Happy Thursday.

In today’s issue:

🔥 Angel Deals of the Week

Angel funding rounds announced in recent weeks, compiled from public sources or via direct announcement. These deals represent the elite few that survived an angel network’s vetting process. Note: I have not personally analyzed these companies and am sharing for informational purposes only.

📊 Angel Network Investment Tracker: 249 Deals, 122 Networks.

Scopia Surgical | AI navigation for robotic surgery

Participating Group: Anges Québec

Scopia Surgical is developing AI navigation software for robotic and small-incision surgery that it says works with existing operating room equipment. Anges Québec recently announced an investment in the company as co-lead of its $1.9 million USD (C$2.65 million) pre-seed round.

Gabriel Rivest | $1.9M Pre-Seed | Montreal, Canada | September 2026 | Source

Capwell Services | Methane Capture for Oil Operators

Participating Group: SWAN Impact Network

Capwell Services is developing units that capture methane from low-flow oil and gas vents at what the company says is half the cost of traditional solutions. SWAN Impact Network recently announced a follow-on investment in the company.

Andrew Lane | Houston, TX | August 2026 | Source

Ampaire | Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Regional Aircraft

Participating Group: Sand Hill Angels

Ampaire is developing hybrid-electric engines to retrofit regional aircraft and was selected for an FAA program testing them in real-world operations. Sand Hill Angels recently announced an investment in the company as part of its $19 million Series B round.

Kevin Noertker | $19M Series B | Long Beach, CA | August 2026 | Source

Kind Designs | 3D-Printed Seawalls Restoring Marine Habitat

Kind Designs 3D-prints seawalls designed to double as marine habitat, and says it has won a $2 million US Navy contract. New York Angels, Tamiami Angel Funds and Golden Seeds participated in its recently closed $10 million Pre-Series A round.

Anya Freeman | $10M Pre-Series A | Miami, FL | July 2026 | Source

RuraLink | Rural healthcare workforce marketplace platform

Participating Group: Maine Angels

RuraLink, formerly EmpoweRx, operates a marketplace connecting rural healthcare organizations directly with healthcare professionals, and says it works with six rural hospitals and two hospital associations. Maine Angels recently announced an investment in the company.

Mary Kathleen Bryan | Bangor, ME | July 2026 | Source

📣 Have an Angel Deal to Announce?

But Andrew, Which Ones Are Still Raising?

That’s the question I launched The Exclusive to answer. 15 new actively raising angel-network-backed deals posted since I turned this on.

Apply for one of just 25 founding seats: $50/month for as long as you stay, full refund within 30 days if you’re not finding it useful. Accredited investors only.

🔖 Bookmarks

  1. 🌐 .si Is the New .ai: Slovenia's registry logged 11,000 new .si domains the day after Trump's executive order renaming AI "super intelligence" for federal agencies.

  2. 🧗 Don’t let AI Plan Your Hikes Yet: A 16-year-old near Vancouver needed a helicopter rescue after following an AI-planned route.

  3. 🛑 Pentagon Cuts Off Claude: The Department of Defense confirmed it has stopped using Anthropic's AI tools, months after labeling the company a national security supply chain risk.

🥇 The Nugget: My Top Takeaway from a Conversation with Graham Conran

Green card holders lost access to SBA financing 🚨

This one was news to me. As of March 1, 2026, SBA 7(a) and 504 loans require 100% ownership by U.S. citizens or nationals. Green card holders are out, and so are visa holders. Even a 1% stake disqualifies the business. Stack that change on top of the well-covered “grey wave / silver tsunami” (Boomer-owned businesses changing hands over the next 10 years), and we have a situation where demand for entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) capital is likely to increase while financeable capacity is decreasing.

❝

From Graham: "Even if you put all the traditional lenders together and their balance sheet capacity today, it's not enough."

The Details:

  1. Rule: Every owner, direct or indirect, must be a U.S. citizen or national living in the U.S. (SBA notice)

  2. Lookback: Anyone who held a stake in the past six months still counts as an owner, unless they've fully divested before the SBA loan number is issued. (Doeren Mayhew)

  3. Impact: Lenders estimate 5-15% of SBA loan volume is now ineligible. (BizBuySell)

  4. Supply: Boomers own about half of privately held firms in most states. In California alone, that's 3.87M employees and $865.6B in revenue. (ESOP Association)

Takeaway: If it’s not already, put ETA financing on your radar. More businesses for sale, fewer buyers who can finance them.

Want more? Check out my full conversation with Graham 👇

ICYMI: Check out my conversation with Patrick Flood of Owners in Honor, a veteran-focused ETA support organization.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.

In Partnership with The Daily Upside

Panic is a financial news strategy. Clarity is ours.

Markets move. Headlines catastrophise. But somewhere inside the noise is the story that matters — the opportunity, not the fear. 

The Daily Upside was built by Wall Street insiders to find it — global business and finance, reported without the alarm.

Until Next Week 👋

Thanks for reading - have a great week.

-Andrew

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