San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) at the University of San Diego (USD) – an event that activates angel investors and connects them with promising early-stage companies to create robust deal flow for accredited investors – announced it has selected six company finalists to compete for a chance to win seed funding at the SDAC VI Angel Conference at USD on May 9.
Over 100 companies applied for the SDAC VI event to land at least $200,000 in angel investment or attract investors interested in funding their companies. SDAC collaborates with angel investors and provides founders with coaching, education, and connections. Every year, the program culminates in a live final funding event.
The SDAC VI finalists include:
Achieve Clinics (Founder Brad Heller) – Empower newly diagnosed cancer patients to access future advanced treatments like cell therapy (CAR-T).
Ecodrive (Co-founder, CEO Trevor Laudate) – B2B platform that makes sustainability accessible, transparent and ROI effective.
Kids Care Finder (Founder, CEO Olivia Rutman, CTP) – Comprehensive platform that connects parents with child-related services kids need from birth to grown in ONE place.
Landng (Co-founder, CEO Devon Kea DeAngelo) – SaaS MarTech startup that drives sales of travel products by connecting brands, influencers, travelers.
TadHealth (Founder, CEO Ben Greiner) – A suite of enterprise tools to deliver and manage school-based mental health care.
Yatiri Bio (Founder, CEO Pilgrim Jackson) – Revolutionizes drug discovery with models predictive of patient outcomes.
The San Diego Angel Conference at USD became the largest event-based angel conference in the country. It has an active angel investor group of around 90 accredited investors who invest starting at $7,000 each. The funds are pooled, and investors work together to choose a winner and runners-up each year.
SDAC works with 35+ organizations, including USD, San Diego State University (SDSU), and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), to drive deal flow and mentor startups. The sponsors include C3 Bank, JP Morgan, Clearpoint Agency, Mintz, Knobbe Martens, Coeptus Law, Pillsbury Law, Withum, Family Business Consulting Group, Whittier Trust, Marsh McLennan Agency, Seraf, and Gust.
KEY QUOTES:
“The San Diego Angel Conference is truly a unique opportunity for both investors and founders to experience the hands-on learning opportunities of the investment decision process.”
– Executive Director, JPMorgan Startup Banking David Loseke
“Over six years, San Diego Angel Conference at USD has focused on activating accredited investors, funding innovative early-stage companies, and supporting solutions that solve real-world problems. The fund’s portfolio companies have raised about $191 million so far as they scale and disrupt industries.”
– SDAC Founder Mysty Rusk
