Keiretsu Forum

Private forum of international members comprising an angel investment network

Keiretsu Forum
Formation	2000; 24 years ago (2000)
Founder	Randy Williams
Purpose	Bring together angel investors and entrepreneurs
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Region served	Cities in America, Asia and Europe
Members	53 Chapters
Website	www.keiretsuforum.com

Keiretsu Forum is a private group of international members comprising an angel investor network. The network has 53 chapters in cities in three continents, these include San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Paris France, Istanbul Turkey, and Chennai in India. The network was founded in 2000 by Randy Williams in San Francisco.

History

In 2008, Williams started the Keiretsu Forum Investor Capital Expo, which brings together angel investors and entrepreneurs looking for funding. It started in Silicon Valley/San Francisco for the Northern California Investor Capital Expo and occured each year.^[1] Investor Capital Expos have been hosted in cities including: Stockholm, Seattle, Sydney, Toronto, Prague, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Referral Fees Controversy

Keiretsu Forum operates using a referral model that charges entrepreneurs and startups significant fees for the opportunity to pitch to the network members, a practice that is strongly discouraged in Angel Capital Association guidelines.^[2] In 2009, tech investor and author Jason Calacanis criticized several investor networks, including Keiretsu, as operating pay to play schemes.^[3]

He also established Open Angel Forum as an alternative investor network that doesn't charge fees. Williams subsequently clarified Keiretsu's policy of waiving fees for startup companies that have limited capital and no revenue.^[4]

References

^ "Investor Capital Expo". Investor Capital Expo. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
^ "ACA Guidelines on Fees".
^ My Latest War: Angels Who Charge Startups To Pitch
^ "Calacanis Bludgeons Angel Group Keiretsu Forum Into Submission". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11.