Ajo Angels Weekly is your source for lessons, tips, deals, and insights shaping startup investing in the US and Africa. Created to help Black professionals build real wealth, diversify their portfolios, and support Black startups.
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The Future of Startup Work
Bring together the brightest statups and investors discuss how companies can use AI as their first teammate.
Dates: Dec 5 2025
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Africa/Week @ Norrsken House
Africa/Week unites the leading techies & founders to spotlight the investors & tech shaping the future of Africa.
Dates: Nov 20 to Nov 21 2025
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
📘Knowledge Drop: What Really Is Angel Investing & Why The Black Community Should Tap In
Angel investing is basically this:
You’re putting your own money behind a founder early because you believe they can take something small and turn it into something massive. You’re buying a little piece of their company while it’s still young, with the goal that one day that small slice is worth big money.
Angel investing is one of the few ways to close the racial wealth gap, because it lets us get in early on the companies that could grow to be very valuable. When a small check in a Black founder can turn into $1.5M, that’s not just a win that’s how you shift a family’s entire financial reality.
And it hits two gaps at once. Black founders barely get funded, so when Black angels step in, we give them the shot the main stream investors typically don’t. They get the cash they need to grow and investors get the opportunity for a big financial win, and this way, the wealth stays in our community.
Here’s what it looks like: Black angels investor back Black founders → founders win → angels win → that money gets recycled → more founders get funded.
Example Angel Investment: Calendly
Calendly was created by Tope Awotona, a black founder who used his savings to get the company off the ground. The goal was to make scheduling meetings effortless. His dream became a reality as Calendly is now used by millions of people to book meetings.
Here’s an example of how a $2,000 investment in Calendly in 2014 paid out.
In 2014 Calendly was worth about $4M (Valuation)
$2K investment buys ~0.05% of Calendly based on that vaulation (Equity)
In 2021 Calendly was worth about $3B
What your equity is now worth after the $2k investment:
0.05% × $3B = $1.5 million
That’s the power of angel investing.