SoCal Loses TCA’s Luis Villalobos
October 2nd, 2009 by Benjamin KuoLuis Villalobos, founder of the Tech Coast Angels, passed away yesterday, leaving a huge whole in Southern California’s technology and angel community. Luis — who regularly emailed me when I was late sending out my daily email — exemplified some of the traits which make So Cal’s angel community an asset to entrepreneurs here. No, it’s not the investment dollars, it was the advice, guidance, mentoring, and help he gave countless entrepreneurs. Not only have I seen what Luis has done with local startups, but I even pitched him myself on an opportunity and saw how he operated–clearly looking not on “pass or go” on a deal, but instead, “how can we make this company a success”, “who can we bring in that can help this firm,” and “how can we help this entrepreneur get to the next level?” His interest went beyond even that, and how to help the local technology community grow. Frank Peters has a tribute he put together on his podcast.