The Luis Villalobos Award

Honoring innovative companies funded by ACA members

The Luis Villalobos Award recognizes the most ingenious and innovative ideas recently financed by members of the Angel Capital Association. Two category winners will be selected to attend the ACA Summit and honored live and throughout the event. The award is presented to the winning CEOs during the annual awards ceremony at the 2024 ACA Summit (May 13-15, 2024). Companies in all investment sectors are invited to participate and will be considered for one of two Category Winner opportunities. The categories are:

• Technology, Services, & Consumer: (Hardware & Software, Social Media, Web 2.0., Fintech, AgTech, etc.)
• Life Sciences (Pharma, Med devices, HealthCare IT, Digital or Mobile Health, etc.)

This award honors Luis Villalobos, who founded the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest and most respected angel organizations in the world, in 1997. Companies funded by Tech Coast Angels have raised more than $1 billion to date. He was a true “leading light” in the angel field, making 57 personal investments, educating numerous angels, and particularly in educating and mentoring entrepreneurs before he passed away in 2009. He was a sought-after expert and speaker about sophisticated angel investment. Luis appreciated ingenuity and entrepreneurial thinking in every aspect of life, and always looked to invest in and mentor the most innovative companies.

Award winners have a strong track record of innovation and growth. More information about the exits of winners in 2012, 2014, and 2015 is here, along with details from the investors’ views for Assurex Health, EyeVerify, and RetroSense Therapeutics.