For Founders
Brown Girl Angels invests in early stage companies with at least one South Asian female founder. Apply through our diligence portal and the collective will be in touch.
What we look for
Stage
Pre-seed to Series A. We meet founders at the point where conviction, traction, and timing intersect.
Structure
Members each decide and write their own checks — directly onto the cap table, or into an SPV when the round calls for one. The collective does not pool capital, hold funds, or invest on members' behalf. We can lead small pre-seed rounds or follow a strong lead.
Founders
At least one South Asian female founder on the team. Any geography — we have deal partners across eight cities and rapidly growing.
Our process
Apply through our Dealum portal.
We screen weekly; top applications go to a member-led diligence team.
Founder presents to the collective on a virtual, private Zoom session — or at a live pitch event when we’re in your city.
Members review. We come back with clarifying questions, then respond with a decision.
Accredited investor
Brown Girl Angels is a community of accredited investors as defined by securities regulators in the jurisdictions our members write checks from. We do not provide regulatory or tax advice; the table below summarizes publicly available rules so you can self-assess and confirm with your own counsel.
| Jurisdiction | Regulator | Standard threshold to qualify (individual) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) under NI 45-106 | Net financial assets > CAD $1M (excluding primary residence), OR net assets > CAD $5M, OR net income > CAD $200K (or $300K with spouse) in each of the last two years with reasonable expectation of same |
| United States | SEC under Rule 501 of Regulation D | Net worth > USD $1M (excluding primary residence, individually or with spouse), OR income > USD $200K (or $300K with spouse) in each of the last two years, OR holding certain professional certifications (Series 7, 65, 82) |
| Hong Kong | SFC — “Professional Investor” under the Securities and Futures Ordinance | Portfolio of HKD $8M (~USD $1M) or more, OR (for corporations) total assets of HKD $40M (~USD $5M) or more |
| Australia | ASIC — “Sophisticated Investor” under Corporations Act s708(8) | Net assets > AUD $2.5M, OR gross income > AUD $250K in each of the last two years, certified by a qualified accountant |
| United Kingdom | FCA — “High Net Worth Individual” or “Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor” under COBS 4.12 | Annual income > £170K, OR net assets > £430K (excluding primary residence, pensions, life insurance) — thresholds updated January 2024 |
If you're not yet at these thresholds but want to build toward angel investing, our Brown Girls, Money Moves Didi membership is the room for senior South Asian women one to three years from their first check.
FAQ
Members co-invest as individuals. The collective can lead small pre-seed rounds when our diligence is deep enough; otherwise members come in alongside a strong lead.
Sector-agnostic, with deep interest in fintech, FemHealth, enterprise tech, consumer health, climate, and AI infrastructure where founders bring lived expertise.
No, consistent with venture norms.
Global. We have members in Toronto, the Bay Area, NYC, Vancouver, London, Hong Kong, and Austin, with deal partners in each.
We invest in Canadian and American deals. We have investors across the world and on both sides of the border, including in Canada. Every member must be accredited within their own jurisdiction.
You are responsible for your own diligence with your tax planners and strategists around the best vehicle for you to make angel investments.
Most decisions land within 1–2 weeks of a complete application.
Our mandate is South Asian women founders. That said, we reserve a small allocation of our deal flow for companies led by female founders — usually surfaced through trusted referral — and the same applies to South Asian-led startups more broadly. We also reserve a small allocation for fast-moving deals, regardless of founder profile.
We host pitches on Mondays at 7pm and 8pm ET, with the exception of live pitch sessions we host on-site in the various markets where we run events.
Yes. As part of our deal flow we look at LP opportunities in funds where the GP — or at least one GP — is a South Asian woman. We encourage these funds to present opportunities either by providing an SPV inside the fund or by inviting us to come in directly as an LP. We do require VC members to join the collective and support the larger network of VCs and angels.
When we have a strong reason behind a pass, yes. When the round isn't right for us but the founder is, we make introductions.
We respond to every complete application. Confidential by default.