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Experienced angel investor Daren Cotter pulled back the curtain on building an early-stage portfolio. His talk was a practical, grounded look at how to think strategically as an angel investor. He spoke about the necessity of diversification. Daren emphasized building a portfolio that spreads risk and increases the odds of success over time. One of his most powerful tools? A single, guiding question, “If everything goes right, can this be a big company?” This simple yet profound question forces investors to consider not just potential, but scale and ambition. Daren’s thoughtful approach highlighted the importance of clarity, realism, and long-term thinking in early-stage investing.
May 8, 2025
Speaker: Daren Cotter
Angel Fest is an immersive 1-day conference empowering and connecting angel investors from Minnesota, and beyond. Angel Fest is the region’s marquee annual investor conference.
For more information, visit https://www.groovecap.com/angelfest.
In 2000, Daren Cotter founded a tech company in his dorm room, which he bootstrapped and grew for the next 20 years. In 2019, he sold that company. Daren started angel investing in 2013 as a hobby, then as a full-time career in 2021. He had a portfolio of about 100 investments, mostly in B2B SaaS, Marketplace, and Consumer Tech/Internet sectors, and mostly in Midwest-based companies.
