Angel Investors Network
    Complete Guide

    Angel Investing 101

    Master angel investing with expert guidance on deal flow, due diligence, portfolio construction, valuation methods, and exit strategies. Written for accredited investors by Jeff Barnes, founder of Angel Investors Network.

    Topic: angel investing

    30 articles in this guide

    In This Guide

    Articles in This Guide

    1
    Angel Investing investment insights — Angel Investing 101: the Complete Guide to Becoming an Angel Investor in 2026
    Angel Investing

    Angel Investing 101: the Complete Guide to Becoming an Angel Investor in 2026

    Everything you need to know about angel investing in 2026. From accredited investor rules and deal evaluation to portfolio strategy, tax benefits, and finding deal flow.

    AIN Editorial Team··49 min read
    2
    Arctos Partners Buys 10% of Atlanta Falcons at $10B+ Valuation: What NFL Private Equity Means for Investors
    Alternative Investments

    Arctos Partners Buys 10% of Atlanta Falcons at $10B+ Valuation: What NFL Private Equity Means for Investors

    TL;DR: Arctos Partners is buying a 10% stake in the Atlanta Falcons at a valuation just over $10 billion, making this the firm's fourth NFL team and pushing its total sports assets past $11 billion. A

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    3
    How to Spot a Pre-IPO Share Markup Scheme Before You Wire Money
    Alternative Investments

    How to Spot a Pre-IPO Share Markup Scheme Before You Wire Money

    TL;DR: The SEC's August 2026 complaint against Andrew Spaventa and his three entities (The Spaventa Group LLC, TSG Capital Advisors LLC, and TSG Alpha Partners LLC) describes a $74 million boiler-room

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    4
    Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) Review 2026
    Alternative Investments

    Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) Review 2026

    TL;DR: Destiny Tech100 (NYSE: DXYZ) lets you buy into SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic through a regular brokerage account with no accreditation required. That access is real. As of May 2026, the fund's

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··13 min read
    5
    QuantumLight's $500M Bet: Can an Algorithm Out-Pick Human VCs?
    Venture Capital

    QuantumLight's $500M Bet: Can an Algorithm Out-Pick Human VCs?

    Nik Storonsky, the Revolut founder, has closed a $500 million second fund for QuantumLight, the venture firm where a proprietary AI model named Aleph, not a room of partners, decides where the money...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    6
    Hiive Review 2026: What This Pre-IPO Marketplace Actually Costs
    Alternative Investments

    Hiive Review 2026: What This Pre-IPO Marketplace Actually Costs

    Hiive is a FINRA-registered broker-dealer that runs a live order book for buying and selling shares in pre-IPO companies like SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI. My verdict after digging through its Form...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    7
    SEC Charges Spaventa and TSG Entities Over $74 Million Pre-IPO Markup Scheme: What Investors Should Learn
    Regulatory & Compliance

    SEC Charges Spaventa and TSG Entities Over $74 Million Pre-IPO Markup Scheme: What Investors Should Learn

    The SEC charged Andrew Spaventa and three companies he controlled, The Spaventa Group LLC, TSG Capital Advisors LLC, and TSG Alpha Partners LLC, with fraud on August 14, 2026, alleging a scheme that...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··12 min read
    8
    Kembangan Capital Partners' Reported $725 Million Raise: What It Signals for Asia-Focused LPs
    Venture Capital

    Kembangan Capital Partners' Reported $725 Million Raise: What It Signals for Asia-Focused LPs

    Singapore-based Kembangan Capital Partners has reportedly raised US$725 million in a first close for private equity and venture capital bets across Asia, anchored by an unnamed sovereign wealth fund,...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    9
    Homeshares Review 2026: What Home Equity Investing Actually Means for Accredited Investors
    Real Estate

    Homeshares Review 2026: What Home Equity Investing Actually Means for Accredited Investors

    Homeshares is the accredited-investor platform run by Nada, a Dallas fintech, that pools capital into a Delaware limited partnership called U.S. Home Equity Fund I , which buys home equity agreements...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    10
    When Family Offices Raise Outside Capital, Sophisticated Money Isn't What You Think
    Alternative Investments

    When Family Offices Raise Outside Capital, Sophisticated Money Isn't What You Think

