Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. A major chunk of this activity is provided by the new class of Super Angels, who may look more like micro-VCs, except that they are investing their own money.
Examples of some leaders in this space include Ron Conway in Silicon Valley and Brian Cohen, chairman of the New York Angels, who each may have over 500 startups in their portfolio. What characterizes them is the number of companies they invest in, as well as the size of their investments (less than $250,000), and the seed or startup stage where they specialize.
