Angel Investor
An individual investing personal money into early-stage startups.
Angels invest their own capital, typically at pre-seed and seed, in amounts from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand. They decide alone, which makes them faster than funds.
The best angels bring more than money: operating experience in your sector, introductions to customers, and credibility with later investors. An operator angel who has built something similar is worth more than a passive cheque of the same size.
Angels do not have a fund's follow-on capacity. A round built entirely of angels can leave you without anyone able to support the next one.