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+ — plus potential non-dilutive capital.
- 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 (January – June 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 with $300k+ in equity and non-dilutive funding to be deployed!
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.
- Jan 22nd from 5-7pm | NorCal Angel Con Angel Investor Happy Hour & Info Session
- Feb 6th | Deadline for program commitments
- Feb 11th from 11-1pm | Angel Session #1
- Feb 25th from 11am – 1pm | Select semi-finalists
- March 4th – April 8th (Wednesdays) from 11-1pm | Angel Training sessions
- April 15th from 12-5pm | Semi-finalist investor pitches & finalists selected
- April 15th – April 29th | Diligence teams meet with finalists
- May 7th from 5-9pm | Final Showcase and 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.
- Feb 6th | Deadline for startup applications
- Feb 26th | Semi-finalists notified
- March 4th – April 8th (Wednesdays) from 3-5pm | Founder Training sessions
- April 15th from 12-5pm | Semi-finalist investor pitches & finalists selected
- April 15th – April 29th | Diligence teams meet with finalists
- May 7th from 5-9pm | Final Showcase and investment selection (open to public)
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