Comparison · 17 material differences
Angel Capital Association vs Kauffman Fellows
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 Angel Capital Association
Individual accredited angel investors, organised angel groups, angel funds, family offices investing in private companies, equity crowdfunding platforms, and ecosystem…
Leadership network
Kauffman Fellows
Working venture capital investors (typically partner-level GPs, emerging fund founders, LPs and corporate venture investors) who already deploy capital
What the records say
- Role or title: Angel Capital Association: No published role or title; Kauffman Fellows: Working venture investor: direct VC investor, emerging or established GP, LP, corporate VC or ecosystem contributor.
- Accredited-investor status: Angel Capital Association: Individual membership is aimed at accredited angel investors; online equity marketplace platform members must be comprised of accredited investors; Kauffman Fellows: No published accredited-investor status.
- Annual dues: Angel Capital Association: $310 a year; Kauffman Fellows: Not publicly disclosed: the organization does not publish alumni society dues, if any.
Side by side
| Angel Capital Association | Kauffman Fellows | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Leadership network |
| Founded | 2004 (Formed out of four Angel Organization Summits convened by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2002 and 2003. One business directory gives 2005; 2004 is the date recorded on Wikipedia and in ACA's own account of its origins.) | 1995 (Started inside the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 1995; spun out as an independent organization in 2000 and run by the Center for Venture Education) |
| Headquarters | Overland Park, United States | Palo Alto, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with some international members; ACA also serves as the US representative to the World Business Angels Association | Fellows in 62 countries across six continents; in-person modules and treks rotate between global locations |
| Members | 15,000as of September 2026 | 1,060as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | ACA has no chapters. Its 250+ member angel groups and platforms are independent organisations that join as institutional members. | 11 |
| Primary audience | Individual accredited angel investors, organised angel groups, angel funds, family offices investing in private companies, equity crowdfunding platforms, and ecosystem organisations such as accelerators and universities | Working venture capital investors (typically partner-level GPs, emerging fund founders, LPs and corporate venture investors) who already deploy capital |
| Typical member | Individual members are accredited angel investors, most of whom belong to one of ACA's member angel groups and are automatically included through that group's membership. Institutional members are angel networks, funds, family offices and platforms. | Recent classes are roughly 86% direct VC investors, 72% partner-level or above and 43% founders. Across the whole society, about 55–60% of Fellows are firm founders, roughly 80% are partner-level or above, and about one in three is female. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | Working venture investor: direct VC investor, emerging or established GP, LP, corporate VC or ecosystem contributorPartner-level or above is preferred but not stated as mandatory; 72% of a recent class were partner-level or higherverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Accredited-investor status | Individual membership is aimed at accredited angel investors; online equity marketplace platform members must be comprised of accredited investorsACA states that membership is available to individual angels, accredited platforms, angel group investors and family offices. It does not publish a separate verification procedure for individual members.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application process | Applicants complete an online application, agree to the ACA Member Code of Conduct and pay annual dues for the relevant category. Online equity marketplace platforms are asked to contact the membership team rather than self-serve. Individual investors who belong to a member angel group are enrolled through that group. | Applications run on an annual class cycle. Step one is an online form that the organization estimates takes about an hour, submitted with an application fee. Step two is a set of video interviews with current Fellows. Step three is selection by an admissions committee. For the Class 31 cycle, interviews began in mid-February 2026 and acceptances went out in early April 2026. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Admission is by application and code-of-conduct agreement rather than by selection; ACA publishes no rejection or acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed: Kauffman Fellows publishes detailed class composition data but no acceptance rate or applicant volume |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $310 a yearIndividual Investor membership, "starting at $310". Members of ACA angel groups are automatically included.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed: the organization does not publish alumni society dues, if anyverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | Dues are published as starting rates; the tiering above those floors is not detailed publicly. | $80,000 one-timeTuition for the full two-year programme, due before Module 1. Covers venues, meals, materials and mentoring; excludes transportation and lodging. Non-refundable and non-transferable. Limited needs-based scholarships are available.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. ACA's annual summit carries a registration fee that is not published on the membership pages.verified September 2026 | Tuition is the material cost; travel and lodging for five modules, a summit and two treks are additional and not quantified by the organization. |
| Membership term | Annual | Two-year programme followed by lifelong membership of the Kauffman Fellows society |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Annual summit held in a different city each year, plus webinars and education programming through the year | Five four-day in-person modules, one Global Summit and two Global Treks over two years, plus roughly 24 virtual forum meetings; Special Interest Groups meet monthly for alumni |
| Peer forums | Peer group syndication channels rather than confidential peer forums | Class members meet in virtual Forum groups roughly twice a month during the programme; alumni join topic-based Special Interest Groups and regional chapters |
| Confidentiality | Members agree to the ACA Member Code of Conduct; no separate confidentiality regime is published | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Approximately 20–25 days over the two-year programme, per the application details page |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Yes |
| Travel | No | Yes |
| Family programming | No | Not documented |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Angel Capital Association · Kauffman Fellows