Happy Thursday.
This week, I’ve been fascinated by the “collectibles” market. I keep hearing about how active the trading card space is, in particular, so out of curiosity I pulled my childhood collection of Pokémon cards down from the attic. To my utter shock, I discovered that little binder is now worth several thousand dollars based on recent sales of comparable cards. W I L D.
Ask: I’d love to interview an angel or VC with some experience in this space. Know someone I should talk to? Make an intro and I’ll be more than happy to give you a quick shoutout after the episode airs.
In today’s issue:
Angel Deals of the Week | 194 Deals, 106 Networks
First time featured this week: Mid Atlantic Bio Angels
Bookmarks I think you’ll enjoy
The best nugget from my conversation with Rick Timmins, Chair Emeritus of Central Texas Angel Network and a Six Sigma black belt
🔥 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: 194 Deals, 106 Networks.
Pluvia Biotech | Oral therapy for phenylketonuria
Participating Group: Mid Atlantic Bio Angels
Pluvia Biotech is developing PBAS499, an oral pharmacological chaperone (a small molecule that stabilizes misfolded proteins) for phenylketonuria, a rare genetic disorder requiring lifelong low-protein diets. Spun out of the University of Bergen, Norway, the candidate is advancing toward an Investigational New Drug application for Phase 1/2 studies. The company recently closed a seed-extension round with Mid Atlantic Bio Angels joining existing investors Sarsia, Investinor, Trond Mohn Research Foundation, and the National PKU Alliance.
Willem van Weperen | Bergen, Norway | May 2026 | Source
Vivifi Medical | Minimally invasive BPH treatment device
Participating Group: Baylor Angel Network
Vivifi Medical is developing ReFlow, a non-surgical device for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition in which the prostate enlarges and disrupts urinary and sexual function. The company says its approach targets the root cause rather than symptoms and avoids the side effects of existing therapies. Vivifi recently closed a Series A round with continued participation from Baylor Angel Network, which first invested in 2024. Funds will support ongoing clinical development.
Tushar Sharma | Houston, TX | April 2026 | Source
Wootz | Carbon nanotube wireless connectivity films
Participating Group: Aggie Angel Network
Wootz is developing carbon nanotube antenna and EMI-shielding films (thin conductive layers that block electromagnetic interference) that allow wireless connectivity to be built directly into products without adding size or weight. The company says its Vantium material, produced via a patented process, eliminates traditional external antennas and targets consumer electronics, defense, and industrial markets. The Aggie Angel Network invested in Q2 2026; funds will support manufacturing expansion and talent acquisition.
Tyler Prochnow | Houston, TX | May 2026 | Source
📣 Have an Angel Deal to Announce?
🔖 Bookmarks
👟 Gotta Catch 'Em All: Courtside Ventures makes the case for collectibles as an asset class - the sneaker secondary market alone grew from $2B to $10B in six years.
📊 Venture's Fourth Turning: Thought piece (long but really fun read) from Kyle Harrison on why VC is in crisis, arguing the Hero generation must build instead of extract.
🤫 Big Secret: OpenAI's "confidential" IPO filing came with a public blog post, setting it and Anthropic on track to IPO at ~$2 trillion in their combined market debuts (assuming all this stuff goes through).
🤝 The network for angel networks.
The ACA exists so angel group leaders don't have to figure everything out alone. Peer networks, benchmarking data, education, and a community of 250+ groups doing the work right there with you.
If you run a group and you're not a member, it’s worth considering.
🥇 The Nugget: My Top Takeaway from a Conversation with Rick Timmins
Most angels quit too soon ⏳
Successful angel investing takes five to eight years, minimum. And, unfortunately, the losses tend to come much faster than that.
It’s all too common for a new angel to make three or four investments, watch a couple fold, decide they're bad at this, and stop. Not necessarily the case - they're just early, and need to spread out a few more bets.
From Rick: "Successful angel investing will take five to eight years. You're going to see a lot more failures in the beginning than you are successes."
Takeaway: Ask yourself: “Does my community understand portfolio theory and have appropriate expectations around timing?”
P.S. I discuss this topic in great depth with John Harbison of TCA Ventures in one of my top 5 favorite episodes here.
Want more? Check out my full conversation with Rick👇
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
⚙️ The Backend for Angel Networks.
Every angel group leader I know got into this to build something special - not to have their vision sucked away by the weekly grind of preparing member updates, scheduling LinkedIn posts, and coordinating event RSVPs. My team handles these things and much more, so group leaders can stay focused on what they do best: building a killer network.
Until Next Week 👋
Thanks for reading - have a great week.
-Andrew
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