitalists who invest personal capital. The organization operates as a non-profit entity focused on deal flow quality rather than fee generation. The group invests almost exclusively in seed and Series A rounds, with typical initial checks ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. It leads or co-invests in roughly 20 to 30 deals per year. Sector coverage spans enterprise software, digital health, fintech, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and media. Notable portfolio companies from public record include Pinterest, which the group backed at the seed stage, and Yieldmo. The geographic focus is concentrated in the Northeast US, with the majority of portfolio companies headquartered in New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. Membership is selective and requires SEC accreditation. The group holds monthly screening sessions where startups pitch the membership, followed by a structured due-diligence process led by volunteer member teams. New York Angels often co-invests alongside institutional seed funds and participates in syndicated vehicles such as SPVs for follow-on rounds. A related entity, the New York Angels Education Foundation, runs workshops and mentorship programs. In recent years the group introduced an online platform to streamline deal review and member voting. Structurally, New York Angels differs from a typical venture fund because every investment decision is ultimately individual — the group aggregates capital but does not commingle it in a blind pool. This changes the alignment between members and founders, making the group a go-to source for startups that want high-net-worth individuals as active advisors and board members rather than passive LP capital.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2004
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Brian Cohen
Chairman
David S. Rose
Founder and Chairman Emeritus
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does New York Angels differ from a traditional venture capital fund?
New York Angels is a member-led syndicate, not a fund. Each of the roughly 100 accredited members invests personal capital directly into individual deals on a deal-by-deal basis. There is no blind pool of committed capital. This means each member performs their own diligence and decides their participation amount, and the group earns no carried interest.
What is the group's typical check size and stage focus?
New York Angels focuses on seed and early Series A rounds. Initial checks from the group usually fall between $250,000 and $1 million per round, though aggregate round sizes are often larger because the group co-invests alongside institutional seed funds. The organization leads roughly 20 to 30 deals per year.
Who runs the investment screening process at New York Angels?
The screening process is managed by the membership itself. Startups apply through the group's website, and a rotating committee of members reviews applications to select companies for monthly pitch meetings. After a company pitches, interested members form a due-diligence team that investigates the startup under a standardized framework developed by the group.
What are some notable companies New York Angels has backed?
The group's most prominent public record exit is Pinterest, which it backed at the seed stage well before the company's 2019 IPO. Other named portfolio companies include Yieldmo, an advertising technology firm. Over its history, the group has invested in more than 300 companies across enterprise software, consumer internet, and deep tech.
Where does the group's deal flow come from and what is its geographic focus?
Deal flow comes primarily from member networks, referrals from venture capital and university ecosystems, and direct founder applications. The group invests overwhelmingly in the Northeast corridor, with heavy concentrations in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C., though it will review companies from any US geography.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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