Happy Thursday.
This week's conversation with Peter Walker was a blast. Peter has been on my “top 10 guests to shoot for” list since we started the show almost 2 years ago, and he totally delivered. Getting to sit down with him in person after his Keynote address at the ACA Summit last month was a huge milestone - do NOT miss this one.
On to today’s issue:
Angel Deals of the Week | 185 Deals, 105 Networks
Bookmarks I think you’ll enjoy
The best nugget from my conversation with Peter Walker Head of Insights at Carta
P.S. I’m actively hiring an A player Angel Operations Director for our service business. Know someone who would kill it running point on ops across multiple investor groups? Send them my way.
🔥 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: 185 Deals, 105 Networks.
Coastal Measures | Coastal sensor data unification platform
Participating Group: Maine Angels
Coastal Measures is developing CUMULUS, a platform that aggregates data from multiple coastal sensor types (radar, buoys, cameras, and satellites) into a single governed workspace for port operators, insurers, engineers, and public agencies. The company says the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries serves as an anchor customer. Coastal Measures recently closed over $1.2 million in equity and non-dilutive funding, led by Maine Angels and Dirigo Angel Fund III.
Josh Humberston | $1.2M Seed | Kittery, ME | April 2026 | Source
Pacific Hybreed | Non-GMO hybrid shellfish seed developer
Participating Group: Hawaiʻi Angels
Pacific Hybreed is developing non-GMO hybrid shellfish seed (young oysters and clams selectively bred for uniformity) for commercial shellfish farmers. The company says its seed delivers roughly 30% greater yield and up to 50% lower harvesting costs through more uniform growth, and currently serves more than 20 farm customers across North America. Pacific Hybreed recently closed a $1 million round with participation from Hawaiʻi Angels and Blue Startups to scale hatchery production and expand into additional species.
Melissa DellaTorre | $1M Funding Round | Kailua-Kona, HI | May 2026 | Source
Vendera Technologies | AI-powered cashless smart cooler vending
Participating Group: Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York
Vendera Technologies is developing AI-powered smart coolers (cashless, staffless vending units) for operators in universities, hospitals, airports, gyms, and hotels. The company says its computer vision system achieves 99.5% item recognition accuracy, with operators averaging more than $2,000 in monthly revenue per unit. The platform includes a mobile vending management app for real-time inventory, pricing, and sales tracking. HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York recently announced an investment in the company.
Kenneth Lin | Lancaster, TX | May 2026 | Source
📣 Have an Angel Deal to Announce?
🔖 Bookmarks
🏗️ Get that Data Center Away from Me: Fresh Gallup poll shows 71% of Americans oppose local AI data center construction. That’s more than nuclear plants - which is saying something.
🥊 AI Fight Night: PitchBook breaks down the OpenAI vs Anthropic rivalry in 3 charts covering funding, revenue trajectory, and enterprise market share.
🧅 The Onion Theory of Risk: Kyle Harrison's latest piece walks through Andreessen's 10 layers of startup risk and why "what do you have to believe?" is the question that matters most.
A Word from the Angel Capital Association (ACA)
Photo I took from the ACA’s 2026 annual summit in Westminster, CO
Over the last year, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to interview several ACA board members and key leaders. These have been some of my absolute favorite conversations, and the ACA puts out a treasure trove of other education and research I reference constantly in this newsletter. If you’re not plugged in already, it’s a group that is 100% worth checking out.
🥇 The Nugget: My Top Takeaway from A Conversation with Peter Walker
The top shelf is higher than ever. 🍾
Anthropic and other AI startups have completely reframed what is “possible”. $1B ARR in just 2-3 years from inception. And since crossing $1B in December 2024, the company has 44x’d revenue as of May 2026.
"Triple, triple, double, double, double" (meaning that a company should triple its revenue for two years, then double it for three more) used to be the gold standard for startup revenue growth. It's not anymore.
This is a category shifting level of growth.
And this is the new benchmark - not because it's realistic for 99% of startups, but purely because it exists. Investors have seen what's possible now. That can't be unseen, and every pitch gets unconsciously compared against it.
From Peter: "Triple, triple, double, double, double is good revenue growth now - it's just not great. Anthropic is growing 10x a year for four years at tens of billions of dollars of scale. That's a crazy thing. The top shelf just gets higher.”
Takeaway:
Most companies - even great ones - will NOT have this growth curve. That’s ok. Be aware the benchmark exists and don’t let it provide undue influence.
At the same time, consider how to thoughtfully point founders to this reality. To think bigger about what could be possible.
Want more? Check out my full conversation with Peter 👇
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
🎙️ Starting in a Few Hours: The State of Angel Investing in 2026
In less than two hours, I'm joining Alycia Doxon at Seraf to walk through my recently published Angel Network Pulse Q1 2026 report. 60 deals, 48 networks, 22 states.
I'll break down what the data shows, what surprised me, and what it means for how angels are making decisions right now. Plus what we're seeing from inside operations across multiple active angel networks.
I’d love to see you there.
Until Next Week 👋
Thanks for reading - have a great week.
-Andrew
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