Chula Vista, a city located in San Diego County, is facing rapid growth in startups. Compared with the last decade, hundreds of new startups have been introduced in the city, and the number keeps increasing.

Similarly, in 2023, there are still a number of problems that need solutions in the form of a service or a product. Among these problems, the most common ones are lack of transport and poor air quality.

Thinking you have a solution but might need some help from venture capital or individual investors?

Well, in this article, we will be exploring the list of the top 6 angel investors in Chula Vista and some tips to pitch to them.

Top Angel Investors in Chula Vista

Although there aren't a lot of VC firms located in Chula Vista, the city still gets funding from other VC firms and individual investors as a part of their exterior-city funding campaigns.

Following is the list of different VC firms and individual angel investors.

Correlation Ventures

Website: Rapid Decisions. Lasting Value. (correlationvc.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Technology, Food, Data Science, Health, Aerospace

Founded by David Coats and Trevor Kienzle in 2006, Correlation is one of the biggest VC firms that funds startups in Chula Vista. With hundreds of investors working in the network, Correlation Ventures funds a wide range of startups at the Series A and Seed Stages.

As for screening tests, they have a brief application process that includes a form and relevant details about the startup. Once a startup has been selected, entrepreneurs have to show their pitch deck to investors, and they can finally secure funding.

The investment range of Correlation Ventures ranges from $250,000-$4M. Some of their recent investments are:

Upstart: An AI lending platform that partners with banks and credit unions to provide consumer loans through education and employment to predict creditworthiness. They offer personal loans, car refinance, and debt consolidation services.

AI Foundation: An American artificial intelligence company. It connects users with banks and credit unions to help for better communication.

Clyde: an operator of a product lifecycle platform designed to help companies improve their customer services. The platform connects businesses, insurers, and customers, giving insurers access to the future of online and in-store sales.

TVC Capital

Website: TVC Capital | Software-Focused Growth Equity

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment  Interests: Tech

TCV Capital was founded by Steven Hamerslag and Jeb Spencer in 2006. Since its inception, the network has funded hundreds of startups in Western California and has always announced funding campaigns for San Diego and cities nearby.

Their screening tests are designed to be rigorous, allowing only the most deserving startups to make it through. Aside from the funding campaigns, TCV Capital actively arranges different networking events and mentorship programs to help startups grow.

The investment range of TVC Capital ranges from 500,000 to several million dollars. Some of their recent investments are:

eVisit: A telehealth platform that provides virtual care solutions for healthcare providers. 

GrowFlow: A B2B SaaS platform that allows its customers to grow their cannabis businesses.

CreatorIQ: A customer-driven, B2B SaaS platform providing compliance, inventory management, point of sale, analytics, and hemp businesses in the supply chain.

Carol Gallagher

LinkedIn: Carol Gallagher | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Angel Investor

Investment Interests: Biopharmacy

Carol Gallagher, a famous individual angel investor in San Diego, has also started funding startups in Chula Vista. Before starting her individual angel investor career, Carol Gallagher worked with New Entreprise Associates and Frazier Healthcare. Being a part of the biopharma industry for more than 30 years, Carol Gallagher understands which startups can have a massive impact on the market, and she funds accordingly.

Aside from funding, she also guides her portfolio companies as she has a brief understanding of the Biopharma and entrepreneurial industry. The investment range of Carol Gallagher can range from $50,000 to $200,000. Some companies in her portfolio are:

Metacrine: A biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for patients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases. Its program targets the farnesoid X receptor, or FXR, which is central to modulating liver and GI diseases.

Good2Go, Inc: A B2B SaaS solution providing secure digital access and virtual queuing for in-store retail resources typically managed by staff.

Pionyr Immunotherapeutics: A developer of cancer immunotherapies designed to target the tumor microenvironment. The company is exploiting novel target discovery and antibody generation platform technologies to create the next generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics.

