AngelPad
AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator founded in 2010 by Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas, selecting ~15 startups per cohort from ~2,000 applicants twice yearly for a 3-month program in San Francisco and NYC. The firm invests $120K plus $300K+ in cloud credits per company, and has launched 150+ companies producing $5B in cumulative exits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AngelPad does
AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator program founded in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Thomas Korte (former Google Product Manager with two patents still used in Google search ranking and ad monetization) and Carine Magescas (former Strategic Alliances lead at Business Objects, pre-IPO Informatica, and e-commerce founder). The firm is headquartered in San Francisco with an additional office in New York, and operates an intentionally small cohort model — selecting approximately 15 teams from roughly 2,000 applicants (a less-than-1% acceptance rate) every six months for an intensive three-month in-person program focused on product-market fit, target market definition, fundraising preparation, and investor introductions.
The accelerator's core product is a unified bundle delivered to each selected portfolio company: $120,000 of seed capital invested in exchange for equity (approximately 7%), access to over $300,000 in combined cloud credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean, daily 1:1 mentorship from the two co-founders (who work alongside founders in their offices rather than delegating to a partner team), and warm introductions to a curated investor network. AngelPad invests across enterprise and consumer verticals — SaaS, marketplaces, advertising, API platforms, mobile, healthcare, AI, data, drones, and construction tech — with a stated tilt toward enterprise companies.
AngelPad's revenue model is structured as venture fund management. The firm has raised three dedicated accelerator funds — AngelPad Beta (2010-2013), AP Fund II (2014-2016), and AP Fund III (2017 onwards) — plus approximately a dozen special purpose vehicles, including a $50M venture fund (AngelPad Fund III LP) with $35M in capital commitments raised in March 2018. Revenue is generated from management fees on deployed capital and carried interest on portfolio exits. The program has launched 150+ companies that have collectively raised over $2.2 billion in follow-on funding (averaging $14M per company) and produced approximately $5 billion in cumulative exit value across deals including Postmates ($2.65B sale to Uber Eats, 2020), Pipedrive ($1.5B majority sale to Vista Equity Partners, 2020), Vungle ($750M sale to Blackstone, 2019), Mopub ($350M sale to Twitter, 2013), and Fieldwire ($300M sale to Hilti, 2021). The firm has been ranked #1 U.S. Accelerator by MIT's Seed Accelerator Rankings Project every year since 2015 and was dubbed the 'Anti-YC' by StrictlyVC in 2014.
AngelPad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AngelPad
- Legal name
- AngelPad
- Website
- http://www.angelpad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator founded in 2010 by Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas, selecting ~15 startups per cohort from ~2,000 applicants twice yearly for a 3-month program in San Francisco and NYC. The firm invests $120K plus $300K+ in cloud credits per company, and has launched 150+ companies producing $5B in cumulative exits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AngelPad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator and Venture Capital Services
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where AngelPad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AngelPad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Equity investments in portfolio companies: AngelPad invests $120,000 in each company in exchange for equity. The program generates returns through carried interest on portfolio exits and the appreciation of equity stakes in successful companies.
- Venture Fund Management: AngelPad has raised three funds: AngelPad Beta (2010-2013), AP Fund II (2014-2016), AP Fund III (2017 onwards), as well as about a dozen special purpose vehicles (SPVs). The accelerator also raised a $50M venture fund (AngelPad Fund III LP). Revenue comes from management fees and carried interest on deployed capital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Seed investment in exchange for equity: $120,000 per company |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
AngelPad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AngelPad runs a 3-month, in-person seed-stage accelerator program based in San Francisco and New York that selects approximately 15 companies twice per year from around 2,000 applicants. Each selected company receives a $120,000 seed investment in exchange for equity (typically ~7%), more than $300,000 in cloud credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and Digital Ocean, and intensive daily 1:1 mentorship from co-founders Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas covering product-market fit, target-market definition, fundraising preparation, and investor introductions.
Product overview
AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator program offering a unified accelerator service comprising funding ($120,000 per company), intensive 3-month mentorship program, access to $300,000+ in cloud credits from AWS, Google, and Digital Ocean, and investor introduction services. Founded in 2010 and based in San Francisco and NYC, the program selects about 15 teams from approximately 2,000 applicants twice yearly and has launched over 150 companies with aggregate funding exceeding $2.2 billion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Seed-Stage Accelerator Program A 3-month, in-person seed-stage accelerator program delivered from San Francisco and New York that invests $120,000 in each selected company in exchange for equity (typically ~7%), provides $300,000+ in combined cloud credits from AWS, Google Cloud and Digital Ocean, and delivers intensive daily 1:1 mentorship from co-founders Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas covering product-market fit, target-market definition, fundraising preparation and investor introductions. Targets pre-seed and seed-stage startup founders; approximately 15 companies are admitted from ~2,000 applicants every six months.
