Puget Sound Venture Club

What Puget Sound Venture Club does

Puget Sound Venture Club (PSVC) was a Bellevue/Seattle-based angel investing club founded in 1985 by Gary Ritner, one of the earliest such organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Over a 38-year operating history, PSVC connected its membership of accredited angel investors — individuals meeting a $1 million net worth threshold with venture investing experience — to early-stage and first-round companies across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. Deal flow was sourced through monthly luncheon presentations, a website, and regular email updates; members could co-invest, share due diligence, and access sponsor-provided resources including legal services (Davis Wright Tremaine), banking (Kitsap Bank), and investment management (AB Bernstein). PSVC members deployed approximately $220 million into over 1,350 companies, with marquee outcomes including Starbucks, DocuSign, Outerwall (formerly Coinstar), Insitu, Theo Chocolate, and Clarisonic.

Name

Puget Sound Venture Club

Legal name

Puget Sound Venture Club

Website

https://pugetsoundvc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PSVC was a Seattle-based angel investing club founded in 1985 that connected accredited investors to early-stage Pacific Northwest startups through monthly luncheons, deploying $220M across 1,350+ companies over 38 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investing Club

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused) (CRAEADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Franchise Ownership Groups & Multi-Club Organizations (Multi-team owners, holding companies) (MPAKABAJ)

Keywords

• Angel investing
• Early-stage investing
• Venture capital
• Startup funding
• Investor networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment facilitation: As an angel investing club, PSVC facilitates investments between its member investors and early-stage companies. The organization does not generate revenue directly from portfolio companies but rather serves as a networking and deal-sourcing platform for accredited investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Puget Sound Venture Club is an angel investing club founded in 1985 that provides a forum for accredited investors to review venture opportunities, primarily through monthly luncheon meetings where early-stage companies pitch to members. The club facilitates deal sourcing, due diligence collaboration, co-investment, and educational programming for its accredited investor members, with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest companies.

Product overview

Puget Sound Venture Club operates as a membership-based angel investing organization rather than a technology product company. The core offering is membership access to an investor network and deal flow. Additional services include a Document Depository for members (hosted on Google Drive) and monthly educational presentations. The club merged its membership with the Alliance of Angels in September 2023, with PSVC members becoming AoA members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Angel Investing Membership Services Membership-based angel investing club providing accredited investors with access to monthly luncheon meetings where early-stage companies present, deal sourcing and co-investment opportunities, due diligence collaboration with other members, an investor document depository, and educational programming on corporate formation, investment vehicles, and regulatory topics. Membership requires $1 million net worth and some history of venture investing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,350 companies invested in over 38 years, with approximately $220 million deployed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alliance of AngelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2023In September 2023, PSVC members were integrated into the Alliance of Angels, bringing together expertise and fundraising impact of both organizations. Gary Ritner and Chuck Porter joined AoA's Board of Directors. AoA is the largest angel group in the Pacific Northwest with $125M+ invested into 200+ companies and 160+ active angel investors.
• Davis Wright Tremaine LLPminorOthersNational full-service business and litigation law firm with an Emerging Companies practice that works closely with investors and emerging companies at all stages of their company's life cycle, from conception through public offering or sale.
• Kitsap BankminorOthersFull-service community bank serving the Greater Puget Sound for over 100 years, offering commercial banking services including cash management and merchant services. Through its annual edg3 FUND small business competition, Kitsap Bank supports entrepreneurs.
• AB BernsteinminorOthersIndependent global research and investment management firm serving leading institutions and private families worldwide with $550 billion under management (as of September 2018). Their Pacific Northwest practice serves entrepreneurs, executives, and global families with transaction planning resources and investment management expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• Angel Capital Association: Angel Capital Association is the industry association for angel investors and angel groups in North America. PSVC is itself a member of ACA, making it a peer in governance and best practices for angel investing.

Direct peers

• Alliance of Angels: Alliance of Angels is the largest angel investing group in the Pacific Northwest and PSVC's merger partner as of September 2023. Both are membership-based angel networks focused on early-stage deals in WA, OR, ID, and BC.
• Band of Angels: Band of Angels is a Silicon Valley-based angel investing group founded in 1994 that operates a membership model similar to PSVC, providing early-stage funding and an investor community for tech startups.
• Tech Coast Angels: Tech Coast Angels is one of the largest and most active angel investor networks in the US, operating a similar model of accredited investor membership, monthly company presentations, and early-stage deal screening.
• Sand Hill Angels: Sand Hill Angels is a Silicon Valley-based angel investor group operating a membership model similar to PSVC, with monthly meetings, due diligence support, and co-investment among members.
• New York Angels: New York Angels is one of the largest and most active angel groups in the US, operating a membership model similar to PSVC with monthly pitch meetings, due diligence, and post-investment support.
• Investors' Circle: Investors' Circle is an early-stage impact investor network operating a similar membership model to PSVC, focused on startups addressing social and environmental challenges through accredited-investor syndicates.

Broad incumbents

• Keiretsu Forum: Keiretsu Forum is one of the largest global angel investor networks with chapters across the US, Europe, and Asia. It operates a similar membership-based angel investment model with monthly presentation meetings and education programs.

Emerging players

• Golden Seeds: Golden Seeds is a national angel investor network focused on women-led and women-founded companies, operating a similar membership-based angel investing model with educational programs and monthly meetings.

Regional players

• Central Texas Angel Network: Central Texas Angel Network is a regional angel investor group operating a similar membership-based model to PSVC, but focused on early-stage companies in the Central Texas ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/puget-sound-investment-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments109 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Puget Sound Venture Club