By: Marianne Hudson, ACA Executive Director

Need compelling reasons to come to the 2017 ACA Summit?  Here are eleven reasons you need to travel to San Francisco on April 26-28.  Sure, ACA will share some of the content from the event with members afterwards, but there are many things you can only get by actually being there:

• The vibe.  ACA members are loud – in a very good way.  They love to share real stories and best practices that make a difference in your returns.  The sound of voices at an ACA Summit reception is truly unique and well, loud.

• San Francisco.  Seriously, this is an amazing town.  You’re in the world-wide center of angel and venture investing, but also in a beautiful city with fantastic food, shopping, and adventure.  Take a cable car over the hills and see the seals at Pier 39.  Eat great chocolate the Ghirardelli Chocolate factory.

• Meet the Royal Family of Venture Capital.  The Summit opens on April 26 at 3:00 with the Draper family. Inc magazine doesn’t call the Drapers this for no reason.  Bill Draper was one of the founders of Silicon Valley, and son Tim has been a prolific investor in companies like Skype, Box, Tesla, Twilio, Twitter and Athena Health (among many more).  Tim’s adult children Jesse, Adam, and Billy continue the investing tradition with their own twists.  Get the chance to ask them questions about how the three generations invest together, the changes in early-stage investing they see, and what best practices should endure even as our industry evolves.

• Share your expertise in roundtables.  All attendees can speak and ask questions during the Top Ten Roundtables on the afternoon of April 27.  If you’re not in San Francisco, you can’t be part of these discussions among everyone in the room.

• Exciting, interesting companies.  All under one roof, you can talk with great companies – some members have invested in companies participating in the Innovation Showcase.  It’s easiest to consider startups when you meet their CEOs.  Also meet the finalists for the Luis Villalobos Award for innovation.  Three past winners have had $100+ million exits recently.

• Latest insights on how DC impacts your investing.  Discussions on big issues like health insurance and tax reform are happening at a very fast pace – and these could have a huge impact on your investing.  Keynote and session experts will help you sort through what the Trump presidency means for your portfolio.

• Follow your own path – and get all the info.  The Summit has five tracks, with content meeting the different needs of all angels.  There are tracks for new angels, really experienced ones, science & tech investors, angel group leaders, and new ways and models.  Pick a track or pick your own set of sessions across tracks.  The session speakers are experts and quite diverse.

• Connect with keynoters.  The other keynoters at the Summit are kick-*** too.  Cindy Whitehead led a $1 billion exit with funding all from 160+ individual investors.  Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein are legendary VCs who are putting their money into diversifying the tech sector. Dr. Morton Grosser shares the history and future of Silicon Valley.  Swati Chaturvedi gives insights on deep science opportunities like artificial intelligence, cleantech and the intersection of computing and biology.  Don’t miss the chance to talk with these leaders and others.

• Expand your network.  This is a great place to connect with old friends, but also make new ones.  You can go home and continue collaborating with them on deals and ideas to take care of problems that are keeping you up at night.  Set private meetings with other angels using our mobile app, 2017 ACA Summit (download in any app store, after you register). 

• Advance look at The American Angel.  This report on the demographics and investment activity of individual angels will come out later this year – but we’ll provide an advance peek at some of the most interesting findings on April 26.

• Visit wine country after the Summit.  How fun is it to tour Napa or Sonoma Valley with your spouse – or angel friends?  You’re just a short ride away from the best wines in the US. (Just be careful driving back.)

Angels, don’t wait.  Register now for the ACA Summit before prices go up, and make sure you get a hotel room under the ACA room block.  This is two and a half action-packed days with thought leading angels – where you come back with ideas that you can use in a practical way.  You’ll have fresh perspectives to share with your colleagues.