2015 ACA Summit

Request for Proposals for Breakout Sessions
Submission Deadline: Monday, December 1, 2014 

ACA is trying something new this year in developing the ACA Summit agenda – we’re asking members, partners, and past attendees to suggest breakout sessions for the event.  This is your opportunity to not only suggest topics, but also to suggest speakers and how the topics will be presented.  We’re seeking your best education session ideas that are designed for angel investors, with varying levels of investment experiences and in a variety of sectors.

2015 ACA Summit Basics:

  • Date and Location:  April 14-16, 2015 in San Diego, California
  • Attendees:  700 people, with 80 percent being angel investors mostly from North America, with some from other parts of the world.  Other attendees include representatives of partner and sponsor organizations and guests from the startup support ecosystem.  The program is not open to entrepreneurs.
  • Event Purpose:  Gold standard professional development for angel investors to build their investing expertise and support of promising entrepreneurs – from deal selection through exit and to learn about trends and new ideas in early-stage investing.  The ACA Summit is also an environment to network with smart investors to build relationships for future sharing of ideas and investment knowledge and opportunities.

Registration and Travel Info

ACA members selected to lead sessions are able to register for the ACA Summit at the reduced rate of $450 and are responsible for all related travel costs. Speakers in selected sessions may also receive the reduced registration rate, with the ability to bring in some outside experts with complimentary registration, both at ACA’s discretion.

Selection Process

Please submit your session ideas by December 1, 2014. You will receive an automatic confirmation of your submission. Please keep this confirmation in your files. You will be notified by January 2015 on the status of your submission.

The ACA Summit committee will select sessions submitted from members and combine that with other sessions and keynote speakers.  We anticipate a highly selective process for our committee to review and choose from among the many excellent submissions we receive. If you should happen to be a presenter in more than one session that is chosen, it is highly likely that you’ll be asked to only participate in one of those sessions in order to maximize the number of speaking opportunities for others. 

Make your proposal stand out.  The committee will put a preference on current ACA members and partner organizations during the selection process, in addition to quality, innovative ideas, fit with ACA member needs, and session structures that go beyond “panels”.  ACA members have spoken and they like to see sessions that have a variety of structures – debates, audience-wide discussions led by a moderator, one speaker lectures, etc. – and which include lots of interaction with the audience.

Session Leader Expectations

If your session proposal is accepted, all content leaders are expected to meet all posted dates and deadlines. We reserve the right to make adjustments to any session that does not meet deadlines.  Upon acceptance, ACA may modify the session title and description to fit our marketing style and format guidelines for the purpose of the brochure, website, and onsite guide. You will have the opportunity to approve and edit.  ACA also reserves the right to approve speakers and suggest new experts for selected sessions.

Questions:  If you have questions please contact Marianne Hudson at mhudson@angelcapitalassociation.org.

View the RFP as a PDF