What Queen City Angels does

QCA Ventures, formerly Queen City Angels, is a non-profit 501(c)(6) angel investor network headquartered in Norwood, Ohio (Cincinnati metro), founded in 2000 and rebranded in February 2026 to reflect its evolution into a nationally scoped venture organization. The network consists of 219+ accredited investors spanning 25 states — including former C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, and R&D/technical experts — who collectively evaluate and deploy capital into early-stage companies. Since inception, QCA has invested over $130 million across 123 portfolio companies and helped attract more than $1 billion in follow-on syndicated capital from venture funds and partner angel groups. Investment activity is concentrated across four verticals: life sciences, IT/B2B SaaS, advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing, with average check sizes of approximately $1 million covering seed-plus through Series B rounds.

The organization's investment platform comprises a family of seven QCA First Funds (I–VII), the most recent (Fund VII) launched in late 2024 with $15 million in commitments and 12 portfolio companies deployed to date. Beyond capital, QCA members contribute approximately 50,000 pro-bono hours annually across structured programs including Morning Mentoring, the annual two-day Entrepreneur Boot Camp (in its 25th year), the monthly eKickstart speaker series, and the proprietary Standards + Practices Guide© methodology. The Ascent program lowers the entry threshold for new investors via a $25,000 LLC commitment. Member relations and deal flow are managed through bi-weekly investor meetings, an internal website platform, and ecosystem partnerships with universities (University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Xavier University), regional angel groups, and economic development entities such as Ohio Third Frontier and JobsOhio.

QCA does not operate as a revenue-generating product business. Its economics are characteristic of a member-owned angel network: capital appreciation and exits flow to investor members, while the 501(c)(6) organization itself operates with a small professional staff (11–50 employees per firmographic data) and may earn management fees or carried interest through its First Fund vehicles. Distribution of deal flow is primarily community-led — referrals from members and ecosystem partners — supplemented by direct inbound via the qca.com website and event-driven sourcing through Boot Camp, eKickstart, and Morning Mentoring. The organization is governed by Chairman Tony Shipley (co-founder), Executive Director Scott Jacobs, and co-fund managers John Habbert and Shipley.

Name

Queen City Angels

Legal name

QCA Ventures

Website

https://qca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QCA Ventures is a Cincinnati-based non-profit angel investor network of 219+ accredited investors that has invested over $130 million across 123 early-stage startups since 2000, primarily in life sciences, IT/B2B SaaS, advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investing / Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Angel investing network
• Early-stage venture capital
• Startup mentorship programs
• Accredited investor syndication
• Entrepreneur education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Angel Investment Returns: QCA Ventures generates returns for its members through capital appreciation and exits from portfolio companies. As a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization composed of accredited investors, QCA does not charge traditional fees. Investor returns come from equity gains when portfolio companies are acquired or complete successful public offerings. The organization operates multiple venture funds (First Funds I-VII) that provide investment structure and may generate management fees or carry for fund managers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

QCA Ventures (formerly Queen City Angels) is a non-profit angel investor network that pools capital from 219+ accredited investors across 25 states to invest in early-stage startups through its First Funds I–VII. Beyond capital, members deliver hands-on mentoring, board participation, and network connections to founders in life sciences, IT (B2B SaaS), advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing. The organization also runs the Entrepreneur Boot Camp, Morning Mentoring, eKickstart speaker series, and the proprietary Standards + Practices Guide© training methodology.

