Investment community · Investor networks · HNW networks
Sand Hill Angels
Accredited investors, typically technology founders and executives, who want to invest their own capital in early-stage companies and mentor them
A profile page holds what the organization publishes and what named sources report: who it admits, what it costs, how it is structured, where it operates, and how it has changed. Every figure carries the date it was checked. A dash means the organization does not publish that fact.
Founding — The homepage gives 2000; the About page describes 25 years of experience, consistent with that date.
Sand Hill Angels is a Silicon Valley angel group founded in 2000, with roughly 140 to 145 accredited members drawn largely from technology operating backgrounds. It invests from seed through Series B, with investments into portfolio companies reported at $50,000 to more than $2 million, and it does not run a traditional fund: member money is aggregated into multi-class LLCs so that Sand Hill Angels appears as a single line on a company's cap table, and the organisation takes no share of member profits. It is funded by membership fees and partnership agreements and is governed by a board elected from the membership. Membership is limited to accredited investors and carries an initiation fee, annual dues and a requirement to make annual investments above a stated minimum, though none of those three amounts is published. Admission runs through a membership-committee liaison, one-on-one interviews and nomination to the board for approval. The group runs sector special-interest groups for consumer, enterprise and life sciences, and a pitch-practice programme called RAW.
How it works
Companies apply through Dealum and are screened monthly by sector special-interest groups. Selected companies give a ten-minute first pitch with five minutes of questions; those that advance give a longer 35-minute second pitch with diligence questions. Members then run diligence and invest through a multi-class LLC that consolidates their positions. Portfolio companies provide quarterly updates.
Typical member
Members are accredited investors described as high-technology founders and executives interested in mentoring as well as investing. The group explicitly excludes applicants whose overriding interest is selling services to presenting companies.
Membership requirements
Requirements in detail, with history →Requirements are the tests the organization itself publishes — an age ceiling, a company-revenue floor, a net-worth minimum, a role. Where a figure straddles a range, the organization's own assessment decides. Local chapters can apply stricter tests than the published standard.
| Criterion | Published requirement | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited-investor status | Membership is open to accredited investors | Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗ |
| Other criterion | Members must make annual investments that exceed a required minimum amount | Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗ |
| Other criterion | Applicants must intend to be active in the investment process and invest their own capital; those whose overriding interest is offering services to presenting start-ups are excluded | Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗ |
| Other criterion | Admission requires one-on-one interviews and nomination to the board of directors for approval | Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗ |
Published criteria as verified on the dates shown. Final eligibility and admission decisions belong entirely to Sand Hill Angels. See how you compare against these criteria →
Initiation fees are paid once on joining; dues recur. Chapter dues, retreats, travel and events are usually additional and are listed separately when the organization discloses them. Figures are as published or reported on the date shown — not quotations.
| Cost | First year | Three years | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual dues | Annual dues are required but the amount is not publicly disclosed | Source ↗ | |
| Initiation fee | An initiation fee is required but the amount is not publicly disclosed | Source ↗ | |
Structure and programming
Independent context
The LLC-aggregation structure is the distinguishing feature: it keeps a company's cap table clean and gives the group a single negotiating position, but it means individual members do not hold shares directly, unlike CTAN. The group is candid that it takes no carry on member investments, which is unusual and worth verifying against groups that do. Sand Hill Angels is one of the few angel organisations to state openly that members must invest above a minimum each year, but it publishes neither that minimum nor its dues or initiation fee, so the real annual cost cannot be assessed without going through the membership committee. Admission is interview-based and requires board approval, so it is slower than groups that admit on payment of dues. It suits Bay Area operators who want to be hands-on; it does not suit passive investors or service providers looking for clients.
Editorial analysis by Peer Group Guide editors. It is separated from the record above and follows the editorial policy.
Similar organizations
Alternatives, grouped by need →History and changes
Site-wide change log →- milestoneSand Hill Angels founded in Silicon Valley ↗
Milestones as published by the organization or reported by a named source. “Record” entries are changes to this site’s own record of the organization, kept in the public change log rather than overwritten.
Take the next step
Check how you compare
Run the published criteria against a profile given in ranges. Nothing is stored.
Open the qualification toolRequest membership information
We pass on only what you agree to share, and only where the organization participates. You see exactly what is sent before you send it.
Request information Apply on their site ↗Follow this organization
One email when its requirements or fees change.
Sources
- Sand Hill Angels, Sand Hill Angels. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- About — Sand Hill Angels, Sand Hill Angels. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Investment — Sand Hill Angels, Sand Hill Angels. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Become a Member — Sand Hill Angels, Sand Hill Angels. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
Source tiers follow the published hierarchy: 1 official site · 2 official membership materials · 3 application documents · 4 annual reports · 5 government filings · 6 reliable business publications · 7 credible interviews · 8 other reputable secondary sources. Sources and data policy.
Is something wrong or out of date?
Represent Sand Hill Angels? Verified representatives can submit corrections to fees, criteria, chapters and contact details, and add approved material. Submissions are reviewed by an editor and shown as organization-supplied; they never overwrite independent research.