Many of you will know something about angels because most deals that venture capitalists fund have received at least some money from individual investors. Frequently these investments are considered the "friends and family" round, despite the fact that they often include neither friends nor family but rather simply individuals known to the entrepreneur and willing to bet on making a monetary return by investing in him or her.
These "angels" have been a large source of investment dollars for startups, and yet they come from a source which has been historically diffuse and unbranded and therefore difficult for VCs to work with in a professional and consistent way. But, about 15 years ago, angel investors began to become more organized.