Mesa Verde Venture Partners

Website: HOME | Mesa Verde (mesaverdevp.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: LifeSciences

Mesa Verde Venture Partners, also known as MVV Partners, is a well-known VC firm that funds Chula Vista startups. The team consists of three Managing Directors and a group of Advisors and Partners who have successfully built and invested in early-stage companies in the life sciences space.

During the screening tests, MVV Partners ask several questions to ensure that their selected startup can make it big in the next years. From most of their previous investments, it is evident that Mesa Verde Venture Partners only fund startups that can generate 4-5x ROI within the first few years of investment.

The investment range of MVV Partners ranges from 200,000 to several million dollars. Investments in their portfolio are:

CalciMedica: A biopharmaceutical company developing therapies called CRAC channel inhibitors to treat inflammatory diseases of the pancreas, kidney, and lung. Their goal is to address the high unmet need for safe and effective therapies for patients with these serious illnesses.

Equillium: A clinical-stage biotechnology that develops novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical needs. Their primary product candidate is EQ001, a first-in-class immune-modifying monoclonal antibody that targets the novel immune checkpoint receptor CD.

Glycomine: Glycomine is developing orphan drugs for serious rare disorders of metabolism and protein misfolding. The company's approach is to use replacement therapies – substrates, enzymes, or proteins – and to target those molecules to clinically relevant cellular compartments.

Leo Spiegel

LinkedIn: Leo Spiegel | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Angel Investor

Investment Interests: Fintech and Software.

Investing since 2002, Leo Spiegel is also an experienced individual angel investor who funds startups in Chula Vista. While funding startups, Leo is more focused on startups that are providing real-time solutions and can grow within 4-5 years.

Aside from his investment, Leo Spiegel also provides mentorship programs and workshops to his portfolio companies. Currently, Leo only invests in seed stage startups. The investment range of Leo Spiegel ranges from $75,000 to several thousand dollars. Recent investments in his portfolio are:

Alpine Data Labs: An advanced analytics interface working with Apache Hadoop and big data. It provides a collaborative, visual environment to create and deploy analytics workflow and predictive models.

Alignent Software: A provider of roadmapping software. The company's products include Vision Strategist, which allows users to enter product and technology information, as well as graphically depicts it in the form of a multi-dimensional roadmap.

Nirvanix: An American-based provider of business phone systems, VoIP services, hosted PBX, SIP Trunks, and cloud storage services headquartered in San Diego, California, United States.

Forward Ventures

Investment Interests: Biotech

Forward Ventures is a leading life-science venture capital firm in San Diego, founded in 1990 by three entrepreneurs. The firm has over $450 million under management and has invested in over 60 companies in five funds. Their primary focus is biopharmaceutical therapeutics. They prefer to invest in seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage companies.

Aside from their investments, Forward Ventures also hosts and organizes many networking events. In the past 23 years, they have hosted numerous networking events, allowing different startups to meet related investors.

Moreover, the network also guides its portfolio companies through a network of experienced mentors. They arrange workshops and business classes explaining different challenges faced by startups.

The investment range of Forward Ventures isn't mentioned on their website. From their previous 122 investments, it can be estimated that they usually invest around $1M. Notable portfolio companies are:

Syndax: A biopharmaceutical company developing cancer therapies. Their pipeline includes revumenib, a highly selective inhibitor of the menin–KMT2A binding interaction, in development for the treatment of patients with KMT2Ar and NPM1 acute leukemias.

Viracta: A precision oncology company focused on the treatment and prevention of virus-associated cancers. Their lead product candidate is Nana-val, an all-oral combination therapy of their proprietary investigational drug, nanatinostat, and the antiviral agent valganciclovir.

Nerues Pharma: Nereus Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the discovery and development of therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases and inflammation.

Wrap Up

Summing up, angel investors don't just invest capital but also invest their time and energy into guiding startups.

Before pitching to investors, just remember to do your research well, remain confident, and prepare an amazing pitch deck. Prepare a short checklist and go through it before you are going to pitch the investors. Most importantly, avoid common mistakes like showing unrealistic expectations and lack of competition awareness during pitch deck representation. 

Good Luck!

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