This Week in Startups #23 Angel Funding Showdown

If you're part of the tech world, you've no doubt heard by now about the controversy over "angel" investing groups charging startups to present to them (for full background, check out Jason's posts on the subject: Part 1 and Part 2).  So for this week's episode, we dropped the normal guest and instead had a ton of callers from all sides of the issues: Steve Bell, a member of the Keiretsu Forum; Mike Sid, a CEO who was hounded by one of these forums; an entrepreneur who's pitched several of the forums; and a venture capitalist who's attended all of them.  Check out what all of them have to say about this practice and where they think its going.

Of course we wouldn't leave you without some of your favorite regular segments too, we've got callers for Ask Jason & Jason's Shark Tank, and of course Lon is stopping by to read the news.

Enjoy the episode, and make sure to leave your comments about this hot-button, and important issue.

Remember, next week we'll be on early @ 11am PDT with Gary Vaynerchuck!

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Comments

[baba]

well you may not pay if you don't wish to.Fair enough but as far as I know I am not sure there is any start up that raised capital purely based on their merit and idea.
The way you get funded is you got to know folks and be introduced to those who have the monies.It is not always about great ideas.
So if someone offers you that they can open doors and present you to the folks who have the monies, time and time again you will have one in a hundred who will fall for it and maybe think they can make it.
I am not sure you can name 10 companies that got funded purely for their idea being good.
I will not comment about TC50 as I am not sure if it is fair and open or not, so it would be wrong to make assumptions.
If you don't have the pedigree and or have access to the connections doubt you get funded.