    TL;DR: Blue Pool Capital, the family office that manages money for Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai, just closed its debut private equity fund, Riverside, at roughly $1.4 billion , nearly double its...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··9 min read
    11
    Lotus Infrastructure Raises $1.8 Billion: What It Means for Accredited Investors Eyeing Energy Infrastructure
    Alternative Investments

    Lotus Infrastructure Raises $1.8 Billion: What It Means for Accredited Investors Eyeing Energy Infrastructure

    TL;DR: Lotus Infrastructure Partners closed roughly $1.8 billion across its fourth flagship fund, related co-investment capacity, and a single-asset continuation vehicle, the largest capital raise in...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    12
    Honeycomb Review 2026: Regulation Crowdfunding's Community-Investing Platform
    Capital Raising

    Honeycomb Review 2026: Regulation Crowdfunding's Community-Investing Platform

    TL;DR: Honeycomb Portal LLC is a real, FINRA-registered Regulation Crowdfunding funding portal (SEC File No. 7-119), but it is not an equity crowdfunding site like StartEngine or Wefunder. Honeycomb...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    13
    Homestead Capital Launches Agricultural Private Credit: What It Means for Your Portfolio
    Alternative Investments

    Homestead Capital Launches Agricultural Private Credit: What It Means for Your Portfolio

    Homestead Capital just drew a line between owning farmland and lending against it. The San Francisco investment manager announced the first close of its inaugural agricultural private-credit fund on...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··9 min read
    14
    Blackbird's $1 Billion Sixth Fund: What It Teaches US Investors About Venture Outside Silicon Valley
    Venture Capital

    Blackbird's $1 Billion Sixth Fund: What It Teaches US Investors About Venture Outside Silicon Valley

    Blackbird Ventures just closed its sixth fund at more than $1 billion, according to Capital Brief . That single number tells you something most US accredited investors never think about: the venture...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    15
    Build-to-Rent Investing for Accredited Investors: The Complete Guide
    Real Estate

    Build-to-Rent Investing for Accredited Investors: The Complete Guide

    TL;DR: Institutional capital is still moving into build-to-rent (BTR) housing after a rough 2025. Single-family built-for-rent starts fell 26% over the trailing four quarters ending Q1 2026 , per NAHB

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    16
    CIP's $3 Billion Growth Markets Fund II: Infrastructure Investing for Accredited Investors
    Alternative Investments

    CIP's $3 Billion Growth Markets Fund II: Infrastructure Investing for Accredited Investors

    TL;DR: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners just closed its second Growth Markets Fund at roughly $3 billion, nearly tripling the size of its 2019 predecessor, and it has already put $1.6 billion to wor

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    17
    The SEC Just Redrew the Line Between Data Centers and ABS. Here's What It Means for Your Money
    Real Estate

    The SEC Just Redrew the Line Between Data Centers and ABS. Here's What It Means for Your Money

    TL;DR: On July 29, 2026, the SEC's Office of Structured Finance told Latham & Watkins that certain securities backed by data center platforms are not "asset-backed securities" under Section 3(a)(79)...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    18
    Gold and Silver Royalty Companies: A Lower-Risk Way to Play Rising Precious Metal Prices
    Alternative Investments

    Gold and Silver Royalty Companies: A Lower-Risk Way to Play Rising Precious Metal Prices

    TL;DR: OR Royalties closed 2025 with record revenue of $277.4 million, up from $191.2 million in 2024 , ended the year debt-free, and guided to a 97% average cash margin for 2026. That margin number...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    19
    AngelList Rolling Funds in 2026: A Solo GP and LP Review
    Capital Raising

    AngelList Rolling Funds in 2026: A Solo GP and LP Review

    TL;DR: AngelList's Rolling Fund lets a solo GP raise venture capital in recurring quarterly subscription cycles instead of one big upfront close, and AngelList's own Rolling Fund help documentation...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    20
    Pershing Square Ventures: Ackman's New Evergreen Fund Has a Liquidity Problem
    Venture Capital

    Pershing Square Ventures: Ackman's New Evergreen Fund Has a Liquidity Problem

    TL;DR: Bill Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed to shareholders around August 13, 2026 that it is launching Pershing Square Ventures Ltd., a new evergreen fund targeting pre-IPO AI and biotech...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    21
    DST Sponsor Comparison: Cove Capital vs. Inland vs. JLL Exchange for 1031 Exchange Investors
    Real Estate

