Why I'm Thankful for this Angel Investor

The other day, I was writing about having nearly 100 angel investors. This is definitely one of the achievements I'm most proud of since founding Localeur in January 2013. I'm not sure who first used the term "angel" when describing individual investors who backed early-stage startup founders, but it's certainly true for my lead investor Walt Schoenvogel.

One year ago this morning, Walt passed away suddenly.

I remember finding out like it was yesterday. I had just finished an amazing brunch at A-Frame, one of my favorite restaurants in LA, with Blavity founder-CEO Morgan DeBaun, then-500 Startups investor Monique Woodard and longtime friend James Andrews, who'd recently made the move from Atlanta to LA.

After brunch, I left my rental car in Culver City and tagged along with James to his house by the coast and THRONE founder-CEO Emeka Anen came by to hang out on the beautiful Sunday afternoon, too. We were on the patio talking about the unique moment we're in as blacks in tech, we were talking about fundraising, we were talking about how impressive Morgan is (truly, we were, which is funny because nearly a year later she just announced a $6.5M Series A round) then I heard my phone ringing in the next room. I ran to my phone in the kitchen and looked to see who was calling and saw the name Sally Schoenvogel. I'd known Walt's daughter Sally since working for a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. over a decade ago. We worked closely together - literally in a "war room" if you know what that is - for about six months in Pentagon City and established a rapport that I assume teammates feel when they win sports championships together or when guys go through Basic Training in the military together.

Still, my stomach sank almost immediately upon seeing her name on my phone. I answered and from the initial tremble in her voice, I knew my stomach wasn't wrong. She barely made it through the call, but I am so thankful that she had the grace to call me in that moment when I'm certain she was very much still processing it all herself. I was set to fly back to Austin that night, and something about knowing I had a flight home later helped me keep it all together until I got to LAX. James dropped me off at my rental car in Culver City, then I drove to LAX. Then I completely lost it before I could even make it through security.

I'm sure we've all been in the airport at least once and seen some person crying uncontrollably. Maybe you've assumed it was sadness at leaving a loved one for an extended trip. Maybe it was a breakup. Maybe it was the loss of a parent. For me, it was unexpectedly losing my lead investor; a man I'd come to trust so deeply that he was the person I relied on when I realized my co-founder and I needed to part ways.

Walt stepped up and made it possible for me to structure a stock repurchase and exit agreement with my co-founder that rewarded him for his contribution in our earliest years while allowing me to maintain my position as CEO and clean up the cap table. People often ask me how I manage 100 investors. Well, for starters, with a steady supply of information. I seldom let a week or two go by without emailing my investors. Secondly, I choose carefully with regards to whom I initially share incredibly sensitive information that could lead some to act out of fear or concern (for their own investment moreso than the company as I learned with two investors I had to buy out of the company awhile back) instead of empathy and understanding. I told Walt about the potential founder breakup just three months after he first invested. That's how much I trusted him. He re-invested - a check that ended up being the largest single check in company history - a few months later.

Since then, I’ve seen both his wife Charlyn and his daughter Sally on multiple occasions, and each time I find myself completely blown away by the strength they’ve shown in the absence of such a special and irreplaceable man. Charlyn is still the model of grace and joy I first encountered when I met her in Paris a couple summers ago when they were celebrating their 40th anniversary, and Sally remains one of those humble, brilliant people I can't ever leave a meeting without thinking to myself, "man, I need to work with her again one day...shit, whom am I kidding, I need to work for her one day."

I only had the benefit of knowing Walt for a year and a half, but in that little time he came to become one of the biggest influences on my life. He simply seemed to live life on a level I assume people like Oprah, Richard Branson and the Obamas live on where there's nothing left to prove and you simply go about your day appreciating life to the fullest and giving good energy. Since Walt's passing, I’ve found myself investing even more deeply into myself emotionally and spiritually be it seeing my therapist, going for long solo drives or checking into my Bible app multiple times a day.

But what’s truly remarkable is how many times in the last year I’ve felt Walt's presence. Again, I only knew him for a year and a half, so I'm sure anything I'm feeling pales in comparison to what Charlyn and Sally and his family must feel, but on numerous occasions I've felt like he's out there finding ways to send me a signal or support me from afar. Over the last year, I’ve felt a guiding hand with various challenges and decisions I’ve needed to make with Localeur. I'm so thankful to have so many investors in Localeur, and that one may just be an angel.

I don’t question God’s decision in taking Walt from his family and friends so soon. And I don't question that he's still present in the lives of his loved ones to this day. I've gotten really good at spotting angels.