Estate Sale AI, Why High Oil Prices Rattle Private Markets, and the Startup Loss Deduction Most Angels Miss

Happy Maundy Thursday; I hope you all have a fantastic Easter weekend.

In today’s issue:

• Angel Deals of the Week | 164 Deals, 101 Networks

  • First time featured this week: E8 Angels

• Bookmarks I think you’ll enjoy

• The best nugget from my conversation with Startup Wealth Strategist, Bryan Hasling

🔥 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: 164 Deals, 101 Networks.

Eyetronic | Electrical stimulation therapy for glaucoma

Participating Groups: SWAN Impact Network

Eyetronic is developing wearable goggle-based therapy that uses gentle electrical pulses to stimulate the optic nerve, aiming to halt and potentially restore vision loss in patients with glaucoma (an eye disease that damages the optic nerve). Unlike conventional treatments that target eye pressure, this approach directly addresses the underlying nerve damage. According to the company, the therapy has been used in over 1,000 patients across Europe and holds CE regulatory approval. SWAN Impact Network recently announced an investment to advance ongoing clinical studies.

Karl Schweitzer | Cottbus, Germany | March 2026 | Source

Ateios Systems | Battery electrode manufacturing platform

Participating Groups: VisionTech Angels, E8 Angels

Ateios Systems is developing RaiCure, a solvent-free battery electrode manufacturing platform that runs on existing production lines without retooling. The technology eliminates toxic fluoropolymers (PFAS, or "forever chemicals") used in traditional thermal curing, and the company says it reduces energy consumption by up to 96%. In collaboration with Eastman Kodak, Ateios demonstrated a coating speed of 80 meters per minute, nearly three times the industry standard. The company recently closed a $7.25M Series A, led by TitletownTech, including participation from VisionTech Partners and E8 Angels.

Rajan Kumar | $7.25M Series A | Newberry, IN | March 2026 | Source

Valuable | AI platform for secondhand goods professionals

Participating Group: RTP Angel Fund

Valuable is developing an AI-powered platform for estate sale professionals, antique dealers, and resellers that automates inventory capture, pricing research, and item descriptions. The company says its tools reduce hours of manual prep work to minutes, and it has secured a partnership with Blue Moon Estate Sales, the largest US estate sale franchise, with 156 locations across 30 states. RTP Angel Fund recently invested to support the company's continued growth.

Bill Goodwin | Raleigh, NC | March 2026 | Source

📣 Have an Angel Deal to Announce?

🎙️ The Diligent Observer Podcast

I'll be recording conversations at the ACA Summit in Westminster, CO this April with leaders from some of the most active angel groups in the country. Those conversations become episodes of The Diligent Observer podcast.

If you're not following it yet, now's a great time. New episodes drop weekly, and the Summit recordings will be among the best of the year.

Follow the show → 

🔖 Bookmarks

1. 🤖 AI Boss: A new Quinnipiac poll found 15% of Americans say they are open to having an AI direct supervisor assign their tasks and set their schedule. What a world.

2. 📊 Why High Oil Prices Are a Big Deal for Private Markets: Research from PitchBook breaks down how sustained elevated oil prices ripple through PE, VC, and private credit.

3. 🖼️ Photography Didn't Kill Painting: Pete Flint at NFX on why every great disruption is actually expansionary, and what that means for founders in the AI era.

🥇 The Nugget: My Top Takeaway from A Conversation with Startup Wealth Strategist Bryan Hasling

Loss optimization is WILDLY overlooked 💀

Section 1244 of the tax code is an angel investor’s best friend. It lets qualifying investors deduct up to $50,000 in startup losses ($100,000 for married filers) directly against ordinary income in the year of the loss. Unlike standard capital losses (capped at $3,000/year against ordinary income), the benefit is immediate and substantial. For a high-income married investor in the 37% bracket, a $100,000 deduction saves $37,000 that year. The qualifying bar is also lower than QSBS: the company must have raised under $1 million in equity at time of investment, and be a domestic corporation.

Takeaway: 

QSBS gets all the press. But section 1244 might put more real dollars back in your pocket.

Want more? Check out my full conversation with Bryan 👇

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

📬 "Are Any of These Companies Still Raising?"

It's the most common question I’ve gotten across the 164 angel deals we’ve featured so far.

Yes. The answer is yes.

So I’ve started testing something new with a few of the angel networks we work with: when I find one that's still open, I push it to their team directly - one deal at a time, deal brief and founder contact included.

Would something like that be interesting to you? Join the waitlist today.

Until Next Week 👋

Thanks for reading - have a great week.

-Andrew

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