    DST Sponsor Comparison: Cove Capital vs. Inland vs. JLL Exchange for 1031 Exchange Investors

    Three real DST sponsors dominate conversations among 1031 exchange investors in 2026: Cove Capital Investments, with its all-cash debt-free philosophy and a portfolio over 3.7 million square feet; Inland Private Capital...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··13 min read
    22
    Master Limited Partnerships Explained: How MLPs Let Accredited Investors Access Energy Infrastructure Cash Flow
    Alternative Investments

    Master Limited Partnerships Explained: How MLPs Let Accredited Investors Access Energy Infrastructure Cash Flow

    TL;DR: A master limited partnership (MLP) is a publicly traded partnership that combines stock-market liquidity with partnership tax advantages. Income passes through directly to you as a limited partner (LP) rather...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    23
    Homestead Capital's $1.8B Agriculture Platform: Inside the First Close of Its $350M Private Credit Fund
    Alternative Investments

    Homestead Capital's $1.8B Agriculture Platform: Inside the First Close of Its $350M Private Credit Fund

    On August 14, 2026, San Francisco-based Homestead Capital closed the first tranche of its debut commingled agriculture private credit fund, pulling in a $150 million anchor commitment from the private credit team of a...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    24
    Private Credit's Split Screen: Institutional Records vs. Retail BDC Redemptions
    Market Analysis

    Private Credit's Split Screen: Institutional Records vs. Retail BDC Redemptions

    Private credit ran two completely different playbooks in the first half of 2026. Institutional LPs closed a record ~$190 billion into private credit funds, up 53% year over year, according to With...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    25
    Blacksmith's 10x Markup: What Rapid AI Valuation Jumps Actually Signal
    Venture Capital

    Blacksmith's 10x Markup: What Rapid AI Valuation Jumps Actually Signal

    Blacksmith, a startup that builds AI tools to test and validate software code, just raised a $45M Series B led by Peak XV Partners at a $550M valuation, according to TechCrunch . That is up from a...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    26
    Whiskey Cask Tokenization: A Real Alternative Asset or Just a Digital Wrapper on Old Risks
    Alternative Investments

    Whiskey Cask Tokenization: A Real Alternative Asset or Just a Digital Wrapper on Old Risks

    Marrowbone Lane, an Irish whiskey producer, is piloting blockchain-based fractional cask ownership in the UAE starting around £100 per investor, a fraction of the £3,500 to £8,500 you'd normally pay...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··9 min read
    27
    Tokenized Pre-IPO Shares Go Mainstream Overseas: Why US Investors Should Pump the Brakes
    Crypto & Digital Assets

    Tokenized Pre-IPO Shares Go Mainstream Overseas: Why US Investors Should Pump the Brakes

    Colb Asset SA just won Swiss regulatory approval to sell tokens tracking pre-IPO exposure to SpaceX, Anthropic, and Revolut, with its Anthropic-linked token (CANP) alone holding $865 million in...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··9 min read
    28
    Foreign LPs Are Now the Majority Check-Writers in Seed-Stage India Funds. Here Is the Data.
    Market Analysis

    Foreign LPs Are Now the Majority Check-Writers in Seed-Stage India Funds. Here Is the Data.

    TL;DR: Aum Ventures closed the first tranche of its India Innovation Fund II at roughly ₹225 crore (about $23.6 million), and more than 65% of that money came from foreign limited partners in the US,...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read
    29
    Energy Capital Partners Closes $8.1B Fund VI to Bet on AI-Driven Power Demand
    Private Equity

    Energy Capital Partners Closes $8.1B Fund VI to Bet on AI-Driven Power Demand

    Energy Capital Partners closed its sixth flagship fund, ECP VI, at $8.1 billion in total capital commitments on August 6, 2026, blowing past its original $5 billion target by more than 50% and hitting an expanded hard...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
    30
    EquityZen Review 2026: Fees, Track Record, and Real Risk
    Venture Capital

    EquityZen Review 2026: Fees, Track Record, and Real Risk

    Bottom line: EquityZen is a legitimate, SEC-registered broker-dealer marketplace that lets accredited investors buy exposure to pre-IPO companies like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Stripe through single-purpose vehicles, with...

    Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read

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