Red Stick Angels
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The Red Stick Angel Network is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innovation Catalyst, Inc., a non-profit venture development organization, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of early-stage innovative businesses into venture-ready companies by providing capital, connections and coaching. Its members are accredited investors, or "Angels," located in the greater Baton Rouge area.
Our Mission
Our mission is to organize the Baton Rouge Angels as a network in order to identify, vet, and then aggregate investment capital of its member to fund early-stage companies in Baton Rouge and throughout LA. In addition to capital, its members provide coaching and connections to support and grow its portfolio companies, thereby fostering economic development and job creation in Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana.
BE A CATALYST IN HELPING BUILD BATON ROUGE'S ECONOMY
The Red Stick Angel Network is a group of Baton Rouge-based accredited investors who have a passion for growing the Baton Rouge and Louisiana entrepreneurial eco-system by financing and nurturing early-stage companies; thereby creating wealth, jobs, tax revenue and growing our talent base.
Our members invest in seed or Series A financing rounds of companies that have a product/service that addresses a critical pain point for a large market, a high-growth business model, demonstrates an ability to raise significant follow-on capital, and a strong management team.
We avoid lifestyle and capital intensive businesses. Members of the Network are plugged into venture capital funds, universities, incubators and accelerators, and other angel network funds throughout the state so as to source the best investment opportunities.
Benefits
Regular meetings and networking with a group of committed angel investors and community leaders from the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas.
Access to investing in the top emerging businesses in Louisiana.
Opportunities to work with and receive insight from domain experts from across a broad range of industries in collectively doing due diligence, negotiating terms and mentoring portfolio companies.
Educational sessions led by knowledgeable speakers and moderators.
Ability to participate in meeting in person or remotely.
Membership to SERAF, a portfolio management platform.
How to become a member
Pay annual dues of $250 to cover the network’s operation (spouses included).
Submit an application and a member of the board of directors will follow up with you
Must be an accredited investor, as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Expectations
Lend your experience and informed opinions to the discussions surrounding potential investments
Abide by the Red Stick Angel Network Rules of Membership and Conduct (detailed on Membership Application)
To be exposed to a number of useful learning opportunities about angel investing
Deal Process
Exploration- The board of directors, and its members, will actively seek out entrepreneurs leveraging existing networks and connections.
Member Presentations- Companies management are invited to present their pitches to the entire membership followed by Q&A.
Due Diligence – With enough member interest, the network will initiate a due diligence process
Negotiate Deal- A term sheet will be negotiated, and individual members will decide whether or not to participate in the deal
Post Deal Commitment- Founders and investors will work together to make the company a success
Benefits of Joining
Access to unique investment opportunities
Pool capital and resources with local investors with diverse backgrounds and expertise
Play a role in the Baton Rouge’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Enjoy social interaction and educational opportunities
Diversification of assets
Core Investment Criteria
Proven Product - It works, there is a clear path to market, and validated customer demand.
Strong Team - Management team has a track record of execution and blends a strong vision with a high level of coach-ability.
Scalable Economics - Focus on strong gross margins, a detailed plan for capital deployment and grasp of financial levers.
Viable Exit Plan - A defined path to investor liquidity
Red Stick Angels Directors
Bill Ellison
Chairman of the Board
Bill Ellison is a serial entrepreneur, attorney, and private investor. He is also an active board member for several companies. Bill was in private practice for 20 years before pivoting to the entrepreneurial world in 2000, when he became an investor, the General Counsel and Director of a HIT start-up company. Bill subsequently became the President and CEO of the publicly traded company, which was sold in 2012. He has subsequently started, operated, and invested in several start-up companies. Bill is the CEO of Innovation Catalyst, Inc., a non-profit venture development organization, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of early-stage innovative businesses into venture-ready companies by providing capital, connections, and coaching. He is also the CEO of the Red Stick Angel Network, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innovation Catalyst, Inc., whose members are Baton Rouge based Angels who work together to identify, vet, fund and grow early-stage companies based in Louisiana. Bill graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BA and a JD.
Richard Babb
Richard Babb has over 30 years of diverse business, accounting and financial management experience, having been a Manager with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Services Group handling various venture capital clients, having been the Chief Financial Officer for Medical Science Partners, a Harvard-affiliated life science venture capital fund and as the NASD Chief Compliance Officer, for Apeiron Partners LLC.
Richard holds a BS in Business Administration from American International College and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant, and has NASD licenses Series 7, 24, 28 & 63.
Will Eglin
Will is the CFO of GMFS Mortgage, a residential mortgage lender headquartered in Baton Rouge. He has served in various operational and financial roles, including fund raising, in high growth start-up, private equity backed, and public companies. He previously was CEO of a a Baton-Rouge based healthcare Software-as-a service company and CFO of a nationwide professional services/technology company based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. While in North Carolina, he was a board member of the Research Triangle Park CFO forum-- a group of CFOs of angel backed, VC backed, and privately held growth technology and services companies. Will enjoys lending his experience to and investing in the start-up community. Will is a graduate of Louisiana State University and a licensed CPA in North Carolina.
RSAN Portfolio companies
Omnidek’s platform eliminates paper, files, folders, spreadsheets and the need for multiple apps and replaces them with electronic forms, chat and real-time data sharing and analytics. It’s intranet/extranet portal platform allows a Company to securely link with its employees, customers, vendors, etc., thereby creating a single platform enabling all stakeholder to #DoWorkTogether.
Mastery Prep develops, markets, and sells a proprietary ACT® test prep curriculum targeted to public and private schools and school districts throughout the United States.
Chris Cummings started Pass It Down with the mission of helping families collect and preserve their stories after he saw his mom battle early on-set dementia. Since launching, Pass It Down has grown into one of the world's leading pioneers in digital storytelling. The Pass It Down platform powers storytelling experiences for some of the world's top brands, cities, and cultural institutions.
Iconic Moments is the first NFT marketplace for 450,000 historical and cultural heritage institutions around the globe. The sustainable model for preservation of culture and history was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on museum closures. By the end of 2020, it was predicted that 33% of world’s cultural institutions would close permanently. Iconic Moments made these institutions less dependent on in-person visitor experiences by joining the permanence of blockchain technology and the industry’s dedication to preservation through NFTs to drive revenue and bring museums’ exhibits to life. A high-quality, limited-edition NFT inspired by artifacts and vaults from the world’s top museums is released each week, and each purchase helps to support cultural institutions while preserving the image forever on the blockchain.
RentCheck is a simple property management platform that is designed to save time on performing inspections. RentCheck allows anyone to perform inspections whether it is property owners, property managers, or residents. The application guides the user throughout the inspection process by prompting exactly what to take photos of and rating their condition. Whoever performs the inspection signs off on the final submission to state that they have completed the inspection accurately and honestly at that location. The status of all outstanding inspections and completed inspections are kept in a clear and concise user dashboard that contains all necessary details of each location.
OfficerReports, LLC is a Baton Rouge-based platform that assists security guard companies in managing their operations, service their contracts, and win new business. OfficerReports offers a security guard app and web-based platform that allows security guard companies manage their remote employees through online report submission, real-time GPS-based guard tracking software, time and attendance management software, and real-time alerts.
ParkZen’s mission is to help people locate available parking and organizations and enterprises optimize their parking operations at a fraction of the cost of other solutions available. The iOS and Android application provides real-time data to its users about parking availability and other data-driven parking analytics.