Central Texas Angel Network

10/16/2026

Another round of CTAN Angel Speed Mentoring in the books!

We brought together startup founders and experienced angel investors in our network for a morning of practical advice and new connections.

From fundraising and pitching to business strategy and growth, founders had the opportunity to ask questions, get direct feedback, and learn from investors who have been on both sides of the table.

A big thank you to our CTAN members who volunteered their time and expertise, and to the founders who joined us ready to learn!

Interested in getting involved with CTAN as a founder or angel investor? Learn more at ctan.com.

Founders, there are two days left to apply to CTAN's last funding cycle of 2026. Submit your applications at ctan.com before Sunday, October 18 at 5 pm CT.

10/15/2026

Join Perkins Coie and CTAN for Get Your Company Investment-Ready: A Founder Lunch & Learn with Venture Capital Lawyer Dan Austin of Perkins Coie.

​On October 27, spend an hour with a seasoned Startup & Venture Capital lawyer who helps Founders and their companies raise money from angel and VC investors every day.

What we'll cover:
• Little-known strategies that can maximize your return at exit
• Common mistakes that can destroy startup value
• Funding mechanics every founder should understand

​Whether you’re just starting out or gearing up for your next funding round, this session will equip you with key insights to give you a competitive edge.

Founders, save your seat! https://luma.com/l5fwwvc7

10/14/2026

CTAN angel investor Ilmo Lounasmaa is sharing his expertise during Austin Tech Week!

Hosted by Softlandia, The AI-Native Product Playbook for Growth Stage Companies is a practical workshop on improving how teams develop products with AI, featuring guest Varun Kerof (ex-DoorDash, Amazon), Fractional CPO at Spin.

Designed for startup and growth teams, this workshop is part of the official Austin Tech Week program.

While not a CTAN-hosted event, we're glad to see our members contributing to education across the Austin startup ecosystem.

Learn more and register:

This workshop is organised by Softlandia as part of Austin Tech Week and requires an Austin Tech Week ticket. No ticket? Tell us about you, your company and…

10/14/2026

Founders, CTAN's last Angel Speed Mentoring of 2026 is this Friday!

Get direct feedback on your business from experienced angel investors in our network.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984835728093?aff=oddtdtcreator

10/09/2026

What does going through CTAN's investment process mean for a startup? Hear it from our portfolio company, Milkify.

"CTAN is one of the best 'bang for buck' investment networks an early stage founder can invest their time in. Not only is the average check size more than worth it, the network's stellar reputation also acts as a 'multiplier effect' for your round. Successfully getting through CTAN's rigorous diligence process signals to other investors that your startup is ready for the big leagues, and the group's deep connections across syndication networks generates significant visibility and potential leads. I'm grateful we got the opportunity to work with the CTAN folks, as we actually came out of their process as a stronger company. I highly recommend CTAN to any founder building something meaningful!" - Pedro Silva, Co-Founder & CEO, Milkify

We're proud to have Milkify in the CTAN portfolio and appreciate their recommendation to fellow founders.

Founders, CTAN's final funding cycle application deadline of 2026 is October 18. Apply at www.ctan.com.

10/08/2026

Accredited investors, you're invited to join the Central Texas Angel Network for a poker tournament!

Join us Thursday, October 15 for the first annual CTAN Poker Tournament: an evening of poker, friendly competition, and a chance to get to know the investors behind one of the most active angel networks in the country.

♠️ October 15 | 5:30–8:30 PM
💰 $100 buy-in
🏆 Custom CTAN championship belt for the winner

Only a handful of non-member seats are available.

Accredited investors can request a seat here: https://luma.com/gage24v2

10/08/2026

Not every investment is a winner, and CTAN members have the stories to prove it.

In our 𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝐼 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑊𝑎𝑦 panel moderated by Gary Forni, CTAN members Laurie Cercone, Jeff Peterson, Bill Gaines, and Dave Blake shared with the group past deals that went wrong and decisions they would make differently today.

A couple of top takeaways:
𝟏. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦.
"You just gotta be honest with yourself and not try to kid yourself that they're better than what they actually are. And so there's been a couple deals over the years where I like the technology, but I just could never really get comfortable with the team, and ultimately have not made the investment. And in those situations, I'm glad that I didn't make the investment." - Jeff Peterson

𝟐. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞.
And the thing you learned going forward? "Probably the biggest thing is to do due diligence with a group." - Dave Blake

These are the kinds of conversations CTAN members get to have regularly, learning directly from investors who have been there and done it.

Want to get in on sessions like these? Learn more about CTAN at ctan.com.

10/02/2026

OpenAI, Perplexity and Runtime Ventures on one panel made for a pretty good Thursday night!

CTAN and Pillsbury Law presented 𝐶𝑦𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝐼, featuring Drew Hintz of OpenAI, Kyle Polley of Perplexity and Dave Endler of Runtime Ventures, with Gary Forni moderating.

We kept the conversation focused on cybersecurity from an investor’s seat: what to look for during due diligence, what level of security is realistic for a five-person startup, what boards should expect from management, how AI is changing the equation for attackers and defenders, and where new investment opportunities may emerge.

A standout from the night came from Kyle, who shared his Top 10 security expectations for a startup. Want the list? Email [email protected] and we’ll send it your way.

Valeska Pederson Hintz and Ed Cavazos from Pillsbury kicked off the evening and hosted us at Pillsbury’s Austin office. Thank you to Ed, Valeska and the entire Pillsbury team for presenting this event alongside CTAN, and to Drew, Kyle and Dave for sharing their time and perspective with a great room of investors.

10/01/2026

CTAN was in Georgetown today for Launch GTX, organized by the City of Georgetown Economic Development as part of Texas Venture Fest.

Gary Forni and Katelyn Bentley led our Pitching to Angels 101: Think Like an Investor workshop, breaking down how investors evaluate a pitch, what information matters most, and how founders can communicate their business clearly.

We appreciated the thoughtful questions from the founders in the room and the opportunity to share a look at the angel investment process.

Thank you to the City of Georgetown Economic Development team for including CTAN in this year’s Launch GTX.

10/01/2026

Two more weeks until our Cycle 5 Virtual Info Session! This is the CTAN's last Funding Cycle of 2026.

Founders, if you're planning to apply for funding in Cycle 5, you don't want to miss this session on Tuesday, October 13 at Noon CT.

Learn about CTAN's Funding Cycle process
Upcoming deadlines
Live Q&A with CTAN members

RSVP in Eventbrite to attend the virtual session: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1538193140089?aff=oddtdtcreator