Sam Sezak '98 remembers the moment when he first conceived of Red Bear Angels (RBA). He was invited to serve as a judge at an Entrepreneurship at Cornell (eShip) event in 2012. "I gladly accepted, as I love to return to Cornell and stay connected to a place that is very near and dear to my heart," he says.
RBA member Meghan Cross '08 and venture capitalist Howard Morgan PhD '68 at a pre-pandemic RBA event at Union Square Café.
Angel investing connects entrepreneurs with "angels"-experienced, successful, and passionate investors who are eager to support them. At the time, angel groups were just taking off at some of Cornell's peer institutions, and the eShip event included a panel discussion on this topic. "The lightbulb went off," Sam says. "I was kind of amazed that no one had launched a Cornell angel group yet."
Today, Red Bear Angels is an active community of 1,000+ Cornell entrepreneurs and about 100 active investors. Over the past nine years, RBA has made 30 investments, including several "unicorns"-the industry term for investments that are now valued at over $1 billion. These include Lyft and Trumid, as well as GrokStyle (acquired by Facebook) and Datalogue (acquired by Nike).
RBA connects Cornell entrepreneurs to a select network of alumni who are looking to invest in startups. RBA members include seasoned executives, investors, and innovators who can offer founders advice, insights, and capital across a breadth of industries. In return, RBA investors gain access to early-stage, high-potential investment opportunities.
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