Brian Nichols is the co-founder of Angel Squad, a community where you’ll learn how to angel invest and get a chance to invest as little as $1k into Hustle Fund's top performing early-stage startups

Angel investing used to require fat checks and connections. $25K minimums, Silicon Valley zip codes, and a Rolodex full of founders. Not anymore.

The biggest shift in early-stage investing has been communities that let you start with $1,000 instead of $100,000. These aren't glorified newsletters. They're structured programs combining education, deal access, and community support to help new investors actually learn while they invest.

Why Angel Investing Communities Exist

Silicon Valley is full of micro-angels investing $1K checks. As Elizabeth Yin, co-founder of Hustle Fund, explains: "My biggest learning (that I wish I'd learned in my 20s) was that there are a lot of angel investors in Silicon Valley who are investing $1k checks. Previously, I'd thought that you need to be investing $25k+ checks in order to be an angel investor."

The problem was never the money. It was access to deals and education about how to actually invest well.

Traditional angel networks solved deal flow but not education. You'd get introduced to startups, but nobody taught you portfolio construction, founder evaluation, or why most investments return zero.

Angel investing communities fix both problems at once.

What Makes a Good Community

Not all communities are equal. Some are just Slack channels. Others are full educational programs with structured curriculum.

The best offer three things. First, consistent educational programming teaching you how venture math works. You need to understand that most startups fail, 2x returns don't matter, and portfolio construction is everything.

Second, access to quality deal flow with proper context. Understanding why experienced investors think a deal is interesting, what risks exist, and how it fits broader market trends.

Third, a community of peers who are learning. Angel investing is a long game. Your first investments won't exit for years. Having other investors to discuss decisions with matters tremendously.

Angel Squad structures programming around these principles. Weekly virtual events cover everything from founder pitches to investment deep dives. Members get access to Hustle Fund's deal pipeline (over 1,000 monthly opportunities) and can invest alongside the fund with $1,000 minimums.

Investment Minimums and Portfolio Strategy

Here's the uncomfortable truth: you need to lose money to make money. Most investments will return zero. That's not pessimism, that's math.

So if most fail, how do you make returns? Portfolio construction. You need enough companies that winners can cover losses and still generate returns.

As Yin notes: "The way to combat lots of losses is to invest in a lot of cos to diversify your portfolio. One of the biggest mistakes new investors make is thinking they can really pick well & putting a big chunk of cash on 1 co. Don't try to pick a co. Select a portfolio."

Low minimums matter tremendously. Writing $1,000 checks instead of $25,000 checks means building a portfolio of 20-30 companies with the same capital. More shots on goal means better odds of catching a meaningful winner.

Think about it: investing $100,000 into four companies at $25K each is wildly risky. But $100,000 across 100 companies at $1K each? That's a real portfolio with statistically better odds of catching a breakout.

Learning While You Invest

Nobody knows what they're doing at first. Even experienced VCs make bad calls. The difference is they've developed frameworks for thinking about risk, understanding markets, and evaluating founders that improve their hit rate.

You get better by doing it repeatedly with reflection between decisions.

The best communities build this learning into their structure. Angel Squad runs educational sessions where investors hear from experienced VCs about evaluating specific aspects. One month it's unit economics, another month founder dynamics, another competitive positioning.

This "learn first, invest second" model separates communities that develop investors from those that just facilitate transactions.

Eric Bahn, co-founder of Hustle Fund, emphasizes building reps: "And for beginners, a bigger startup portfolio is better. It helps with diversification to mitigate downside risk. It helps you learn and get reps in. Investing requires practice like everything else. So you have to see a lot and invest a lot to get better."

Feedback loops matter. You invest based on hypotheses, then watch them play out over 6-12 months. Did the founder execute like expected? Did the market develop as predicted? Was your thesis right or wrong, and why?

Most new investors skip this reflection. They make a decision and move on without analyzing what they got right or wrong. Communities that structure ongoing learning help you actually improve.

Geographic Flexibility

One of the best parts about modern communities is that geography doesn't matter.

Ten years ago, you needed to be in San Francisco or New York for deal flow and investor connections. Today, the best communities operate virtually with members across dozens of countries.

Angel Squad has over 2,000 members in 40+ countries who've collectively invested more than $30 million. They host virtual events at different times for global time zones, and all educational content is recorded.

This matters if you're outside traditional tech hubs. You can participate fully without relocating to the Bay Area.

Finding the Right Community

Start by getting clear on your goals. Learning about startup investing? Building a track record to raise your own fund? Supporting founders in your industry? Making returns? Your answer shapes which community makes sense.

Look for transparent track records and experienced leadership. Who runs the program? What investments have they made? How do they help members learn?

Pay attention to member profile. Experienced investors or beginners? Operators who've built companies or pure investors? The best learning happens with a mix of experience levels.

Check cost structure. Some charge membership fees, others take carry on investments, some do both. Understand what you're paying for and whether the value matches.

Finally, talk to current members. Ask what they've learned, what deals they've invested in, and whether they'd recommend it. The best signal is members who've been active for multiple years.

Getting Started

Start small and be honest about your experience level.

Most communities welcome beginners, but you'll get more value being upfront about what you don't know. The people who struggle pretend to understand venture math or portfolio construction when they're actually confused.

Set a realistic annual budget. If you're starting out, $10,000-20,000 per year spread across 10-20 companies is reasonable. This gives enough exposure to learn while keeping downside manageable.

Participate actively in educational programming before writing checks. Attend workshops, read materials, ask questions. The goal isn't becoming an expert overnight. It's developing enough understanding that early decisions are informed rather than random.

Angel Squad offers a straightforward entry: join the community, participate in weekly events, and start investing in interesting deals with $1,000 minimums. You get access to the same opportunities Hustle Fund evaluates, plus educational programming designed for newer investors.

Whether you join Angel Squad or another community, choose one prioritizing education alongside deal access. You're not just looking for startups to invest in. You're looking for a structured way to develop as an investor while building your first portfolio.