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Tech Coast Angels Backed 53 Companies In 2018, $10.8M Invested

The Tech Coast Angels, the largest organized angel investment group both in Southern California as well as across the venture ecosystem, says it backed a total of 53 companies in all of 2018, putting in a total of $10.8M across those companies. According to the TCA, about 76 percent of its investments in 2018 went to 34 new companies in its portfolio, with the largest investment--nearly 15 percent of its investments--in a single investment worth $1.6 million in Tourmaline Labs. The TCA said the biggest area of investment for the angel network was life sciences and software, followed by internet and apps; cleantech/industrial; hardware; financial; and consumer and business. The group says it had 411 members at the end of 2018, which is an "all-time high" for the angel investment group. Among other details released by the angel group were the details on six exits it saw in 2018, with the biggest returns being from the acquisition of CaseStack (15x return), followed by One Stop Systems (IPO), which returned 12x the initial TCA investment. The TCA first invested in CaseStack back in 2002, and One Stop Systems in 2000. The other exits included Envision Solar, Ondax, and Ring Router.