Membership in Golden Seeds
Golden Seeds was founded in 2005 as an angel investment organization that invests only in women-led companies. Golden Seeds has over 315 active members and is one of the largest of the 250 angel groups in the United States. Golden Seeds focuses on gender-diversity, believing that gender-diversity produces better investment results.
Golden Seeds has invested over $150 million in more than 200 women-led companies. Golden Seeds is the third most active angel network in terms of number of transactions.1 As one of the most established national angel investing organizations, Golden Seeds meets over 1,000 U.S. domiciled companies per year. Chapters play an important role in cultivating local companies, engaging interested angel investors in their respective geographies and contributing to deal teams and ongoing investment support for our companies. Today, Golden Seeds is a nationally recognized leader in this space.
Why Join Golden Seeds?
Becoming a member of Golden Seeds has many benefits. You will be able to participate in these ways, depending on your time and interests:
- Opportunities to invest in early-stage companies
- Expand your knowledge
- Join a deal team
- Attract entrepreneurs
- Support entrepreneurs
- Recommend other investors as members
- Collaborate and network with a diverse group of angel investors
- Build a chapter
Members strive to ensure that promising women-led companies receive the funding they need and have the chance to succeed. They find that Golden Seeds provides the opportunity to utilize their extensive skills and interests. Many also enjoy working directly with early-stage entrepreneurs as domain experts, advisors or board members. Members are encouraged to invest a minimum of $25,000 per year.
Golden Seeds’ national presence means entrepreneurs have applied from all over the United States. Deals are presented in a wide array of industries and deal teams have formed with members regardless of location. Active involvement by members takes many forms with virtual participation facilitating discussions with more entrepreneurs, training and education for members and access to capital for more entrepreneurs.
Components of Membership
Investment opportunities: Members source companies for investment and form deal teams to conduct due diligence, build interest and fund companies. Investing in deals is the core work of Golden Seeds. Members may select companies for their individual investments or invest via a member-managed Annual Fund as a way to quickly build a diversified portfolio.
Education: Membership includes free access to a 7-course curriculum through its Knowledge Institute that provides education in many aspects of angel investing as well as specific industry segment training in healthcare, technology and consumer products/services. Members also enjoy free access to the Angel Capital Association.
Thought Leadership and Intellectual Capital: Membership provides its active members with access to:
- Trend Talks which are thought leadership topics by entrepreneurs, investors, academicians and other thought leaders;
- Blogs of thought-provoking content developed around timely investment themes, companies, industries and policy;
- Golden Seeds Summit, an annual gathering of members and entrepreneurs Golden Seeds has invested in.
Community: Golden Seeds members work together on deals and in support of the women-led entrepreneurs its members invest in. Members work together on due diligence, investing and advising companies. All chapters provide regular Office Hours, an opportunity for entrepreneurs and members to interact prior to a company applying for funding. Golden Seeds strives for diversity among our members and entrepreneurs, eager to create an environment that is welcoming, inclusive and will meet the needs of all who are interested in our work. Approximately 20% of our membership is men.
Geography
Today’s 315+ Golden Seeds members reside in 25 states and internationally. In addition, Golden Seeds has eight active chapters (Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, New York and Silicon Valley). Membership is open to accredited 2 investors.
Fees and Expenses
Golden Seeds membership consists of a one-time initiation fee and on-going annual dues. Additional costs of setting up LLCs may often be incurred. We offer three types of membership: individual, family, and institutional. This revenue supports the home office staff, technology and infrastructure of the organization. Please contact membership@goldenseeds.com for more information.