Gil Bickel, Chairman, says that 2013 was a recordbreaking year for the St. Louis Arch Angels. The early-stage investment group infused more than $8.5 Million into 25 local startups between January 2013 and the end of the year. This latest round of investments brings the Arch Angels total invested to-date to $40M since its inception in 2005. Of the companies funded in 2013, 16 were first-time Arch Angels investments, receiving more than $3.8M in funding. The remaining seven companies are follow-on investments from prior investment years. Arch Angels’ investments in 2013 run the gamut from companies working to make railroad crossings safer (Island Radar) to finding a better treatment for atrial fibrillation (Cardialen) to helping bands better interact with their fans (Tunespeak). Several of the companies Arch Angels invested in during 2013 were also Arch Grants recipients, ITEN Mock Angels graduates, BioGenerator funded, and Capital Innovators graduates. “Arch Angels provides a significant amount of funding to these companies at a critical stage in their growth,” said Arch Angels founder, Gil Bickel. He also complimented the local not for profit organizations, governmental units, the private equity funds, the Chambers of Commerce who have all helped to build the infrastructure to allow the Angels to play their part in the growing startup spirit in St. Louis.
