Cincinnati’s Queen City Angels Becomes QCA Ventures

Queen City Angels, formed in Cincinnati in the year 2000 and among the most established angel groups in the Midwest, has rebranded itself as QCA Ventures. According to an announcement from the group, the rebrand signals a shift from a regional angel group focused on its Ohio home, into a national venture firm supporting early-stage founders across the country. 

“We started with five investors in Cincinnati and have grown into a professionally structured venture organization with national reach," Founder and Chairman Tony Shipley said in the statement. 

The organization says it has a network that includes over 219 accredited investor members. These members are spread across 25 states and membership has reportedly grown significantly over the past 10 years. That growth coincides with an increase in deal activity outside of Cincinnati. Shipley emphasized that, "QCA Ventures reflects who we've become — disciplined investors, active mentors, and long-term partners to founders building successful, high-growth companies" adding that, despite national ambitions, "Our roots in Cincinnati remain strong." 

Since launching, Queen City Angels had deployed nearly $130 million into 123 portfolio companies, while helping bring in more than $1 billion in follow-on syndicated funding, according to data shared in their rebrand announcement.

QCA Ventures emphasizes that members tend to be hands-on; mentoring founders, serving on boards, making customer introductions, and even helping with follow-on funding. Michelle Gibbs, a co-fund manager for the group’s First Fund VII, said, "We measure our success by the success of our founders … the quality of companies we've backed … reflects both the strength of today's entrepreneurial ecosystem and the rigor of our investment process."

The rebrand formalizes what the organization says has been a gradual shift, from a city-focused angel group toward a more structured venture operation. This new setup combines pooled fund vehicles with an active syndication model. Of interest for local investors and other groups - following this change - will be whether QCA Ventures will prioritize regional versus national deal flow going forward.