Coming soon in Spring 2027

The $1,000 Angel

Finding the Next Uber Before It Goes Public

By Elizabeth Yin

This book uncovers the secret to Silicon Valley: the large number of small but enthusiastic angel investors who write $1000 checks. We’ll talk about how to invest in great companies without being super rich or famous.

The $1,000 Angel: Finding the Next Uber Before It Goes Public by Elizabeth Yin book cover
Elizabeth Yin

About the author

Elizabeth Yin

Co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund

Elizabeth is a former founder turned investor. Before Hustle Fund, she was a partner at 500 Startups, where she invested in seed-stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator.

Previously, she co-founded LaunchBit, an adtech company acquired in 2014. Her perspective in The $1,000 Angel comes from reviewing ~100k pitches and backing 1000 startups.

The big idea

Winged pixel-art hippocorn flying on a rainbow

Learnings from backing 1000 companies

This book is a condensed set of learnings and stories from seeing ~100k pitches across the last decade and investing in 1000 of those startups.

I break down everything from portfolio construction to returns to sourcing and what to look for and much more. The $1,000 Angel explains the power-law math behind early-stage investing and why early-stage angels look for outcomes that can return 100x.

Inside the book

The counterintuitive lessons in angel investing

Take 50+ shots on goal

Your best shot at successful returns for an early stage portfolio is 50-100 investments over 5-10 years.

BIG exits drive returns

Because of high failure rate, you need BIG multiples to drive returns in your portfolio. Not 2x but 100x or more.

Great deals look weird

The best opportunities rarely look obvious at first and even for years. Learn what I look for in founders and ideas before traction.