Pasadena Angels

Entrepreneurial small businesses are major engines of job growth and key players in the commercialization of new technologies. However, most entrepreneurial ventures fail to achieve their goals. Among the most common reasons for such business failures are the inability to execute sound business plans and to access capital funding, particularly at critical early stages of a company's development. Affiliated as Pasadena Angels, Inc., a nonprofit entity, the organization offers early-stage companies the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of more than 100 experienced entrepreneurs, senior corporate executives, and skilled professionals from a variety of industries and venture capital affiliates. Approximately 80 companies from a broad range of industries are screened each year by Pasadena Angels members and are provided with invaluable counsel, including insights into developing business and financing strategies that are achievable and fundable. Companies also benefit from the group's feedback and the opportunity to connect with individuals who may offer more specialized expertise and advice. The organization's members provide up to $1 million in early-stage financing and seed money to emerging technology-based ventures located in Southern California. The group cooperates with other venture capital firms and angel investment groups to support companies that are raising between $1 to $5 million. Pasadena Angels members invest individually and directly, without any legal pooling of financial resources. The corporate entity, Pasadena Angels, Inc. does not invest or act as an investment agent in any manner. Pasadena Angels charges no fees and provides its services to companies which it believes have a significant potential for success and the potential to benefit from an association with the organization.

William J. Battison

Director Emeritus

James S. Bennett

Director Emeritus

56 past transactions

UNest

Seed Round in 2019
UNest is an app democratizing access to smart financial solutions for all families. It helps parents build a better financial future for their children. In five minutes, you can open a UTMA account for your child and no paperwork is required. All members receive access to advisor-guided investment plans, the app's simple gifting feature, UNest Rewards and they can easily set up recurring contributions. In 2018, Ksenia Yudina founded UNest in North Hollywood, California.

MyShape

Series B in 2007
MyShape.com is an online retail store created for you. Personalized stores (called myShop) search for and display clothing matched to a shopper's specific measurements, body shape and preferences.

Yapert

Angel Round in 2014
Yapert is headquartered in San Diego and operates MyFvs, a pop culture portal and community for millennials. MyFvs curates the most popular visual content from across the social world including music, entertainment, sports, fashion, fitness and lifestyle interests. By directly working with content creators such as media companies, brands, entertainers, and musicians, MyFvs also offers exclusive, behind the scenes content.

dotstudioPRO

Seed Round in 2019
A Robust Video Syndication Ecosystem powered by technology. Serving the Content Owners demand for audience, with Online Publishers demand for more content. dotstudioPRO is a disruptive video management and monetization platform. We make it painless for content owners and publishers to monetize across devices and platforms, with transparency.

Spine Align

Private Placement in 2020
Spine Align, LLC develops patent-pending imaging technology that enables 3D, full-length quantitative measurements of spinal alignment in surgery. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

H2scan

Series B in 2004
H2scan Corporation is headquartered in Valencia, California, and was formed September 18, 2002 through an MBO with capital assistance from Vancouver-based Chrysalix Energy Limited Partnership and Ravinia Venture Fund. The company was created upon the purchase of all sensor assets of DCH Sensor Corporation. Ballard Power Systems Inc., Shell Hydrogen, and Duke Energy formed Chrysalix (www.chrysalix.com) in July 2001. This Partnership has since been joined by The BOC Group, BASF Venture Capital, The Mitsubishi Corporation. The fundamental technology of H2scan sensor systems was developed by the U.S. National Laboratory at Sandia. H2scan has significantly improved upon this technology through US patents and manufacturing trade secrets.

AnyMeeting

Angel Round in 2013
AnyMeeting offers a full-featured web conferencing product designed and priced for small business, including a completely free ad-supported option. They provide all the features a small business needs – including 6-way video conferencing, conference calling, built-in VoIP, screen sharing, presentation sharing, video sharing, recording, mobile, social media integration, webinar ticketing, and more – in one, easy-to-use package. Their software is completely web based and runs inside a web browser. That means no annoying downloads required for your attendees, unlike with many of their competitors. Attendees can join with just a single click on the meeting link. It’s lighting fast and super easy. AnyMeeting costs less than major competitors, starting at just $18/month for meetings with up to 25 attendees, and $78/month for webinars with up to 200 attendees. Of course, there's always the completely free ad-supported option that allows you to host meetings or webinars with up to 200 attendees.

Vydia

Seed Round in 2016
VYDIA, Inc., doing business as VYDIA, develops and operates a centralized platform for video creators to manage their content. The company allows music creators, video creators, and agencies to publish, protect, monetize, and distribute their visual content through its platform. The company offers services, such as monetization analytics, multi-network publishing, rights management, VYDIA mobile, and agency accounts. The company serves multi-platinum artists, social influencers, independent musicians, breakout discovery acts, and entertainment outlets. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Freehold, New Jersey.

Vydia

Seed Round in 2014
VYDIA, Inc., doing business as VYDIA, develops and operates a centralized platform for video creators to manage their content. The company allows music creators, video creators, and agencies to publish, protect, monetize, and distribute their visual content through its platform. The company offers services, such as monetization analytics, multi-network publishing, rights management, VYDIA mobile, and agency accounts. The company serves multi-platinum artists, social influencers, independent musicians, breakout discovery acts, and entertainment outlets. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Freehold, New Jersey.

Breadware Inc

Seed Round in 2018
Breadware enables innovative people (producers, product owners, companies, innovators, and brands) to to build meaningful value in an internet-connected world. Breadware provides tools constructed to help companies engaged in product development to move fast, identify quality technology partners for their needs, and kickstart their development process within industry best-practices. With Breadware, companies spend less time navigating and managing a complicated, high-risk ecosystem and more time implementing well-planned IoT initiatives.

Allylix

Venture Round in 2007
Allylix, Inc., an early stage biotechnology company, develops terpene products and their derivatives for the flavor and fragrance, food ingredient, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and biofuel markets. Its products comprise nootkatone, which is a grapefruit flavor that is used in fruit juices and citrus flavored sodas. The company also develops sesquiterpenes that are part of aroma chemical segment of the flavor and fragrance market; and production platforms for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agricultural markets. Allylix, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is based in San Diego, California with research and development laboratories in Lexington, Kentucky.

Ocular Data Systems

Venture Round in 2017
The DAX™ Evidence Recorder is the successor to the Hawkeye HGN Trainer and is manufactured and marketed by Ocular Data Systems LLC, an affiliate of Visionetx, Inc. The DAX™ device captures eye movements as evidence supporting police officers administering the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST). DAX™ consists of a goggle-like frame that allows law enforcement officers to manually test the eye movements and responses of a subject, while directly observing eye responses and capturing these responses in 'live' video using infrared cameras. The subject's captured eye responses can then be stored and played back for instructor critique in training or for evidence in conviction.

Kitterly

Seed Round in 2019
Kitterly, Inc. retails knitting and crochet kits online. The company offers kits in the areas of adult socks; baby, child, and women cardigans; hats, pullovers, and vests; baby blankets, dresses, and socks; blankets, booties, camisoles, and capelets; child dresses and shrugs; and women pullovers. It also provides cowls, dog sweaters, dresses, fingerless gloves, fingerless mitts, gloves, hats, headbands, infinity scarves, legwarmers, mittens, ornaments, ponchos, pullovers, rompers, shawls, shorts, shrugs, skirts, sleeveless pullovers, socks, toys, tunics, and wraps; and unisex cardigans and hats. Kitterly, Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Ranker

Venture Round in 2013
Ranker, LLC operates as a digital media company provides rankings online. It offers rankings on people, such as actors, celebrity facts, historical figures, musicians, and politicians; entertainment, which include anime, gaming, movies, music, and TV; sports that include athletes, baseball, basketball, football, and soccer; culture, including food, relationships, travel and thought provoking; and channels. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Ondax

Series E in 2010
Ondax was founded in 2000 by a team from the California Institute of Technology and the University of Bonn. Ondax built a manufacturing infrastructure for high volume production to produce Volume Holographic Gratings. The Volume Holographic Grating has many advantages over thin film and fiber Bragg gratings. The narrow-band filtering capability in reflection mode (0.1 nm) over a large aperture (25 mm) is unique. This unique filtering technology is used in high-power laser diodes wavelength stabilization, beam combining, astronomy multi-line filtering, and spectral imaging.

Audioscribe

Venture Round in 2012
Audioscribe offers real-time speech recognition software for court reporters and medical transcription activities.

Ready, Set, Food!

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Ready, Set, Food! Manufactures and sells packet food for infants. It offers its products through online. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Encino, California.

Seatrec, Inc.

