“There’s always risk, but there are lots of opportunities, great opportunities to be had,” Grant said. The majority of her group has a connection to the tech world, so when an inexperienced angel joins they’re able to provide training and mentorship.

In 2010, some of the angels in Grant’s group invested in a little-known messaging app called Kik Interactive Inc. from Waterloo, Ontario. This past August, Kik scored a $1 billion valuation after receiving a $50 million investment from Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Navarro said he often hears the back-and-forth between older investors and younger entrepreneurs who both say the other group doesn’t know what it’s talking about.

“Wealthier angel investors complain a lot about the young guys who think they know it all,” Navarro said. Then the young entrepreneurs complain about the older investors who don’t get the technology, he said.

“Both are right to a certain extent and both have a lot to learn from each other,” he said.

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