Powered by the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Wexford Science & Technology & the Growth Factory
NorCal AngelCon is designed to build and strengthen the early-stage investment ecosystem in the Greater Sacramento region by educating new angel investors, empowering promising startups, and bridging capital, talent, and innovation to accelerate growth of high-potential ventures.
What it Does
- Provides a structured, hands-on investment education program for accredited investors to learn how to source, evaluate, and invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups. There is no cost for the educational program.
- Supports regional startups with funding and visibility through a competitive application and pitch process. Participating startups get access to equity investment from the angels — often totaling $80,000–$100,000+.
- Builds community, networks, and long-term ecosystem capacity to grow a repeatable, sustainable engine of capital formation and startup growth in Sacramento.
Why It Matters — Regional & Ecosystem Impact
- Many early-stage, high-growth startups fail to find local seed capital — AngelCon activates new investor capital in the region to change that dynamic.
- Promotes hands-on, educated investing with a structured, transparent, and repeatable process for investors to evaluate and support startups responsibly.
- Boosts startup readiness through mentorship, pitch prep, and due diligence; startups emerge better prepared for growth, follow-on funding, and scaling.
- Fosters community and retention by encouraging innovation to stay local — retaining talent, building companies, and contributing to regional economic growth.
2026 Program (May – November 2026)
NEW: NorCal AngelCon: Deep Tech Edition – Fueling Sacramento’s Science-Driven Innovation
With Aggie Square’s opening as a world-class life sciences and innovation hub—and Sacramento State’s advancement to R2 research classification—the region is rapidly expanding its research footprint, IP pipeline, and demand for sophisticated capital and founder support.
NorCal AngelCon: Deep Tech Edition, expands upon the original AngelCon framework to elevate technical founders, and strengthen the region’s capacity to support complex, high-impact science ventures.
Developed by Growth Factory in partnership with the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State, Connect Labs by Wexford, and the UC Davis Student Startup Center, this initiative was selected as a recipient of the 2025 SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition award under the “Capital Formation” theme, recognizing its potential to strengthen investing and innovation in the Greater Sacramento region.
How It Works: Process & Timeline
- Accredited investors apply to cohort.
- Agrifood tech, Health & Life Science, and Cleantech / ZEV startups from the Greater Sacramento region (or affiliated with local ecosystem partners) apply to participate. Eligible startups must be incorporated, have early traction, a capable team with at least one full time member, and high-growth potential.
Investors
If you are interested in entering the deep-tech space but have struggled to find entry points — this program gives you the tools, education, and network to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage ventures built on university IP, science, and engineering breakthroughs.
- May 27th | Deadline for program commitment
- June – October | Angel training sessions
- October 21st | Semifinalist investor pitches & finalists selected
- November 18th | AngelCon Showcase & Investment Selection
Startups
If you’re early in your journey — perhaps spinning out from university research in life-sciences, ag-tech, food & agriculture, biomanufacturing, or medical devices — NorCal AngelCon offers mentorship, capital readiness, access to space at Aggie Square, and a community designed to help you scale without leaving Sacramento.
- May 27th | Deadline for startup applications
- June 30th | Semi-finalists notified
- July – Oct | Founder training sessions
- October 21st | Semi-finalist investor pitches & finalists selected
- November 18th | AngelCon Showcase and Investment selection
Important Notice
This site and the information contained herein are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. Investing in early-stage, private companies involves significant risks, including Illiquidity, loss of invested capital, limited public information, no assurance of returns. Nothing on this site constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. We partner with a licensed SPV manager, Sydecar, to facilitate deal-specific investment vehicles. Any investment decision is solely at the discretion of the investor. To participate in SPV investments, you must meet the definition of an accredited investor under U.S. securities laws or other applicable criteria as detailed in the offering documents. Accreditation status is verified by the SPV administrator prior to acceptance into any investment vehicle. Self-certification alone is not sufficient.
STAY TUNED
3rd Annual NorCal AngelCon
June – November 2026 | Aggie Square