Private Placement in 2020
Seatrec, Inc. operates in the technology sector. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Pasadena, California.

Fluid Power AI

Series A in 2020
Fluid Power AI is installed on a hydraulic system to monitor its health status and predict failure in real-time. The company was founded by Jose Gomez and Francis Toglia and is based in Redding, California.

Xeal

Seed Round in 2021
Xeal provides EV charging solutions for apartments, condos, and workplaces. Xeal offers charging solutions from installation, cloud-based EV charging management solutions to mobile applications for apartments, condos, and workplaces. Its mobile application provides features to find, track, and reserve the charging points, thereby allowing users to charge their car from anywhere and for property owners to earn passive income and cut CO2 emissions.

C360 Technologies

Series A in 2017
C360 Technologies, Inc. manufactures non-stitched immersive video products for broadcast and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. The company offers cameras and workstation that connects directly with broadcasters backhaul with multiple live HD-SDI outputs and enhanced replay systems for real-time broadcast production. C360 Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

Atlas Powered

Seed Round in 2012
Atlas is a time management and collaboration platform for mobile that centralizes all your calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes making collaboration on mobile shockingly simple - no email required. Currently, Atlas is focusing on the $150B Direct Selling Industry that has more than 92 million independent salespeople worldwide. Founders have deep domain experience and relationships. Atlas is a LaunchpadLA company. Learn more at: http://angel.co/atlas.

Seatrec

Seed Round in 2020
Seatrec is a clean energy company creating solutions for energy production from temperature differences under the ocean water. Founded in 2012 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec has developed technology from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to provide infinite power for oceanographic research equipment including floats and gliders. By implementing Seatrec’s revolutionary technology, researchers can extend the life of the equipment, benefit from significant cost savings, and power more sensors resulting in greater data collection and insights with zero emissions and waste.

MyLabBox

Seed Round in 2018
At myLAB Box we believe the way we think, talk and test for STDs is long overdue for a change. Our new service, the Safe Box, is the first-ever e-commerce service empowering users to take control of their sexual health with easy and affordable at-home screening solutions.

MyShape

Series C in 2008
MyShape.com is an online retail store created for you. Personalized stores (called myShop) search for and display clothing matched to a shopper's specific measurements, body shape and preferences.

Ranker

Series A in 2011
Ranker, LLC operates as a digital media company provides rankings online. It offers rankings on people, such as actors, celebrity facts, historical figures, musicians, and politicians; entertainment, which include anime, gaming, movies, music, and TV; sports that include athletes, baseball, basketball, football, and soccer; culture, including food, relationships, travel and thought provoking; and channels. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

VantageILM

Series A in 2007
VantageILM, Inc. develops and markets integrated loan and lease management software products to finance companies, lenders, leasing, credit unions, and independent banks. Its on-demand loan management solution integrates origination, servicing, collections, recovery management, analysis and reporting, document management, collateral management, and accounting in a single platform.

Spine Align

Seed Round in 2020
Spine Align, LLC develops patent-pending imaging technology that enables 3D, full-length quantitative measurements of spinal alignment in surgery. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Tot Squad

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Tot Squad is a marketplace that connects new parents with health, wellness and safety services both virtually and in person. We're a one-stop shop in the $46B "New Mom Economy" consolidating the highly fragmented providers of services like car seat installation, babyproofing, and lactation consulting. Our car seat installation services can be found on Amazon and Walmart as an add-on with a car seat purchase.

PhatNoise

Series A in 2003
PhatNoise provides digital media solutions that enable individuals to introduce digital content into automobiles to enhance the consumer entertainment experience. It was founded in 1999 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

EventHub

Pre Seed Round in 2021
EventHub offers event organizers three products: A virtual expo product for virtual and hybrid programming, a sponsorship marketplace that matches events with potential buyers, and a dashboard that streamlines b2b partner management. PRODUCT OVERVIEW: Virtual Expo: the product offers organizers a virtual venue to stream content and feature sponsor and exhibitor booths, facilitating real-time engagement with attendees via embedded video chat. Sponsorship Marketplace: Events showcase sponsorship and booth opportunities to tens of thousands of active buyers such as brands, marketing agencies, and independent businesses. Management Dashboard: The tools streamline sponsor and booth applications, payments, paperwork and logistics along with sponsor/booth inventory management and live floor plan tie-ins.

