Angel Fest 2025 | Groove Capital

Angel Fest is an energetic conference empowering and connecting early-stage investors from Minnesota, and beyond. Angel Fest is the region’s marquee annual investor conference.

For the first time ever, Angel Fest 2025 will bring you an immersive two-day experience packed with valuable content and opportunities. Join us on May 8 & 9 for an unforgettable opportunity to connect with thought leaders, engage in interactive sessions, and network with hundreds of fellow investors shaping the future.

It’s no surprise the Bay Area dominates venture capital news, but that isn’t always reflective of what is happening in other startup markets. Angel Fest brings together regional and national thought leaders to discuss and explore early-stage investing trends and best practices, while adding regional context.

Angel Fest is designed to inspire, educate, and connect early-stage investors regardless if they are LPs, fund managers, solo angels, or investing through an angel network. Both current and aspiring early-stage investors will find the conference to be time well spent.

Headliners

Invisible Threads

In an era where personal data flows ceaselessly through the labyrinth of the internet, preserving privacy has become an unprecedented challenge. Joe Toscano, a Featured Expert in Netflix's The Social Dilemma, will lead a spotlight talk discussing how startups and their early-stage investors can derive business value while protecting privacy and understanding how in a modern digital landscape data is a currency.

Lessons from 100+ Checks

Re-inventing the wheel may be a hobby for some, but learning to angel invest from scratch isn’t necessary. Daren Cotter will share his learnings after writing 100 checks to help early stage investors get smarter with their approach. Daren founded a tech company in his dorm room which he bootstrapped and grew for the next 20 years. In 2019, he sold that company. Daren started angel investing in 2013 as a personal hobby, then as a full time career in 2021.

Panels

Dilly Dilly

This diligence conversation will be a fast-paced, no-nonsense panel where top investors across the region pull back the curtain on their due diligence process. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at what truly matters when evaluating startups. You can expect candid insights, some straight-up wisdom, and plenty of actionable insights.

From Rookie to Rainmaker

Get ready for an unfiltered, free-flowing conversation where seasoned investors share their hard-earned wisdom, while fresh voices bring new perspectives to the table. From deals that got away to what motivates new angels to jump in, this panel is all about the stories, lessons, and what drives them—no filter, no script.

More speakers and panels will be announced soon!