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Status: Renamed. Founded in 1997 as Tech Coast Angels; rebranded as TCA Venture Group in January 2024 to reflect expansion beyond technology companies and beyond Southern California. Separately, the San Diego chapter left the brand and became NuFund Venture Group in March 2022.TCA Venture Group
Accredited investors with executive and entrepreneurial backgrounds who want to invest in seed and early Series A companies
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: Founded by Luis Villalobos as Tech Coast Angels. TCA describes itself as headquartered in Southern California and does not publish a headquarters city.
TCA Venture Group is a Southern California angel investment network founded in 1997 as Tech Coast Angels by Luis Villalobos. It rebranded in January 2024, dropping the Tech Coast name after expanding beyond technology and beyond its original geography. The group has more than 400 accredited-investor members organised into five networks: TCA Los Angeles, TCA Orange County, TCA Inland Empire, and two licensee groups, Pasadena Angels and MEDA Angels, a healthcare-focused network based in Washington DC. TCA reports investing more than USD 280 million in 544 companies since inception, with portfolio companies attracting a further USD 2.1 billion in follow-on funding, and an annual deployment rate of roughly USD 15 million to USD 21 million between 2019 and 2022. Alongside individual member cheques, four of the chapters operate side funds that let members diversify under a common term sheet. Notable exits include Procore Technologies, Mindbody, Green Dot, TrueCar, Bluebeam Software and Lytx. TCA prioritises California-based founders but invests across the United States and Canada. It does not publish membership dues or a formal application process.
How it works
Members join one of the five regional networks and evaluate companies through screening sessions and member-led due diligence, then invest individually or through their chapter's fund. TCA maintains affiliations with more than 50 angel groups nationally for syndication. Companies apply for funding through TCA's application process rather than by member referral alone.
Typical member
Members are accredited investors, typically former or current operating executives and entrepreneurs. TCA states members invest directly and also through chapter funds.
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 | Members must be accredited investors | Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗ |
Published criteria as verified on the dates shown. Final eligibility and admission decisions belong entirely to TCA Venture Group. 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 | Not publicly disclosed. TCA publishes no membership dues on its website and no reliable third-party figure was found. | ||
Structure and programming
Where it operates
5 chapters on file · 4 citiesChapters verified from published sources.
Each dot is a city with at least one chapter on file. City positions © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Main cities
- Los AngelesUnited States · 2 chapters
- Washington, D.C.United States
- Inland EmpireUnited States
- Orange CountyUnited States
Ranked by how many organizations on this site also meet there.
5 chapters
| Chapter or location | City | Country | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCA Inland Empire Listed by region (Inland Empire); TCA does not publish a chapter city. | Inland Empire | United States | ||
| TCA Los Angeles | Los Angeles | United States | ||
| TCA Orange County Listed by region (Orange County); TCA does not publish a chapter city. | Orange County | United States | ||
| Pasadena Angels affiliate Licensee network rather than a TCA chapter. | Pasadena | United States | ||
| MEDA Angels affiliate Healthcare-focused licensee network based in Washington DC. | Washington | United States | ||
| No chapter on file matches that. This list is not complete, so one may still exist. | ||||
Independent context
The January 2024 rename is the most important fact for anyone searching under the old name: Tech Coast Angels and TCA Venture Group are the same organisation, but Tech Coast Angels - San Diego is not, having separated in March 2022 to become NuFund Venture Group. TCA is one of the longest-running angel groups in the United States and its published track record - 544 companies, more than USD 280 million invested, 11 IPOs - is unusually detailed for the category. The weak point is membership transparency: no dues figure, no application steps and no acceptance data are published, and TCA's own homepage and About page disagree on how many regional networks exist and on cumulative investment (USD 300 million and 540 companies versus USD 280 million and 544). Two of the five networks are licensees rather than TCA chapters proper.
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 →- milestoneFounded as Tech Coast Angels by Luis Villalobos ↗
- renameTech Coast Angels - San Diego, a licensee of the brand, separates and rebrands as NuFund Venture Group ↗
- renameTech Coast Angels rebrands as TCA Venture Group, citing expansion beyond technology and beyond Southern California ↗
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.
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Sources
- TCA Venture Group, TCA Venture Group. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Who is TCA — TCA Venture Group, TCA Venture Group. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Tech Coast Angels (redirects to tcaventuregroup.com), TCA Venture Group. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Tech Coast Angels - San Diego is now NuFund Venture Group, NuFund Venture Group, March 2022. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
- Tech Coast Angels Becomes The TCA Venture Group, socaltech.com, January 2024. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 6
- Rebrand, Expansion for SoCal's Tech Coast Angels, Orange County Business Journal, January 2024. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 6
- TCA Venture Group, Wikipedia. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 8
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 TCA Venture Group? 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.