JobSync

Series A in 2011
JobSync creates an intuitive interface for your existing applicant tracking system to make it more user-friendly for your recruiters and hiring managers.

HappyDesk

Angel Round in 2014
HappyDesk’s Sharing-space-as-a–service (SSaaS) software platform is transforming the way shared spaces are sold, accessed and serviced. Think of HappyDesk as the “Uber” for the $11 billion shared space category. Just as Uber’s technology connects riders and drivers, HappyDesk easily connects people and shard spaces – everywhere. . Shared space providers of all shapes and sizes, leverage HappyDesk’s white label e-commerce, CRM, billing, proposal, door access and marketplace to increase engagement by providing seamless access to shared spaces and services like never before. The result: providers have a software solution that enhances the customer experience, increases revenue and reduces administrative time and money. Space seekers like HappyDesk because of the endless amount of shared spaces and related services they can search, buy and access. Direct engagement between provider and seekers has never been so easy or transparent.

Veristride, Inc.

Seed Round in 2015
Veristride, Inc. designs and develops shoe-based sensor technology which measures and provides active feedback on the users movement. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in South Salt Lake, Utah.

Rosalind

Convertible Note in 2017
Onramp BioInformatics provides software, services, and systems that empower biotech companies, researchers, and doctors. It is focused on accelerating Precision Medicine by enabling researchers and clinical deployments with end-to-end software, systems, and services for genomics analysis and interpretation. OnRamp Bio provides ROSALIND, the first-ever genomics analysis platform specifically designed for life science researchers to analyze and interpret datasets, without any prior bioinformatics skills. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

H2scan

Series D in 2008
H2scan Corporation is headquartered in Valencia, California, and was formed September 18, 2002 through an MBO with capital assistance from Vancouver-based Chrysalix Energy Limited Partnership and Ravinia Venture Fund. The company was created upon the purchase of all sensor assets of DCH Sensor Corporation. Ballard Power Systems Inc., Shell Hydrogen, and Duke Energy formed Chrysalix (www.chrysalix.com) in July 2001. This Partnership has since been joined by The BOC Group, BASF Venture Capital, The Mitsubishi Corporation. The fundamental technology of H2scan sensor systems was developed by the U.S. National Laboratory at Sandia. H2scan has significantly improved upon this technology through US patents and manufacturing trade secrets.

TherMark

Series A in 2006
TherMark Holdings founded as TherMark Corporation in 1996, has grown to be an expert in laser marking technology. TherMark's patented laser marking process quickly produces permanent, high-contrast, high-resolution marks on a variety of surfaces including metals, ceramics, glass, porcelain, nylon, marble, granite, stone, and some plastics.

EZ-Apps

Venture Round in 2008
EZ-Apps is building winning web applications. They own every application they build but prefer to share ownership with partners. They are US based with a global reach that has enabled us to secure and support a large, international and diverse customer base. All development work is done in house, in the US. Their track record speaks for itself, from their very first application, which helps protect the London Underground, to their most recent application which is the world's first electronic parking validation system.

Numira Biosciences

Series A in 2007
Numira Biosciences, Inc., a contract research organization, provides imaging services for disease research, drug discovery, and pre-clinical studies in animal models. It offers Virtual Histology for soft tissue imaging applications, such as atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, heart defects, pulmonary diseases, developmental biology, and phenotyping; and high-resolution bone imaging tools to analyze and characterize the skeletal anatomy and bones of animal models. The company also provides image processing and visual analytics solutions; AltaViewer visualization software, a visualization tool for use in non-clinical environments to view, manipulate, and export images of small animal datasets for research purposes; and imaging chamber, a multi-modality imaging chamber that facilitates the co-registration of anatomical and functional images by means of sequential multi-modal imaging.

FanBread

Convertible Note in 2014
FanBread disrupts how media brands are built by introducing technology solutions that enable efficient content creation, distribution, and monetization. Its platform utilizes data and predictive analytics to match new media brands to the most relevant freelance content producers and facilitates the collaboration required to create high-quality original content. It was founded in 2014 and headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Allylix

Series C in 2010
Allylix, Inc., an early stage biotechnology company, develops terpene products and their derivatives for the flavor and fragrance, food ingredient, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and biofuel markets. Its products comprise nootkatone, which is a grapefruit flavor that is used in fruit juices and citrus flavored sodas. The company also develops sesquiterpenes that are part of aroma chemical segment of the flavor and fragrance market; and production platforms for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agricultural markets. Allylix, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is based in San Diego, California with research and development laboratories in Lexington, Kentucky.

