NuFund Venture Group

What NuFund Venture Group does

NuFund Venture Group is a member-owned angel investor group and venture fund based in San Diego, California, founded in 2003 as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego and rebranded to NuFund in 2020. It operates an "Annual Fund" model in which 300–350 active accredited investor members collectively deploy capital each year into early-stage US-based C-Corps, with typical round sizes of $300K to $1M. Investments span technology (AI, software, hardware, climatetech, mobile) and life sciences (biotech, healthtech, medical devices, pharma, genomics, diagnostics, digital health), with the 2023 Annual Fund directing 82% of capital toward life sciences and healthtech and 47% into San Diego-based companies.

NuFund's process combines angel-style flexibility with VC-style structure: Subject Matter Expert screening, a deal sponsor, group presentation, and a 29-day due diligence window with a pledge to reach a yes/no decision within 30 days. The group is not a technology or product company; it operates no software platform, API, or AI offering. Its "core technology" is its standardized diligence process and its role-based member workflow, supported by the Dealum deal-room platform for member collaboration. Distribution and deal sourcing flow through partnerships with Techstars, Antler, Startup San Diego, CONNECT, Biocom, JLABS, BioLabs, NIH, Plug and Play, and multiple research universities.

NuFund monetizes through carried interest on successful exits rather than fees or product sales. Reported outcomes include 100+ portfolio investments and 55+ exits since 2005, highlighted by the acquisition of portfolio company DTx Pharma by Novartis for $1 billion. The organization is led by President Serhat Pala and Co-Fund Manager Dean Rosenberg, with Steve Gormican serving as a Deal Lead. It expanded into Austin, Texas in September 2024 and participated in rounds including Cooler Heads' $11M Series A (2025) and Big Rentals' $2.8M seed (2025), while leading Entirety Biomedical's $1.2M seed (2026).

Name

NuFund Venture Group

Legal name

NuFund Venture Group

Website

https://nufund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NuFund Venture Group is a member-owned angel investor group running an Annual Fund model that deploys $300K–$1M checks into early-stage US technology and life sciences startups, serving accredited investor members and founders across San Diego and Austin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Angel Investing

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Angel investing network
• Early-stage venture capital
• Seed funding group
• Life science investments
• Startup financing services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns (Carried Interest): NuFund generates returns through successful portfolio company exits including IPOs and acquisitions. Notable exits include DTx Pharma (acquired by Novartis for $1 billion), Habitu8 (acquired by Arctic Wolf), and Paradigm Diagnostics (acquired by Exact Sciences).
2. Fund Management: The group manages Annual Funds where members collectively invest in early-stage companies, with management of the fund structure and deployment of capital across portfolio companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NuFund Venture Group is a member-owned angel investor group that deploys early-stage capital through a unique Annual Fund model. The group typically invests $300K to $1M per financing round in U.S.-based C-Corp startups focused on technology (AI, software, hardware, climatetech, mobile) and life sciences (biotech, healthtech, medical devices, pharma, genomics, diagnostics, digital health). Members participate in deal sourcing, due diligence, and follow-on support through a 29-day due diligence process and optional syndication.

Product overview

NuFund Venture Group is an early-stage angel investment group and venture fund model, not a software product company. It does not offer a product platform, SaaS service, or technology offering to external customers. Its core activity is investing in early-stage technology and life science startups through its Annual Fund model, providing financing rounds of $300K to $1M, along with mentorship and network support to portfolio companies. The organization has no external-facing software products, APIs, or integrations for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Annual Fund: NuFund's unique venture group fund model where investor members raise and deploy a collective Annual Fund for early-stage investments.

