Sierra Angels
Apply for Funding
Lake Tahoe seen from a snowy Sierra Nevada overlook, with pine trees in the foreground and mountains across the water

Reno/Tahoe and Las Vegas

Nevada's angel investors since 1997

Sierra Angels is a network of 50+ high-net-worth families, Fortune 1000 executives, and exited founders investing in early-revenue seed-stage companies across Nevada and the American West.

Apply for FundingBecome a Member
Investing since
1997
Companies funded
100+
Member families
50+
Cycles a year
5

Get to know us

Founded in North Lake Tahoe in 1997.

Our group leads and follows. We syndicate with funds and other angel groups, mentor founders, and make introductions that help companies grow.

Members invest individually and through SPVs.

What started as a Tahoe group now runs in two cities at once. Cycle meetings are held simultaneously in Reno/Tahoe and Las Vegas, with members joining virtually from anywhere, and the companies that pitch come from across the country.

The check is only part of it. Members have built and sold companies of their own, and founders get that operating experience and their networks along with the capital.

Granite boulders along the clear blue shoreline of Lake Tahoe under a bright sky

How a cycle works

Three companies per cycle.

The selection committee screens each cycle's applications down to three finalists who pitch live to the full membership.
  1. 12

    Quarter-finalists

    Screened from the cycle's applications.

  2. 6

    Semi-finalists

    Pitch virtually, two weeks before the meeting.

  3. 3

    Finalists

    Pitch at the live pitch meeting, in Reno/Tahoe or Las Vegas.

See the full process and 2027 schedule

For Founders

Raising your seed round?

We back seed-stage companies with early revenue and high quality founding teams.

How funding works

For Members

Invest alongside experienced angels.

Members invest $20K-$100K+ per year across multiple startups, in person and virtually.

Explore membership

Partner network

Part of a wider network of angels.

Sierra Angels are founding members of the Angel Capital Association. We syndicate with funds and partner angel groups, including:

Ecosystem and policy

Building Nevada's startup ecosystem.

Beyond investing, members work on education and policy that help founders in Nevada.
  1. 2021SB-9Nevada Legislature: blue sky law update.
  2. 2023AB-75Nevada Legislature: Nevada Certified Investor law.
  3. 2023AB-77Nevada Legislature: Right to Start.
  4. 2023Angel Capital Association national conventionHosted in Las Vegas.
  5. 2025AJR-8Nevada Legislature: Nevada expert business courts.
  6. OngoingTeaching at UNR and UNLVColleges of Engineering and Business.
  7. OngoingUNR Honors College leadership
  8. OngoingIP commercialization and licensingWork with UNR and UNLV.
Snow-dusted Sierra Nevada peaks rising beyond the deep blue water of Lake Tahoe

Building something?

Apply at least 4 weeks before a pitch meeting.

Apply for Funding

Any Nevada or Delaware C-Corp can apply, wherever you are based; regional proximity is a bonus, not a requirement.