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Building a company isn’t easy, and neither is selling one. Hear from local entrepreneurs-turned-Tech Coast Angels investors about the trials and tribulations they faced selling their own companies.
TCA is the largest angel investment group in the country that has fueled new innovative companies since 1997, with one of its most active memberships in San Diego.
Read more about the entrepreneurs featured on the podcast below:
Moderator Dean Rosenberg received funding from TCA in an early phase of a past business and has been an angel ever since. Since exiting, Dean has been an active member of the organization and is currently working as COO at Powur.
Nii A. Ahene sold his company, CPC Strategy to Tinuiti, which had grown organically without any external funding. Nii capitalized on the growing internet market to foster this growth and continues to do so at Tinuiti.
Alessandra Lezama holds an impressive selling record with four completed in the last 20 years. Alessandra talks about how each sale requires a different approach, but negotiation is key regardless. Recently, she started TOOTRIS, which is working to make childcare affordable, convenient, and on-demand.
Mike Wilson sold his family’s business AdvisoryWorld Financial Technology. He explains how they were not preparing to complete a sale when several of the company’s clients reached out with interest. It was eventually acquired by LPL Financial, where he currently serves as Executive Vice President.
Al Bsharah sold Email Copilot twice, with the intention of only landing at Seismic. The technology was sold to Return Path, but was ultimately acquired by Seismic, where almost all of his team still works. Al talks about how his goal is to keep the entrepreneur vibe, even at larger companies.
Tim Rout brought WiFi to military bases across the country with a previous company and was recently recruited to do the same for national parks. Access Parks has seen large growth in the past year as people have shifted to spending more time outdoors during the pandemic.
Keep up with TCA:
Twitter: @Techcoastangels
Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.