Products and services

• Annual Fund Investment Program
• Deal Syndication Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 55+ successful exits since 2005, including DTx Pharma ($1B Novartis acquisition)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Diego State University (SDSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2025NuFund partnered with SDSU for TechCon SoCal 2025, Southern California's premier innovation and investment conference. NuFund took a prominent role through thought leadership sessions and sponsorship of the Startup Showcase.
• Austin NextminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 September 2024NuFund organized a founders & funders virtual showcase with participation from Austin Next and other ecosystem builders as part of their Austin Cluster launch.
• TechstarscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund is an active participant in startup communities and works closely with Techstars as part of their ecosystem engagement strategy.
• AntlercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund works closely with Antler VC and recently co-hosted an event with them in Austin, attracting over 50 investors, founders, and startup stakeholders.
• Startup San DiegocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund is an active participant in the San Diego startup community through partnership with Startup San Diego.
• CONNECTcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund partners with CONNECT, a prominent life science and technology accelerator organization in San Diego.
• BiocomcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund partners with Biocom, a leading life science industry organization.
• JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund collaborates with JLABS, the Johnson & Johnson Innovation incubator.
• BioLabscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund partners with BioLabs, a premier life science coworking space provider.
• NIH (National Institutes of Health)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund works with NIH as part of their startup ecosystem engagement.
• Plug and PlaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNuFund partners with Plug and Play, a global innovation platform and accelerator.
• DealumcoreTechnology or IntegrationNuFund uses Dealum as their investor group collaboration platform. Members access the deal room through app.dealum.com/#/dealroom/19888.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Golden Seeds: Golden Seeds is a member-driven angel network that leads and co-invests in early-stage companies, with a strong emphasis on life sciences and women-led ventures. NuFund has co-invested alongside Golden Seeds (e.g., in Cooler Heads' Series A), reflecting overlapping deal profiles and member-driven structures.
• Keiretsu Forum: Keiretsu Forum is one of the largest global angel investor networks, with chapters across the US and internationally. It pools accredited investor members to lead early-stage rounds of $300K–$1M+ and is directly comparable to NuFund's model of member-led syndicated investing with structured due diligence.
• Band of Angels: Band of Angels is a Silicon Valley-based member-driven angel group focused on technology and life-science early-stage investments. It shares NuFund's hybrid angel/VC structure, member-led deal screening, and emphasis on tech and biotech, making it a closely comparable peer.
• Sand Hill Angels: Sand Hill Angels is a Silicon Valley member-led angel group that invests across technology and life sciences with checks typically in the $300K–$1M range. It is a directly comparable peer to NuFund as a long-established angel syndicate with professionalized screening and a strong track record of exits.
• Revere Partners: Revere Partners is an early-stage venture firm that co-invests in life-science and technology deals at the seed stage. It is a directly comparable peer to NuFund given the overlapping $1M seed-round co-investment activity (e.g., Entirety Biomedical) and shared focus on healthtech and biotech.
• Mass Medical Angels: Mass Medical Angels is a sector-focused angel group dedicated to medical and healthcare investments, with typical checks in the $300K–$1M range. It is a directly comparable peer to NuFund's life-science-heavy book, and the two have co-invested in deals like Entirety Biomedical's seed round.
• Tech Coast Angels: Tech Coast Angels is the original Southern California angel network of which NuFund was previously the San Diego chapter (TCA-SD). Both are large, member-driven angel groups that lead $300K–$1M checks in early-stage tech and life-science deals, making them direct comparables in structure, check size, and sector focus.
• Robin Hood Ventures: Robin Hood Ventures is a Mid-Atlantic member-led angel group that invests in early-stage technology and life-science companies with typical checks in the $300K–$1M range. It is directly comparable to NuFund as a regional angel syndicate that pools member capital and co-invests across the US.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator and venture platform that sources and invests in early-stage startups, often partnering with angel groups like NuFund. While Techstars is a broader incumbent that runs accelerator programs at scale, it overlaps with NuFund on deal sourcing, life-science and tech focus, and ecosystem partnerships.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage venture platform that both builds and backs startups from pre-seed onward. NuFund has co-hosted events with Antler in Austin and works closely with the firm for deal flow, making Antler a broad incumbent peer that overlaps on early-stage investment activity and US expansion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nufundventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments10 records

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

Frequently asked questions about NuFund Venture Group