Faces of Entrepreneurship: Christopher Hussain, Founder & CEO of RealKey

Christopher Hussain is the CEO & Founder of San Francisco-based startup, RealKey,  a centralized mortgage and real estate automation software today after two years of preparation, it accelerates loan processing and drastically shortens property transaction closing times.

"Entrepreneurship means having the willingness to take "calculated" risks. So many people try to start businesses without understanding the risks, steps, and resources needed, which is a large part of why so many businesses and startups fail. You learn a lot through making mistakes. You should not be an entrepreneur if you cannot take a beating (consistently), learn from those mistakes, get back up, and don’t make those mistakes again. "

Read full article by the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center 

Portfolio News: Drink-a-day startup Hooch raises $5M as it plans blockchain initiative

Right on the heels of launching its concierge service Hooch Black, Hooch announced today that it has raised $5 million in seed funding.

The company’s basic subscription of $9.99 gets you one free drink per day from a variety of partner bars and restaurants. Hooch Black (which you have to apply for, and which costs $295 per year) adds hotel deals, concierge service and other perks on top.

Read press release here

Band of Angels VC SiG

Very interactive Band of Angels VC SIG meeting with the CEOs of Band portfolio companies Paul Fulton, Nwave (Smart Cities Solutions) and Sara Schaer, Kango (Rides and Care for Kids). The VC SiG enables closer collaboration between the Band and participating VCs. Thanks to Band members Jack Guedj and Bill Loesch for being co-chairs, and the many Band members for their engaged participation.

Band of Angels Members on Panels

May 8th, 2018 PitchForce @ Galvanize, San Francisco, CA

Wonderful to have Band member George Gardner-Serra at yesterday's PitchForce panel. We are asked to provide Band member angels for numerous panels and speaking opportunities. These are a great way of sharing your knowledge, meeting fellow panelists, and finding interesting startups. If you are willing to serve on a panel please click here and we will include you on a distribution list of such opportunities.

May 2nd Mentor Day Recap: 65 Startups and 36 Band Angel Investor Mentors

We had a very successful Band of Angels Mentor Day on May 2nd in partnership with Hanson Bridgett LLP. Big thanks to all the Band members that met with 65 startups for one on one mentoring, and Ronald Weissman, Sonja Markova and Ashutosh Gupta for organizing this annual "give-back" event. Look forward to staying in touch with the teams as they continue to make progress, and hopefully see many of them at the Band for funding. Special thanks to Teresa Pahl, Scott Smith, Alison Wright, and Jonathan Storper for meeting with the startups for legal mentoring.