Many “angel” investors, who put their own money into small start-ups at a very early stage, previously worked at technology icons that are known for minting millionaires, like Google Inc. and PayPal. But Silicon Valley’s angel-investor scene is far from homogenous, new data show.
AngelList, a San Francisco start-up that connects accredited investors with companies seeking funding online, recently analyzed its membership to discern where many of the angel investors who create profiles on its site work or have worked. AngelList found that while many angels hold jobs or once did at tech companies such as Google, others were in different industries or tech companies that aren’t considered part of Silicon Valley’s elite.