- AngelPad Venture Capital Funds
Quantifiable outcome
- 150+ companies funded; $2.2B total funding raised; $14M average funding per company
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AngelPad
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
AngelPad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AngelPad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)minorAWS provides cloud computing credits to AngelPad portfolio companies as part of the accelerator's startup support package. Startups receive over $300,000 in combined cloud credits including from AWS, Google Cloud, and Digital Ocean.
- Google CloudminorGoogle Cloud provides cloud credits to AngelPad portfolio companies as part of the accelerator's startup support package. Combined credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and Digital Ocean exceed $300,000 per company.
- DigitalOceanminorDigitalOcean provides cloud computing credits to AngelPad portfolio companies as part of the accelerator's startup support package. Combined credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and Digital Ocean exceed $300,000 per company.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AngelPad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA): ERA is a New York-based seed-stage accelerator offering mentorship, capital, and demo days. It directly competes with AngelPad's NYC presence for early-stage founders on the East Coast.
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the largest and most prominent U.S. seed-stage accelerator, running multi-batch programs with ~$500K investments. It is the canonical competitor to AngelPad in the accelerator category, and StrictlyVC explicitly branded AngelPad the 'Anti-YC' due to its opposite model (small cohorts, enterprise focus vs. YC's scale and consumer reach).
- Techstars: Techstars is one of the world's largest accelerator operators, running multiple programs globally with $20K-for-6% standard deal terms. It competes with AngelPad for early-stage founders and offers a much larger geographic footprint and corporate partnership network.
- 500 Startups (now 500 Global): 500 Global is a venture firm and accelerator with global seed programs and a large portfolio. It is a comparable seed-stage investor and accelerator, focused on early traction and emerging markets, with similar venture fund management economics to AngelPad.
- Seedcamp: Seedcamp is a leading European seed-stage accelerator and early-stage fund. It offers a comparable model of small-cohort mentorship plus seed capital, and competes with AngelPad for international and European founders considering U.S. programs.
- StartX (Stanford): StartX is Stanford-affiliated accelerator that shares top-tier ranking with AngelPad (Platinum Plus tier in MIT rankings). It is a direct peer in the high-end U.S. accelerator category with university-driven deal flow.
- Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play is a large global accelerator and venture fund operating in multiple verticals (fintech, health, brand, retail). It competes for early-stage enterprise founders and runs cohort programs similar to AngelPad but at much greater scale.
- MassChallenge: MassChallenge is a non-equity global accelerator with strong enterprise and corporate partnerships. It competes with AngelPad for early-stage founders seeking mentorship, network, and introductions to enterprise customers.
Emerging players
- Founder Institute: Founder Institute is a global pre-seed accelerator and founder training program operating in 100+ cities. It targets an earlier-stage founder than AngelPad and offers a comparable structured mentorship + capital model at lower check sizes.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun: a16z Speedrun is the venture firm's in-house accelerator offering seed capital, mentorship, and direct connection to a16z's broader platform. It is an emerging peer with materially larger LP backing, competing for the same top founders as AngelPad.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AngelPad social profiles
Digital presenceAngelPad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AngelPad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AngelPad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AngelPad M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments186 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AngelPad
What does AngelPad do?
AngelPad runs a 3-month, in-person seed-stage accelerator program based in San Francisco and New York that selects approximately 15 companies twice per year from around 2,000 applicants. Each selected company receives a $120,000 seed investment in exchange for equity (typically ~7%), more than $300,000 in cloud credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and Digital Ocean, and intensive daily 1:1 mentorship from co-founders Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas covering product-market fit, target-market definition, fundraising preparation, and investor introductions.
Is AngelPad a public or private company?
AngelPad is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AngelPad founded?
AngelPad was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AngelPad based?
AngelPad is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does AngelPad make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Equity investments in portfolio companies are the primary driver. The others are venture Fund Management.
Who are AngelPad's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA), Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Startups (now 500 Global), Seedcamp, StartX (Stanford), Plug and Play Tech Center and MassChallenge. Emerging players are Founder Institute and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun.
Does AngelPad have an API?
No public API is recorded for AngelPad.
What industry is AngelPad in?
AngelPad's product category is Startup Accelerator and Venture Capital Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.