Angel
How to Invest in Technology, Startups--Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000
by Jason Calacanis
Recommended by Meb Faber and Jonah Lupton
Check price on AmazonProof-backed recommendation
Amazon availability
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Angel reads like a blunt, nuts-and-bolts field guide from Jason Calacanis: short chapters packed with deal anecdotes, concrete checklist-style rules, and strong opinions about what signals matter when backing founders. What works best is actionable signaling—what to notice fast and why certain founder traits attract early checks. The main limitation is tone and evidence: personal stories and advocacy for conviction-driven bets often outnumber systematic data or counterexamples. Not a hands-on course—few exercises, mostly narrative.
Read this if...
- •an aspiring angel investor writing their first checks who needs concrete screening heuristics and practical priorities for seed-stage deals
- •an early-stage founder preparing investor pitches who wants to anticipate common investor red flags and what persuades check-writers
- •a startup operator or VC associate trying to learn how conviction and speed influence seed decisions and how experienced angels think about follow-ons
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when anecdotes pile up without clear, reproducible data — repeated deal stories can feel repetitive and leave you wanting systematic analysis
- •annoying if you prefer sober, academic or evidence-led treatment of investing rather than opinionated, personality-driven advice
- •not a skills workbook — lacks hands-on exercises and templates, so it's less useful if you wanted step-by-step practice or checklists to print and use
One of Silicon Valley’s most successful angel investors shares his rules for investing in startups.There are two ways to make money in startups: create something valuable—or invest in the people that are creating valuable things.Over the past twentyfive years, Jason Calacanis has made a fortune investing in creators, spotting and helping build and...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- an aspiring angel investor writing their first checks who needs concrete screening heuristics and practical priorities for seed-stage deals
- an early-stage founder preparing investor pitches who wants to anticipate common investor red flags and what persuades check-writers
- a startup operator or VC associate trying to learn how conviction and speed influence seed decisions and how experienced angels think about follow-ons
- you'll likely put it down when anecdotes pile up without clear, reproducible data — repeated deal stories can feel repetitive and leave you wanting systematic analysis
- annoying if you prefer sober, academic or evidence-led treatment of investing rather than opinionated, personality-driven advice
- not a skills workbook — lacks hands-on exercises and templates, so it's less useful if you wanted step-by-step practice or checklists to print and use
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Business.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Jonah Lupton
“@Jason The Angel book and podcast are two of my all time favorites. I’ve listened to the book twice on audible. Tons of great advice for every aspiring angel investor. | @ekhornung @tylertringas @earnestcapital @TR401 @Jason book is great”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis. Recommended by 18 sources.
“Michael Lewis chronicles the friendship and intellectual partnership of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who championed the idea that cognitive biases shape our choices. The narrative reads like a buddy story, weaving their discoveries into personal anecdotes and the drama of their collaboration. You'll grasp key ideas—loss aversion, framing—through their story, but the book focuses on biography, not application. Helpful for understanding behavioral economics' origins; less useful if you want actionable advice. The emotional arc of their relationship can overshadow the science.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.