10 Feb Newly appointed President Paul Nolde shares insights on his vision for the non-profit club and how CAV Angels is working with UVA alumni. Check out the Q&A below.

Q: Why is it important for you to be involved now in your role as board president? 

CAV Angels, because of its virtual member engagement model and the steadfast leadership of its cofounders, is thriving during a time when other angel groups are experiencing significant challenges. We have the opportunity to emerge from this pandemic as a premier angel network, considering our diverse and expansive member base, the strategic guidance provided by our noteworthy board, and most importantly the quality of deals that UVA alumnae and affiliates bring to us. With this growth, though, comes the need for greater operational excellence and streamlined diligence processes. Given my experience running a venture capital fund, I hope to bring some best practices to CAV Angels in this role as president.

Q: What’s your future vision for the non-profit club?

My vision is fairly straightforward, and shared by CAV Angels’ cofounders: to become one of the most active angel groups in the country, as well as one of the most esteemed alumni angel groups. If we can achieve those things, that means the other parts of the whole – educating members, attracting proprietary deal flow, returning multiples on invested capital, supporting alumni founders, etc. – are working in concert and efficiently.

Q: You are a self-proclaimed passionate UVA alumni. How do you want to engage with the alumni community? How are you in service to them in this role?

I see my role as president of CAV Angels as a chance to be an ambassador for the group to prospective and existing alumni members, whereby I’m their advocate on the board as well as in ensuring (along with the cofounders) that CAV Angels delivers to them the most relevant educational programming and promising investment opportunities. Similarly, I hope that UVA-affiliated founders will see this role as an indication of how committed CAV Angels is to investing in their success through counsel, connections, and capital. UVA alumni investing in UVA alumni can have a powerful network effect on many levels, not the least of which is showing how the alumnae of one of the nation’s premier public universities are changing the world.