Angel Capital Association Announces Angel and Company Awards and New Investment Data at 2019 ACA Summit

CHICAGO, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Angel Capital Association (ACA), the world's leading professional association for angel investors, announced the winners of national awards at the 2019 ACA Summit taking place in Chicago.  Winners include Kansas City's Marianne Hudson for the angel who has advanced the field of angel investing and Joylux, a Seattle startup, as the most innovative company funded by ACA members. 

Marianne Hudson, Executive Director and founder of ACA, was named the winner of the 2019 Hans Severiens Award, which is presented annually to recognize one individual for advancing the field of angel investing. Through her leadership, the association has become an important institution for angel investors and the startup ecosystem, providing education, data, smart practices and public policy advocacy for angel investors in every American state and six Canadian provinces.

Hudson has helped grow the American angel community by building an association that brings together leading investors who provide the knowledge and education that helps new angels begin investing in high growth new companies.  Since ACA became a formal organization in 2007, the efforts of Hudson and ACA members have helped thousands of women join the angel ranks, increasing the percentage of female angels from 5% to 23%.  She also led the charge to ensure Congress did not cut in half the number of people who qualify as angel investors through the bi-partisan "Angel Amendment" to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010.  This meant that the pool of capital for new businesses could continue, leading to new jobs and innovations.

Hudson thanked past winners for the award and recommended a path for angels and ACA.  "Angel investors are innovating almost everything about our field – how deals are structured, vehicles for making investments, who becomes active as investors, the kinds of companies we invest in and so much more," she said. "It will be important for ACA to continue leading the field and ensuring its membership reflects these growing innovations and also be as diverse and inclusive as possible, by gender, race, age range, geography and investment model."

Joylux won the 2019 Luis Villalobos Award for ingenuity, creativity and innovation among startups.  Based in Seattle, the women's health technology company is creating solutions for common pelvic floor issues experienced by 50% of adult women due to hormonal changes and weak muscle/tissue tone caused by childbirth, aging and menopause.  This technology is the first affordable, home use, energy-based device for indications including pain, discomfort and embarrassment (muscle weakening, stress incontinence and loss of vaginal tone, sensation and lubrication). The company's products can improve tone, tighten and restore vaginal tissue and muscles for improved bladder control, reduce vaginal dryness and help create better intimate health.

In his nomination, Peter Weiss of the Alliance of Angels wrote, "Addressing problems frequently resulting from pregnancy and menopause, American women spend upwards of $1,500 a year on incontinence pads; as much as $80 per month for prescription estrogen creams and other vaginal dryness products; or about $4,000 on multi-visit in-office medical treatments.  CEO and founder Colette Courtion drew on the knowledge and experience she gained building a chain of aesthetic spas to create an affordable way to address these problems with a first of its kind home use device.  The Joylux technology combines specific light frequencies with heat and sonic vibration.  Thousands of women are using Joylux's devices and report excellent results."

Other award finalists were Aquacycl and GrandPad.

At the Summit ACA and Hockeystick, the premier data provider for the tech ecosystem, launched ACA Data Analytics — the most comprehensive data portal of North America's angel ecosystem.  ACA Data Analytics provides a comprehensive look at angel group activity in North America, including investments and the companies and CEOs they invested in, which will eventually help angels make smarter investment decisions in the future.

The 2018 Angel Funders Report, based on the ACA Data Analytics platform, provides insights on data from 68 angel groups across North America. Among the key insights were: 23% of funded companies had female CEOs, the median deal size was $1.2 million (compared to $1 million in 2017), the average pre-money valuation of deals is $6 million, more than half of investments were in the seed round but angels continued to invest in later rounds, and angel groups nearly triple their investment when they are on the company boards.  A formal report will be published in May.

About the Angel Capital Association (ACA)

The Angel Capital Association (ACA) is the professional association of angel investors across North America and offers education, best practices, data, public policy advocacy, and significant benefits and resources to its membership of more than 14,000 accredited investors, who invest individually or through its 250 angel groups, accredited platforms, and family offices.
Visit www.angelcapitalassociation.org or at @ACAAngelCapital; #ACAAngelSummit

Contact:
Emily Angold, Marketing Manager for Angel Capital Association
913-894-4700 x3
[email protected]

SOURCE Angel Capital Association

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