The Operator's Edge: From San Diego Angel Academy

Angel Academy Session 3 brings together a panel of San Diego operators who crossed over to the investor side - including Katherine Chapin, Dane Chapin, Ken Potashner, and Bardia Moayedi with backgrounds spanning investment banking, corporate law, and consumer products. The conversation gets honest fast: what it means to bet on a founder who introduces herself as "just a mom," why losing money on a deal teaches you more than any pitch deck, and how San Diego's open, collaborative angel community creates a fundamentally different deal flow than Silicon Valley's closed-door networks.Key Topics* Operating experience as an angel investor's real edge* The "just a mom" story: why passion beats pedigree every time* Dane Chapin's board game company postmortem and what losing taught him* San Diego's open angel ecosystem vs. Silicon Valley's closed networks* Underestimating risk: the Coin investment and what it revealed* Co-investing with spouses and building shared conviction* Why brand obsession signals a founder worth backing* Pitch contests vs. relationship-driven deal flowLinks & Resources* San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC): https://sdangel.com* SDSU ZIP Launchpad: https://ziplaunchpad.sdsu.edu* Rising Tide Partners: https://risingtidepartners.coConnect on LinkedIn* Dane Chapin* Katherine Chapin* Ken Potashner* Bardia Moayedi* Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe