Seattle-based Alliance of Angels said today that it invested more money in 2009—$9.1 million in 29 companies—than in any previous year. The investments were made in software (33 percent of the money), cleantech (28 percent), retail and consumer products (12 percent), and other sectors like Internet, mobile, biotech, and medical devices. Besides direct investment, the group says it helped facilitate an additional $8.3 million in funding for its portfolio companies from other sources. Alliance of Angels is an angel investor organization focused on working with startups and entrepreneurs in the Northwest; it is a program of the Technology Alliance and has been investing in tech and other high-growth companies since 1997.
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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