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Angel InvestingAngel investors are individuals who invest their personal funds in early-stage startups and businesses. They often get involved earlier than other investors, typically at the seed stage before funding rounds begin. These investors typically have a high net worth to draw from, often earned through their own past entrepreneurial endeavors. They can be hands-on in helping a company succeed—and should that happen, their equity stakes (which are typically significant in size) pay off. The term “angel investor” is thought to have originated on Broadway to describe individuals who backed theatrical productions. Angel investors kick-start unproven startups before other investors, including venture capitalists and banks, are willing to take the risk. They typically invest anywhere from $250K to $500K. Collectively, the angel investing market grew to nearly $28B in 2024, and is projected to exceed $72B within a decade.Explore Angel Investing

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More than 400 investors turned Peloton down in its initial funding roundsPeloton founder John Foley said investors rejected the company's initial funding requests because there was no clear indication of what the market for at-home fitness classes looked like. Ultimately, more than 200 angel investors gave the company its first round of cash. (Some users may experience a paywall.) Business Insider The Washington Monument was completed in 1884 after nearly 40 years of delays and funding shortagesAt the time of its completion, the Washington Monument stood as the tallest building in the world. Its construction stalled for decades due to political disagreements and the Civil War. The 555-foot obelisk cost nearly $1.2M to build (around $40M in today's dollars). National Park Service Social Security funding is mandated by law, not budgeted each year by CongressUnless Congress acts before the Social Security trust fund becomes depleted in 2034, its current revenues would cover 81% of Social Security benefits. However, that share would decline to 72% by 2099. Jefferson omitted a plan to go beyond the Louisiana Territory in his funding requestIn January of 1803, the president sought $2,500 to fund the expedition (though it likely cost closer to $50,000). The ostensible rationale for the journey was to explore the newly purchased territory, but Jefferson did not mention he wanted Lewis and Clark to go beyond the newly acquired territory for several reasons. HISTORY Hawaii is the most expensive state for funding a 40-year retirementIf someone wanted to retire by the time they were 40 years old in Hawaii, they would need to save an estimated $4,557,767. See how other states meaasure up in this article. GOBankingRates Early-stage investors say ‘no’ to the vast majority of funding pitchesAngel investor Alicia Syrett details the top reasons investors turn down entrepreneurs. For example, the entrepreneur didn’t do their homework by, for instance, not researching the investor. Tedx Talks The Erie Canal was built without a single dollar of federal fundingAfter President Madison and Congress rejected the project, New York State financed the 363-mile Erie Canal entirely on its own—authorizing $7M in bonds in 1817. Taraross Private K-12 schools rely on tuition; colleges rely on funding for researchTuition, endowments, donors, and grants often fund private schools, allowing them to eschew national curriculum standards. Private colleges and universities also charge tuition, but often rely on federal funding for research. Investopedia Seed funding is often the first round of capital that a startup raisesEarly-stage startups often try to secure seed funding from investors in order to take their idea from concept to reality. The Motley Fool Startup accelerators offer mentorship and seed funding in exchange for equityThose programs, such as Y Combinator and Techstars, not only offer expert advice to founders, but also seed funding in exchange for equity. The goal is to help young startups learn from successful companies, making it more likely they attract venture capital. Silicon Valley Bank Congressional funding for asteroid detection has long seen bipartisan supportAlthough asteroid detection is mandated by law, the NEO Surveyor telescope, which is specifically designed to detect asteroids, received more than twice the funding requested by NASA in 2023. Undark Magazine Meme stocks often have little underlying value but are fueled by crowd funding"Meme stocks" is a phrase originating in the early 2020s, referring to companies with little underlying value who gain recognition through social media and whose stock price experiences rapid gains. The Wall Street Journal No school has lost federal funding because of a Title IX violationWhile the law threatens the suspension of federal funds for schools violating the requirements of the law, it has yet to happen. Instead, the Office for Civil Rights has deemed schools working to correct the issues conditionally compliant. Justia Nearly half of the discretionary funding in the US is allocated to national defenseThe US accounts for roughly 35% of global military spending, with defense taking up nearly half of discretionary funds. In this discussion, Michael E. O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution explains why these levels are so high—and how they compare historically. Econofact How income taxes evolved from a funding tool for war into a crucial revenue source for the federal government Americans have long resisted income taxes. So, how did they become permanent? This overview explains how wartime funding needs, constitutional changes, and economic shifts gave rise to the modern tax system, from the Civil War to the payroll withholding rules we follow today. 