Comparison · 12 material differences
Angel Capital Association vs NVCA
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…
Professional association
NVCA
Firms that invest venture-stage risk equity capital in the United States, plus the service providers who work with them
What the records say
- Minimum employees — Angel Capital Association: No published minimum employees; NVCA: At least one full-time employee (or full-time equivalent) dedicated to private equity investing.
- 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; NVCA: No published accredited-investor status.
- Geographic restriction — Angel Capital Association: No published geographic restriction; NVCA: Must be investing or planning to invest risk equity capital in the United States.
- Annual dues — Angel Capital Association: $310 a year; NVCA: $500–35,000 a year.
Side by side
| Angel Capital Association | NVCA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| 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.) | 1973 (Founding year of 1973 is reported by secondary reference sources; NVCA's own site does not state it on the pages checked) |
| Headquarters | Overland Park, United States | Washington, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with some international members; ACA also serves as the US representative to the World Business Angels Association | United States, with offices in Washington DC and San Francisco |
| Members | 15,000as of September 2026 | Could not be independently verified — NVCA publishes a full member directory but no headline count; secondary sources cite figures between 400 and 460 member firms without a clear date |
| Chapters | ACA has no chapters. Its 250+ member angel groups and platforms are independent organisations that join as institutional members. | Not publicly disclosed — NVCA has no chapter structure; it operates from two offices |
| 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 | Firms that invest venture-stage risk equity capital in the United States, plus the service providers who work with them |
| 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. | Member organizations are venture partnerships, corporate venture groups, family offices, funds of funds and university or accelerator programmes that invest risk equity capital in the US. Membership is held by the firm rather than the individual. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum employees | No published minimum employees | At least one full-time employee (or full-time equivalent) dedicated to private equity investingverified 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 |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Must be investing or planning to invest risk equity capital in the United StatesOpen to non-US firms that invest into the USverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| 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. | A firm submits an application form at nvca.org/nvca-application-form/ or contacts the membership team. Eligibility is checked against the risk-capital and staffing tests, and dues are set from the firm's committed capital band. There is no published interview or sponsorship step. |
| 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 — NVCA states eligibility criteria but does not publish acceptance or rejection data |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $310 a yearIndividual Investor membership, "starting at $310". Members of ACA angel groups are automatically included.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $500–35,000 a yearStandard VC fund category, banded by committed capital across funds closed in the past ten years: $500 at $5M; $1,000 for $5M–$9.9M; $2,000–$6,000 for $10M–$99.9M (plus $500 per additional $10M); $10,000–$17,500 for $100M–$499.9M (plus $2,500 per additional $100M); $22,500–$32,500 for $500M–$999.9M; $35,000 and above for $1B+ (plus $5,000 per additional $500M)verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Dues are published as starting rates; the tiering above those floors is not detailed publicly. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. ACA's annual summit carries a registration fee that is not published on the membership pages.verified September 2026 | Dues are firm-level and set from committed capital in funds closed over the previous ten years. |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Annual summit held in a different city each year, plus webinars and education programming through the year | National events through the year, including the Strategic Operations and Policy Summit and the Leadership Awards Dinner; advisory committees meet separately |
| Peer forums | Peer group syndication channels rather than confidential peer forums | No peer-forum structure; members organise through advisory committees and policy working groups |
| 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 | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Angel Capital Association · NVCA