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

One of the biggest myths blocking aspiring angel investors is believing you need personal connections to founders or VCs to invest in startups. This might have been true fifteen years ago. It's largely false today. Infrastructure has evolved to provide quality deal access regardless of your existing network.

This is how to invest in early stage companies without connections.

Why Connections Used to Matter

The historical model: Angel investing happened through personal relationships. You invested in companies founded by people you knew or who were introduced by trusted contacts. Deal flow came exclusively through network.

Why it worked: Startup investing was information-intensive with high transaction costs. Personal relationships provided trust, access, and information that made investments possible.

The exclusion effect: This model excluded anyone without existing startup network. Your professional background, geography, and social connections determined access more than your capital or judgment.

Who benefited: Well-connected individuals in major startup hubs with extensive professional networks including founders, VCs, and other angels.

As Elizabeth Yin, co-founder and GP of Hustle Fund, explains: "Getting deal flow & education have been the bigger blockers to date" for new investors.

Network-dependent access made these blockers insurmountable for most people.

How Connection-Independent Investing Works

The new model: Communities, platforms, and syndicates provide curated deal flow to members regardless of personal network. Institutional-quality opportunities accessible through membership rather than relationships.

What enables it: Technology reduced transaction costs. SPV structures made small investments viable. Professional infrastructure emerged to serve individual investors. Standardization simplified processes.

The access mechanism: Join community providing deal flow. Pay membership fee or per-deal fees. Access opportunities that passed institutional screening. No personal founder relationships required.

Quality assurance: Institutional curation replaces personal trust. Community's reputation depends on deal quality, creating aligned incentives.

Method 1: Angel Investing Communities

How it works: Communities partner with or are operated by venture capital firms. VC reviews massive deal volume and curates subset for community members. Quality screening happens before you see opportunities.

Example: Angel Squad is operated by Hustle Fund, which reviews 1,000+ applications monthly. Best opportunities offered to 2,000+ community members at $1,000 minimums.

No connections required: Membership is open to accredited investors. Your network is irrelevant to access. Anyone meeting criteria can join and invest.

What you get: Curated deal flow, educational programming, peer community, operational infrastructure. Complete support system without network dependency.

Investment: Angel Squad charges $3,500 for lifetime membership. Access continues indefinitely.

As Eric Bahn, co-founder and GP of Hustle Fund, emphasizes: "For beginners, a bigger startup portfolio is better. It helps with diversification and helps you learn and get reps in. Investing requires practice like everything else."

Communities enable consistent practice regardless of your existing connections.

Method 2: Investment Syndicates

How it works: Experienced investor (lead) sources deals through their network and invites others to co-invest. You leverage lead's connections rather than having your own.

The access trade: Lead provides deal access and evaluation. You pay carry (typically 20% of profits). Your network irrelevant because you're using theirs.

Quality depends on lead: Choose leads with track records you can verify. Good lead provides quality deal flow. Poor lead provides poor deals.

Per-deal participation: No membership required. Invest in specific deals that interest you. Skip deals that don't fit.

Method 3: Equity Crowdfunding

How it works: Platforms enable investments in startups by public, sometimes including non-accredited investors. Companies list offerings, investors participate directly.

No connections required: Completely open access. See available deals, evaluate, invest. No network or membership needed.

Quality consideration: Less institutional curation than communities. Companies choose to list on platforms rather than being selected. May have adverse selection (best deals go to VCs instead).

Lower barriers: Often lower minimums than other methods. Some platforms allow non-accredited investors through regulatory exemptions.

Why Community Access Often Exceeds Network Access

Quality comparison: Random network produces random quality. Community institutional curation provides consistent quality floor.

Volume comparison: Personal network produces sporadic opportunities. Community provides consistent flow enabling portfolio construction.

Diversity comparison: Network reflects your existing connections (often narrow). Community exposes you to founders across backgrounds and sectors.

Education comparison: Network provides no structured learning. Community includes programming and peer discussion.

Support comparison: Network offers no engagement structure. Community creates rhythm supporting sustained practice.

As Shiyan Koh, co-founder and GP of Hustle Fund, notes: "Great founders can look like anyone and come from anywhere."

Community access exposes you to founders you'd never meet through personal network.

Building Portfolio Without Connections

Step 1: Choose access method For most investors, community membership provides best combination of quality, support, and consistency. Angel Squad offers comprehensive infrastructure.

Step 2: Complete onboarding Join community, verify accreditation, set up accounts. Prepare for investment activity.

Step 3: Develop evaluation criteria Create personal framework for assessing opportunities. What matters to you? What's your thesis?

Step 4: Review and invest consistently Evaluate opportunities as presented. Invest in those meeting criteria. Build portfolio through consistent participation.

Step 5: Let network develop organically Through investing, relationships form naturally. Portfolio companies create founder connections. Co-investors become network. Community engagement builds peer relationships.

The counterintuitive truth: Best way to build startup network is to start investing through community, not to build network before investing.

Advantages of Connection-Independent Investing

Immediate access: Don't wait years to build network. Access quality deals immediately through membership.

Geographic freedom: Invest from anywhere. Don't need to live in startup hub.

Background irrelevant: Don't need tech industry experience or specific professional history.

Quality floor: Institutional curation provides baseline quality that random network connections don't guarantee.

Learning acceleration: Structured education helps you develop faster than network-dependent trial and error.

Common Concerns Addressed

Concern: "Won't I miss the best deals without connections?" Reality: Best deals go to top VCs regardless of your connections. Community deals are same quality that affiliated funds invest in. Your network probably wouldn't access truly top-tier deals anyway.

Concern: "Is community deal flow lower quality?" Reality: Depends on community. Angel Squad deals come from Hustle Fund's institutional pipeline. Same quality fund invests in directly.

Concern: "Will I be disadvantaged without founder relationships?" Reality: Through SPV structure, you're investor regardless of personal relationship. Portfolio company updates come through community. Relationship isn't required for investment value.

Concern: "Can I build real expertise without insider network?" Reality: Education and deal exposure build expertise. Community provides both. Network is helpful but not required for learning.

The Path Forward

If you've been waiting to build network: Stop waiting. Community access provides what you need now. Network will develop through investing activity.

If you've felt excluded from startup investing: Infrastructure has changed. Access is available regardless of existing connections.

If you're ready to start: Join Angel Squad for immediate access to Hustle Fund's curated pipeline, educational support from active VCs, and 2,000+ member peer community. No founder connections required.

Connections are nice to have but not required for successful angel investing. Modern infrastructure has democratized access. Your job is to leverage that infrastructure effectively.