Full Name
Ian Sobieski
Name of ACA member affiliation or organization
Band of Angels
Speaker Bio
Dr. Ian Patrick Sobieski is the Chairman of the Band of Angels (the “Band”), one of the first technology angel investing groups in the United States. Membership in the club is generally limited to former officers or founders of high tech companies. Since its inception, the Band has invested into 300+ early stage startup companies, often at a stage with just a few employees and a dream. While helping to create more than 5,000 jobs, 62 of these Band investments have been acquired for a profit to investors and 15 went on to have IPOs on the Nasdaq or NYSE. Ian has been a founding partner of several Band related seed venture funds, and was a partner at Labrador Ventures, a $150m early stage venture fund. Ian has served on more than twenty boards of directors; has been a frequent speaker, lecturer, and commentator in entrepreneurship and startup issues in the Silicon Valley and nationally. He is the author of a dozen technical publications and is a former lecturer in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of California at Berkeley.
Ian received a Ph.D. and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University where his thesis described a new approach for collaborative design optimization among various engineering disciplines. Prior to his Ph.D. he worked on aspects of an anti-missile system design system for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Ian has undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech where he earned BA in Philosophy and a BS in Aerospace Engineering. Ian is a founding board member of the Angel Capital Association and is a member of the Venture Capital Network, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Eagle Scout Association, and the National Ski Patrol Alumni Association. Because he likes history and hiking he is a lifetime member of the West Point Inn Assoc. and because he likes sailing he is a lifetime member of the Sausalito Cruising Club and a member of the Sausalito Yacht Club. Ian served from 2013-2019 on the Board of Directors, of Meals on Wheels of San Francisco; which provides more than three million meals a year to homebound elderly residents in San Francisco. He continues on the Honorary Board.
In 2020, Ian was elected to the Sausalito City Council and currently serves as its Vice-Mayor.
Ian is a proud first generation American, the son of Polish immigrants who left communism for the hope and promise of America.
A few random web links from:
https://www.entrepreneurship.org/learning-paths/financing-your-venture-angel-investment
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ian-patrick-sobieski/
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.1996-715
Ian received a Ph.D. and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University where his thesis described a new approach for collaborative design optimization among various engineering disciplines. Prior to his Ph.D. he worked on aspects of an anti-missile system design system for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Ian has undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech where he earned BA in Philosophy and a BS in Aerospace Engineering. Ian is a founding board member of the Angel Capital Association and is a member of the Venture Capital Network, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Eagle Scout Association, and the National Ski Patrol Alumni Association. Because he likes history and hiking he is a lifetime member of the West Point Inn Assoc. and because he likes sailing he is a lifetime member of the Sausalito Cruising Club and a member of the Sausalito Yacht Club. Ian served from 2013-2019 on the Board of Directors, of Meals on Wheels of San Francisco; which provides more than three million meals a year to homebound elderly residents in San Francisco. He continues on the Honorary Board.
In 2020, Ian was elected to the Sausalito City Council and currently serves as its Vice-Mayor.
Ian is a proud first generation American, the son of Polish immigrants who left communism for the hope and promise of America.
A few random web links from:
https://www.entrepreneurship.org/learning-paths/financing-your-venture-angel-investment
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ian-patrick-sobieski/
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.1996-715
Speaking At