Product overview

QCA Ventures (formerly Queen City Angels) is an angel investment network and venture organization offering a platform of investment and support services for early-stage startups. The core offering consists of multiple QCA First Funds (I-VII) that deploy capital across four major industry sectors: life sciences, IT (B2B SaaS), advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing. Beyond capital deployment, QCA provides educational programs including the two-day Entrepreneur Boot Camp (trained 800+ founders), monthly Morning Mentoring™ sessions, and eKickstart speaker series. The organization leverages its proprietary Standards + Practices Guide© methodology and operates the Ascent Program for new investor onboarding. QCA members (219+ accredited investors) provide hands-on mentoring, coaching, and guidance totaling approximately 50,000 hours annually pro-bono to entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QCA First Funds (I–VII) Series of venture funds managed by QCA Ventures for investing in early-stage startups across life sciences, IT (B2B SaaS), advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
• Entrepreneur Boot Camp Annual two-day intensive workshop training entrepreneurs on product development, business model innovation, intellectual property, financing, and investor pitching. The program has trained over 800 founders in 24 years.
• Morning Mentoring™ Monthly mentoring program where founders present their ideas and receive insights, encouragement, and guidance from QCA members. Co-managed with Alloy Growth Labs. Mentored 1,500 founders over 19 years.
• eKickstart Monthly speaker series featuring networking and topics of interest to founders and entrepreneurs in the startup community.
• Ascent Program Lower-risk angel investing onboarding program with a one-time capital commitment of $25,000 invested as an LLC into QCA First Fund, paired with custom training and mentorship opportunities for new angel investors.
• Standards + Practices Guide© Proprietary methodology used by QCA Ventures to educate, train, and mentor both entrepreneurs and early-stage investor members on best practices in angel investing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $130 million invested directly in 123 portfolio companies since 2000
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Black AchieverscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 May 2024QCA Ventures and Black Achievers formed a strategic partnership in May 2024 to advance entrepreneurship and angel investing. Black Achievers is a prominent networking organization connecting African American professionals with 6,000+ members in Cincinnati and 120,000+ nationwide. The partnership aims to grow memberships for both organizations, with QCA sharing angel investing insights at Black Achievers' business academy and Black Achievers promoting QCA's Entrepreneur Boot Camp.
• Griesing Mazzeo LawcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 May 2023QCA partnered with Griesing Mazzeo Law, a women-owned and operated law firm certified WBE by WBENC, to expand legal resources for Cincinnati's startup founders and businesses. This is QCA's first women-owned law firm partner. The firm brings experience promoting diversity and inclusivity and is part of NAMWOLF (National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms), with offices in Ohio and six other states.
• Alloy Growth LabscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAlloy Growth Labs co-manages QCA's Morning Mentoring program with QCA and serves as the venue host for the annual Entrepreneur Boot Camp at 1776 Mentor Avenue in Norwood, Ohio. This partnership enables QCA to deliver its monthly mentoring sessions and boot camp programs through Alloy's innovation center infrastructure.
• University of Cincinnati 1819 Innovation HubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub is a co-investor and ecosystem partner with QCA, particularly in healthcare and life sciences deals. The partnership was evidenced in the $17 million investment in Sense Neuro Diagnostics, where 1819 Innovation Hub co-invested alongside QCA and Bearcat Ventures.
• Angel Capital AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCA is a member and active participant in the Angel Capital Association, a professional association of global angel investors with 16,000+ members across 250+ angel groups. QCA's founder Tony Shipley served as ACA Chairman and helped found the Angel Investor Foundation. QCA supports ACA's Angel University and Angel Investor Foundation programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• gener8tor: Midwest-headquartered accelerator and early-stage investor that runs cohort-based programs and invests through managed funds. Comparable to QCA in combining founder education, networking and seed/Series A capital deployment.
• Techstars: Global accelerator and investor-operator that combines structured accelerator cohorts with seed-stage investing. Comparable to QCA's community-led angel model with educational programming (Boot Camp/Morning Mentoring) and a multi-fund investment platform.
• New York Angels: One of the largest US angel networks, investing across sectors with structured due diligence and follow-on support. Similar operational template to QCA with member-driven deal sourcing and fund vehicles.
• JumpStart Inc. Cleveland-based venture development organization providing funding, mentoring and connections to Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs. Geographic and structurally similar to QCA's Greater Cincinnati focus, with overlapping sector mandates.
• Rev1 Ventures: Columbus, Ohio-based investor-operator that manages the Ohio TechAngel Funds and combines venture investment with founder programming. Already co-invests with QCA (Supply Dynamics, T-Pro Solutions), making it the most direct regional peer.
• Alliance of Angels: Seattle-based angel network combining member-led investing with curated deal flow and sector-focused syndicates. Comparable to QCA's mix of community programming (Boot Camp equivalents) and structured early-stage fund deployment.
• Sand Hill Angels: Silicon Valley-based angel investor group providing seed and Series A capital with active mentoring. Comparable to QCA in pooled-investor governance and lead/co-lead participation in technology and life sciences rounds.
• Tech Coast Angels: Southern California-based accredited investor network and one of the largest US angel groups. Comparable diversified-sector angel model with pooled capital and active portfolio engagement, similar in scale and process discipline to QCA.
• Hyde Park Angels: Chicago-based angel investor network with multi-sector deal flow and active due diligence committees. Closely mirrors QCA's model of accredited-investor pooling with structured fund vehicles.
• North Coast Ventures: Cleveland-based angel syndicate that has co-invested alongside QCA in deals like Standard Bariatrics. Operates a comparable pooled-accredited-investor model targeting Ohio/Midwest early-stage companies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoedYOaDFNvNZieoSoaSa9A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qca-ventures
• Xx.com/QueenCityAngels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments61 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queen City Angels