OptionEase

Angel Round in 2007
OptionEase is the market and technology leader in on-demand accounting compliance solutions. More than 350 companies ranging from small privately held start-ups to large multi-national public corporations are using the OptionEase compliance solution to comply with the complex regulation of FAS 123(R) and manage their equity plans.

UNest

Private Placement in 2019
UNest is an app democratizing access to smart financial solutions for all families. It helps parents build a better financial future for their children. In five minutes, you can open a UTMA account for your child and no paperwork is required. All members receive access to advisor-guided investment plans, the app's simple gifting feature, UNest Rewards and they can easily set up recurring contributions. In 2018, Ksenia Yudina founded UNest in North Hollywood, California.

Capillary Biomedical

Seed Round in 2018
Capillary Biomedical is a medical device startup developing technologies for diabetes management. They aim to dramatically simplify glucose monitoring and insulin delivery, reducing the burden on both patients and the overall healthcare system. The company is based in Irvine, CA and is a spin-out of the Artificial Pancreas Center at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

Edufii

Series A in 2014
Edufii develops and operates a cloud-based coaching platform and skill development network. The company's product includes TrainingSpaces, which allows capturing technique, drills, and recaps with videos, photos, audio, and text at course, court, field, and gym, also it allows feedback import from training aids and technologies. The company's customers include golf pros and academies; fitness and mental trainers; baseball coaches; soccer coaches; and physical therapists. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California.

Essenvia

Seed Round in 2023
Essenvia is an online software to streamline pre and post-market workflow for medical device companies by streamlining plans or activities to market, improving cross-functional collaboration, and automating steps to manage initial and subsequent device modifications.

Progressive Beverages

Series C in 2005
Founded in June 2002, Progressive Beverages LLC is an importer and marketer of premium distilled spirits from Asia. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Progressive is the first and only American brand owner to commercialize soju in the mainstream U.S. market. Soju, which means “fiery spirits,” is a traditional Asian liquor with product characteristics similar to premium vodka or gin. Soju is the best selling spirits category in the world with annual worldwide sales of over $14 billion (200 million cases) in 80 countries. Soju outsells vodka almost 4 to 1 on a worldwide basis, but is relatively unknown in the U.S. Progressive is changing this lack of awareness in the American market with two outstanding products: Tori Kai Premium Soju and Han Soju. Discover why Progressive and its soju products have the American wine and spirits market buzzing.

myLAB Box, Inc.

Private Placement in 2018
myLAB Box, Inc. provides STD testing and screening solutions and kits. The company offers test at home kits for chlamydia and gonorrhea, trich, human immune virus, human papillomavirus, genital herpes, syphilis, hepatitis C, and mycoplasma and urea plasma, as well as extra genital tests and condoms. It offers products online. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Seatrec

Seed Round in 2020
Seatrec is a clean energy company creating solutions for energy production from temperature differences under the ocean water. Founded in 2012 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec has developed technology from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to provide infinite power for oceanographic research equipment including floats and gliders. By implementing Seatrec’s revolutionary technology, researchers can extend the life of the equipment, benefit from significant cost savings, and power more sensors resulting in greater data collection and insights with zero emissions and waste.

Nevados

Seed Round in 2016
Nevados Engineering, Inc. designs and manufactures solar single axis tracker system for solar energy field. Its system enables ground-based installation virtually on any terrain, and helps solar developers to increase location site options, eliminate major costs of construction, and maximize power generation. The company also helps solar project developers and contractors by decreasing the complexity necessary to design, install, and operate commercial, industrial, and utility-scale systems. Nevados Engineering, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Episona, Inc.

Seed Round in 2017
Episona's first product, Seed, is an epigenetic test for male infertility focused on decreasing cost and time to pregnancy for those seeking fertility care. Clinically, Seed can identify 1) hidden male factor in cases of unexplained infertility and 2) epigenetic patterns that strongly associate with poor embryogenesis. Episona is led by an experienced team of medical doctors and scientists, with world-class expertise in both epigenetics and human reproductive health. The company began operations in 2013 and is headquartered in Pasadena, CA. For more information, visit https://episona.com.

Seatrec, Inc.

Private Placement in 2020
Seatrec, Inc. operates in the technology sector. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Pasadena, California.