Plains Angels
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDes Moines, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Plains Angels does
Plains Angels is a privately operated angel investor network founded in May 2012 and based in Des Moines, Iowa. The organization functions as a regional investment syndication platform that connects accredited investors with early-stage startups across the upper Midwest. Plains Angels screens entrepreneur applications, hosts monthly presentation meetings (held on the second Monday of each month), and facilitates member investment decisions on a deal-by-deal basis rather than deploying a centralized fund.
The network is governed by manager Tej Dhawan and was co-founded by a coalition of Iowa ecosystem institutions including Brown Winick Law Firm, LWBJ Financial, Formation Partners, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, and Startup City Des Moines. Plains Angels does not develop technology products; its core offering is deal sourcing, shared due diligence, term negotiation, and co-investment coordination with partner regional angel groups. The active portfolio spans approximately 19 companies across medical device, medical discovery, technology, social, manufacturing, process improvement, agriculture, fintech, and insurtech sectors, with current stated focus on pure technology, manufacturing, agtech, fintech, and insurtech, and explicit exclusions for medical drug discovery, retail, and hospitality.
The business model is membership-based: accredited investors join the network and gain access to screened deal flow and shared due diligence, while entrepreneurs apply and present at monthly meetings if selected. Plains Angels does not publicly disclose fee structures, fund size, or AUM. The organization reports 18 portfolio exits (including Dwolla, Pear Deck, Kindara, Workhound, Marblehead Medical, Agren, and KPI Ninja) and 10+ follow-on investments, providing a track record that supports continued member recruitment and entrepreneur inbound across the regional ecosystem.
Plains Angels firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plains Angels
- Legal name
- Plains Angels
- Website
- https://plainsangels.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plains Angels industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Angel Investing Services
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Plains Angels is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Des Moines
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Plains Angels business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Plains Angels product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plains Angels is a curated angel investor network that connects accredited investor members with early-stage startups across the upper Midwest. The group screens entrepreneur applications, hosts monthly pitch meetings (second Mondays) with 15-minute presentations followed by Q&A, and enables syndicated investments and co-investment with regional angel groups in sectors including pure technology, manufacturing, agtech, fintech, and insurtech.
Product overview
Plains Angels is a network of angel investors established in May 2012 that connects early-stage startups with accredited investors across the upper Midwest. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather functions as an investment syndication platform, screening entrepreneurs and facilitating investment opportunities in sectors including pure technology, manufacturing, agtech, fintech, and insurtech. Member investors gain access to deal flow, shared due diligence processes, and co-investment opportunities with other regional angel groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Angel Investment Network Membership Membership access for accredited investors to Plains Angels' curated deal flow, monthly pitch presentations on the second Monday of each month, shared due diligence, and co-investment opportunities with the group's network and partner regional angel groups in pure technology, manufacturing, agtech, fintech, and insurtech.
Companies that use Plains Angels
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Plains Angels technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Plains Angels partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Brown Winick Law FirmcoreCo-founded in May 2012 by Chris Sackett, Managing Partner of Brown Winick Law Firm, contributing legal expertise and startup ecosystem connections.
- LWBJ FinancialcoreCo-founded in May 2012 by Paul Juffer and JD Geneser of LWBJ Financial, contributing financial expertise and investor connections.
- Formation PartnerssupportingCo-founded in May 2012 by Sheldon Ohringer of Formation Partners, contributing strategic advisory and formation expertise.
- Greater Des Moines PartnershipcoreCo-founded in May 2012 by Mike Colwell of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, providing regional economic development connections and startup ecosystem access.
- Startup City Des MoinescoreCo-founded in May 2012 by Tej Dhawan and Christian Renaud of Startup City Des Moines, contributing startup community building and entrepreneurial network access.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Plains Angels competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- gener8tor: Wisconsin-based Midwest accelerator and angel-style investment network that runs cohorts and invests in early-stage startups, comparable to Plains Angels as a regionally focused, syndicate-driven capital provider for upper-Midwest founders.
- Hyde Park Angels: Chicago-based angel network funding early-stage companies across the Midwest; matches Plains Angels' model of pooled accredited investors screening and syndicating deals in a defined regional market.
- IrishAngels: Midwest-focused angel group affiliated with Notre Dame, investing early capital in scalable startups — same network-effect, member-syndication model serving a regional founder base.
- Queen City Angels: Cincinnati-based seed-stage angel network providing pooled capital and mentorship to early-stage companies, structurally similar to Plains Angels in screening, monthly meetings, and follow-on support.
- Ohio TechAngels: Ohio-based angel network investing in early-stage tech and life-sciences startups, comparable in scale, structure, and Midwest/regional orientation to Plains Angels.
- Arch Angels: Michigan-based organized angel group operating a screening and due-diligence process for accredited investors, directly comparable to Plains Angels as a long-standing Midwest angel investor network.
- Band of Angels: Silicon Valley-based angel group that pools accredited investors to fund early-stage startups, same syndication model and due-diligence workflow as Plains Angels but operating in a different geography.
Broad incumbents
- Sand Hill Angels: One of the largest and longest-running angel networks in Silicon Valley; comparable to Plains Angels in operating model but a much larger, more institutionalized broad incumbent in early-stage investing.
- Tech Coast Angels: One of the largest U.S. angel investor networks, operating regional chapters across Southern California; serves the same founder-investor screening and syndication role as Plains Angels at significantly larger scale.
Others
- Angel Capital Association: Trade and professional association for angel investor groups across North America — ecosystem-level peer to Plains Angels rather than a direct investor, but comparable as an organized angel-network entity with member-based structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Plains Angels social profiles
Digital presencePlains Angels financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plains Angels leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Plains Angels funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plains Angels M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Plains Angels
What does Plains Angels do?
Plains Angels is a curated angel investor network that connects accredited investor members with early-stage startups across the upper Midwest. The group screens entrepreneur applications, hosts monthly pitch meetings (second Mondays) with 15-minute presentations followed by Q&A, and enables syndicated investments and co-investment with regional angel groups in sectors including pure technology, manufacturing, agtech, fintech, and insurtech.
Is Plains Angels a public or private company?
Plains Angels is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Plains Angels founded?
Plains Angels was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Plains Angels based?
Plains Angels is headquartered in Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Plains Angels's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are gener8tor, Hyde Park Angels, IrishAngels, Queen City Angels, Ohio TechAngels, Arch Angels and Band of Angels. Broad incumbents are Sand Hill Angels and Tech Coast Angels. Angel Capital Association is listed as an others.
Does Plains Angels have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plains Angels.
What industry is Plains Angels in?
Plains Angels's product category is Angel Investing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its SIC code is 6282.