1440 Title IX provided much-needed funding for women's sportsWhen Title IX was passed in 1972, it addressed gender discrimination in education. Although its expected impact on sports was minimal, it ended up being one of the most significant laws in women's sports history. TED-Ed J.P. Morgan provided Nikola Tesla with funding for the Wardenclyffe TowerThe structure was part of a project to transmit electricity and communication signals wirelessly across the globe. Shortly after construction began, Guglielmo Marconi beat Tesla to the punch and transmitted a trans-Atlantic signal, preventing Tesla from getting additional funding to finish his project. Smithsonian NASA and SpaceX combine public support and funding with private enterpriseRather than competitors, SpaceX and NASA are mutually beneficial collaborators. Without NASA contracts, SpaceX may have run out of funding, and without the low-cost tech of SpaceX, NASA may have been left without a US-based launch system. The Planetary Society In the last decade, cellular agriculture has attracted $7 billion worth of investor/VC funding.Can meat grown in a laboratory help save the planet? And if it can, what’s standing in our way? The New Republic Police officer salaries vary dramatically depending on where officers serveOfficer pay varies significantly across states and cities, with the highest salaries in California, New Jersey, and Washington. Factors such as local funding, cost of living, and collective bargaining agreements influence compensation. USAFacts One in seven US tax dollars is collected by local governmentsLocal governments collect about $886B each year to support education, infrastructure, and public health. Roughly three-quarters of this funding comes from property taxes, with the rest sourced from sales, excise, and income taxes. Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy See how local, state, and federal governments divide the cost of public servicesFederal, state, and local governments share responsibility for funding public services. Education, roads, and social programs are funded through a complicated mix of taxes and intergovernmental transfers. USAFacts The NSF funded the design and construction of LIGO by MIT and CaltechThe 1984 agreement between the National Science Foundation and both research institutions came four years after funding 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) and 40-meter (131-foot) prototypes. With an initial budget of $395M, LIGO was once one of the largest NSF-funded projects in history. Caltech Library Disney funded his first theme park by agreeing to host a weekly show on ABCWalt Disney was determined to open a theme park, but had numerous issues with funding. A break came when ABC offered to cover a signifcant portion of the construction, though it came with a catch: Walt would host a weekly Disneyland TV show (and provide them part-ownership of the park). Newsweek Kalshi is the first regulated prediction market in the USTwo migrant MIT students, Luana Lara Lopes and Tarek Mansour, shared an interest in hedging against uncertainty—from election outcomes to the Oscar awards. They fought hard for regulatory approval and their company now has a valuation in the billions. The platform has brought prediction markets into the mainstream. Tech Funding News The federal government sent roughly $1.1T to state and local governments in 2024Federal grants support a large portion of state and local budgets, funding Medicaid, infrastructure, education, and housing. In FY 2024, these transfers made up about 16% of total federal spending. USAFacts Madison argued that the government had no authority to regulate faithJames Madison viewed religion as a matter of individual conscience beyond the reach of the state, opposing government funding of churches and advancing a model of religious liberty based on noninterference rather than official toleration. Montpelier ‘Eureka Park’ is CES' startup hub at Vegas’ famed VenetianFor years, new ventures looking for funding and a network appeared alongside established bigwigs like Microsoft and Sony at CES. In 2012, CES created “Eureka Park,” a part of the convention where startups could congregate (some viewed it as being sidelined at the time). Producers of hit reality show “Shark Tank” scout new startups in the park every year. CES As of 2025, wave power projects remain in early research and testing phasesWaves can become a steady source of renewable energy because they do not pause like wind and solar power do. However, funding gaps and the effects of storms, salt exposure, and biofouling—mussels and other sea creatures attaching to wave machines—have presented challenges in scaling the technology beyond testing sites. Science Friday The lab coat worn on 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' is stored in the SmithsonianThe series received substantial funding from the National Science Foundation and US Department of Energy to help fulfill requirements from the 1990 Children's Television Act to support educational children's programming. The show became the first television program to run concurrently on both public and commercial broadcast stations. Smithsonian Institution Angel investors funded startups with nearly $28B in 2024Statistics about the angel investing market show that billions are spent funding early-stage startups each year. Companies with more angel interest had higher success rates. The US intervened in Latin America to block communist influence during the Cold WarFearing Soviet expansion, the US intervened across Latin America by backing coups, funding right-wing regimes, and supporting anti-communist militias—most notably in Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The Cold War Federal government supports—but doesn't run—K-12 schoolsThe Department of Education contributes about 8% of K-12 funding and administers targeted grants, civil‑rights enforcement, research, and data collection. Crucially, it is legally prohibited from directing curriculum, personnel decisions, or