Access to Capital

CPIA Members can find the help they need to grow

Angel Investors

CPIA has partnered with the Angel Capital Summit to help photonics companies gain exposure to investors from around the world.

Detailed Information for Entrepreneurs

Looking for investment funds to grow your business?
Take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to connect with the most valuable financial resources your company needs to mature and thrive within today’s competitive economy. The Summit will feature the best and brightest financing strategies for the Rocky Mountain Region, with an anticipated audience of between 400-700 entrepreneurs, private investors and service professionals. If you are looking to grow your business, this is the event you simply cannot miss.

Why you should present at the Angel Capital Summit
We don’t simply review your business, then “pick the winners” to present. Our process is designed to help companies understand their business concepts in a new light, to determine objectively where their weak spots are — and then tighten their business concept before working on their pitch. The result: the companies that go through this process will see their business in a new light, and will exit the process changed for the better.

All that’s in addition to the usual advantages of presenting at an investor fair: the opportunity to connect with early-stage investors, and high-level exposure for your company.

Approximately 40 companies will be selected to present at the conference. Investor tracks will be organized by stage of the deal and coded by industry. To become a presenting company, you must qualify as an entrepreneurial company that is seeking angel financing.

How To Apply

To apply, first go to this link – create a login account.   This helps us identify you properly for an investor overview, gives you access to the application process, and keeps your application private.

Then log in, and follow these five steps:

  • Step 1: Take the Benchmark Survey. We use the Business Catapult’s Benchmark Survey to quickly become familiar with your business. You may take the Benchmark Survey as often as you like on this site, and then select which survey report to submit with your application. More information on the Benchmark Survey may be found on the Business Catapult website. You may also be interested in how the Benchmark Survey will be used in reviewing your application.
  • Step 2: Fill out the Investment Summary and rest of the Angel Capital Summit application, and attach your Benchmark Survey results.
  • Step 3: Upload an executive summary of your business concept, preferably in Adobe PDF format. Your executive summary should be no more than five pages. Applications are due October 13, 2009.
  • Step 4: Review the entrepreneur’s checklist for completeness of your Investment Summary and Executive Summary
  • Step 5: Submit the application; you’ll receive an automatic email notification that your plan has been received.

What Happens Next?

Your application will be submitted for review either by the appropriate investor partner (if you indicated such affiliation on your application) or by the Rockies Venture Club review board. As a result of this review, you may be asked to provide a copy of your business plan.

If selected as a semi-finalist we require that you work on and submit your 10-minute Powerpoint presentation in anticipation of being selected as a finalist. We announce the finalists on 11/3 and mandatory pitch practice is on 11/9 & 11/10. You’ll be assigned a Coach on 11/3 and we want to maximize your time with them.

Your application will be reviewed first by a participating local organization and a subset of these deals will be submitted to the Angel Capital Summit Executive Deal Screeners review board for review and final selection.

What Happens if I’m Selected? 

If you’re selected by the Angel Capital Summit Executive Deal Screeners, you’ll be assigned a coach to help you prepare for the event. Please note that this isn’t just a matter of polishing up your presentation: your coach will help you understand your entire plan. They will review your entrepreneur’s checklist, your investment summary, and your Benchmark Survey results.  They will help you determine what they mean to your business concept, help you decide on active steps you can take to strengthen your business by addressing the weak spots highlighted by the Checklist, the Benchmark Report, and the online collaboration review of your plan, and decide how best to present your business as an investment opportunity at the event.

What Am I Committing To?

  • Mandatory pitch practice: all companies selected to present at the Angel Capital Summit are required to participate in a two-hour pitch practice session, held in Denver on November 9th and Boulder on November 10th one week before the conference. While your time slot is 30 minutes (10 min pitch, 15 min questions,, 5 min set-up tear down) we as you for a two commitment so you can contribute feedback to your fellow presenters. Historically, companies have found this to be extremely beneficial in refining their presentations.
  • Fee: Companies selected by the Angel Capital Summit Executive Committee are charged a fee of $350 for space, time & materials incurred during the deal screening, coaching and pitch practice, and ACS sessions. This fee is applicable only to those companies actually selected to present at the Angel Capital Summit. Each fee includes one paid admission to the Summit.
  • Event registration: all attendees from the presenting companies will be required to register for the event.

All accredited investors in the audience will be provided with forms they can use to indicate an interest in following up with your company. We will gather these data and help connect investors with the company in which they expressed an interest. In addition, a separate room will be available at the conference for use by companies and prospective investors for more private conversations.

Questions? Feel free to contact us at any time using this form.