New Mexico club wants to show anyone can be an angel investor

By Jacob Maranda for The New Mexico Inno

A New Mexico-based investment program wants to make an angel out of anyone.

Called the New Angel Club, it’s an eight-week accelerator program aimed at promoting early stage investment in New Mexico by training aspiring angel investors. Convened by the New Mexico Angels, the workshops, held virtually and in person in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, focus on building angel investment skills using case studies through experienced investors and entrepreneurs in the state.

An “angel,” according to the Angel Capital Association, is any individual who directly invests in very early stage business ventures. Angels invest their own money in return for stock in the companies in which they invest, which is a key difference between angel investing and venture capital investing; venture capitalists invest in companies using money provided by limited partners, typically called LPs, not their own funds.

Oftentimes, angels represent the first outside investment in startups, said Drew Tulchin, president of New Mexico Angels.

“With crowdfunding, the opportunity to invest in startups is very available,” Tulchin said. “The question is, how do you do it and how do you do it well?

“Oftentimes what we hear is, ‘I want to do this but I don’t know how,’ ” he added.

This is the third year the New Mexico Angels have put on the angel accelerator program. Tulchin said the programming has evolved a bit from previous iterations. The 2024 program, in particular, has one main goal, he said — helping anyone interested in investing in the state recognize they can be an angel investor and feel comfortable making investments by learning alongside others.

The New Mexico Angels are working with a Seattle-based group called Realize Impact for the Club’s workshops, and the Angels also plan to invite special guest experts from New Mexico and across the country.

The program starts with two free workshops, the first of which will be Wednesday, March 6, and the second Wednesday, March 13. Those free sessions are open to anyone.

Then, the program turns to a paid structure, focused on those interested in learning more and formally pursuing making angel investments. It costs $500 for the paid programming, which includes six sessions held every Wednesday starting March 20 and running until early May. A person interested in those sessions can also join New Mexico Angels as an “Angel Member” to attend, and those interested must also meet Securities and Exchange Commission Angel Accreditation Requirements to participate in the paid part of the program.

More information on the New Angel Club can be found on New Mexico Angels’ website.

NM Angels has helped direct over $25 million in investment dollars since 1999 and has a portfolio of more than 40 companies, most headquartered in New Mexico. An associated venture firm called the New Mexico Vintage Fund typically invests between $100,000 to $250,000 in startups and has a portfolio including Albuquerque-based BioFlyte and Santa Fe-based Solstar Space Co.

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