The Dallas Angel Network was founded by Sammy Abdullah, Kevin Vela, Chris Koller, and James Austin. 

The DAN started because of a $450,000 equity investment in a Houston area bar that Sammy and James were involved with. They invested as LP’s and needed to turn in signature pages for the LP agreement. Kevin Vela was the attorney representing the GP. Since all three individuals were based in Dallas, Sammy and James decided to go sign their LP documents in person at Kevin’s office, so they could meet the attorney who had negotiated the deal on behalf of the GP.

While making small talk, at some point the question was posed as to how we could see more private deals like this one.  What should have been a 5 minute meeting to sign some docs turned into an hour long session about how an angel network could be formed. Chris Koller, an entrepreneur himself with a first class web design company called Idealgrowth, agreed to build The DAN’s website, gratis.  Thus, the DAN was born and incorproated June 24, 2010.