instructional content, leaving that control to states and districts. U.S. Department of Education 15 states offer school voucher programs, serving nearly 350,000 studentsVoucher programs direct public K–12 funding to families in the form of tuition grants for private schools and are typically targeted to low-income or special-needs students. Education Week Economists warn that private schools can negatively affect public schoolsLower public school enrollment often means less public school funding. Private school parents, however, frequently argue that public schools simply aren’t offering the right education for their children. This podcast episode investigates that back-and-forth in San Francisco, where 30% of children attend private schools, nearly three times the national figure. Bay Curious YC was partly inspired by an investor named Julian WeberY Combinator Cofounder Paul Graham’s former professor’s husband Julian Weber provided $10K in seed funding to Graham’s previous startup, Viaweb in its early days. In exchange, Weber received 10% of the company. Weber’s involvement inspired Graham to start a program where investors were more involved with the companies they contributed seed funding to. Paul Graham The New York Stock Exchange wouldn't have been made if not for municipal bond salesThe Funding Act of 1790 nationalized and consolidated the debt held by the 13 colonies to be sold off in the form of bonds. New York Stock Exchange Revenue from tariffs goes to the US Treasury’s general fundThat's also where federal income taxes go. Revenue from tariffs can be spent on almost anything the government needs, such as funding programs like Medicare or the military. Marketplace Government shutdowns halt nonessential services and furlough federal workersWhen Congress fails to pass a budget or stopgap funding, the government shuts down. This video explains which services stop, who is furloughed, and how shutdowns ripple through the economy and daily life. USA TODAY The federal budget process begins nearly a year before funds are spentCreating the federal budget starts months in advance. This resource explains each stage, showing how the president proposes priorities, Congress reshapes and approves funding, and federal agencies implement the final budget. USAGov The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 created the modern federal budgetBefore 1921, federal funding was fragmented and ad hoc. This article traces how inefficiency and postwar pressures led Congress to pass the Budget and Accounting Act, creating a standardized, centralized federal budgeting process. Brookings Scholars allege the CIA funded the prestigious Iowa Writers' WorkshopThe graduate program—which instructed legendary writers like Flannery O'Connor, Raymond Carver, and John Berryman—received funding from several CIA fronts. Some academics suggest this was in the service of promoting a realist American literature as a counterpoint to Soviet fiction. Open Culture Only 34% of Americans supported the Apollo program in 1967After a fire killed three astronauts on the launchpad of Apollo 1, the public became ambivalent about funding the multibillion-dollar program until the successful moon landing in 1969. The landers alone cost $388M, while each spacesuit cost $100,000. BBC Many startup founders pull out-of-the-box stunts to get their businesses off the groundDo you know Airbnb’s founders used cereal (yes, as in the breakfast food) to secure their initial round of funding? Or that PayPal’s founders once gave out free money to get people to sign up for the platform? These stories might be crazy, but they’re not uncommon. Business Insider Startups fundraise in 'rounds' as they prove out their business and scale When startups take on outside funding, those investments are divided into different "rounds." These rounds are catered to different stages in a startup's life cycle—a startup often needs different types of investors and amounts of funding at different stages of the business. For instance, a pre-seed investment round can include investments ranging from about $25K to $500K, whereas a Series D investment can be hundreds of millions of dollars. Rippling Unlike small businesses, startups aim to disrupt entire industriesThey also differ from small businesses in that startups have a higher level of risk, may take on outside funding from venture capital firms to boost growth, and more. NerdWallet The US has carried debt since 1791After the Revolutionary War, the US owed $75M to nations like France. Debt builds when spending exceeds revenue, funding programs, wars, and economic recovery efforts. Most debt is domestic, like Social Security bonds, with foreign nations also holding a share. 1440 Opera faces many economic problems todayOpera is a notably expensive art form, and therefore currently struggling to survive economically. Pandemic losses, reduced government funding, and dwindling ticket sales all pose a threat to its continuation. According to a recent survey, about half of the UK wouldn't feel impacted if all opera houses were shut down. The Conversation The world’s top 20 cities for startups include San Francisco In 2023, Singapore had the highest venture capital funding per capita in the world. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best place to have a startup. In 2023, PitchBook analyzed data to determine the world’s best startup city, including fundraising activity, venture capital deals, and exit value. San Francisco ranked as No. 1. See which other locales landed in the top 20 with this graphic. Visual Capitalist Elon Musk tried to make himself CEO of OpenAIAfter three years of funding the company since its 2015 launch, Musk believed OpenAI had fallen too far behind Google and proposed taking the helm. Rejected by OpenAI's other founders, Musk walked away and reneged on a $1B donation. Semafor

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