JumpStart Inc.'s Ray Leach, a frequent guest on the Show, joins AOL's Steve Case, Yahoo's Jerry Yang and others on the new National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Read the press release.

FastIgnite's Simeon Simeonov published this article a few days ago and it continues to attract a lot of attention. In case you missed it:

Recently confirmed reports state that San Diego Police have opened a homicide investigation into the suspicious death of Tech Coast Angel member John G. Watson. His body was found in his home on June 8th. Early reports spoke only of the death of a happy bachelor with an enthusiasm for angel investing and his daily ocean swim regimen. Later reports state that Watson was "a victim of fraud and embezzlement. An individual who is suspected of those crimes has been arrested and is currently being held by the San Diego Police."

Steve Flaim, Tech Coast Angels' San Diego President, earlier wrote, "John had a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry at Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Vestar, Inc., Galagen, Inc., Carbomed, Inc. and Ionian Technologies, Inc. He joined TCA in 2008 and quickly became an important part of the BioMed Track pre-screening committee here in San Diego. He was elected to the San Diego Board of Directors in 2009."

It's about time, I know.

Here's the new iPhone applet to access the Frank Peters Show audio content. You'll find it a convenient way to listen while away from your desk.

Bookmark it to your iPhone, select "Add to Home Screen" and call it FP Mobile.

Speaking of your desktop, the app expects the iPhone's Safari browser, so spare me the bug reports that it won't load in Chrome or IE.

My team, AlcoGum, wins 3rd Place in the UCI Business Plan Competition!

Finishing 'in the money', AlcoGum proposed a bubblegum to determine blood alcohol content. It's byline: Safe to Drive? Chew on It! Who wants to carry a battery operated breathalyzer when they're going out with friends for the evening, but a pack of gum? Now you're talking.

Does it work? Too soon to tell, but it seems quite do-able. The team had the clout to pull through with day jobs at Edwards Lifesciences, Allergan, Goldman Sachs and a dentist for good measure.

Congratulations to Ana Sengupta, Charlie Chand, Jonathan Kuo, Anna Chand, David Chun and Tim Patz. Now, where to celebrate?

According to the 2009 Angel Market Analysis released by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire, deal size was down 11% in 2009. Other tidbits:

"Angels decreased their investments of seed and start-up capital, with 35 percent of 2009 angel investments in the seed and start-up stage, a decrease of 10 percent from 2008."

"Mergers and acquisitions represented 54 percent of the angel exits, and bankruptcies accounted for 40 percent of the exits in 2009. Annual returns for angel's exits (mergers and acquisitions and IPOs) were between 23 percent and 38 percent, however, these returns were quite variable."

Could your startup use $20k in Seed funding? Austin's Capital Factory is gearing up for its second year and applications are due by April 2, which is quickly approaching. Five lucky companies will get $20k in cash, $20k in services and 20 mentors over 10 weeks! Listen to Joshua Baer describe the process. Apply today!

Hi Frank,

I'm listening to your show over a year now, and it's my most favorite podcast! For me it's enlightening to hear insights about the US and worldwide angels. I hope to meet you personally when you are visiting Germany. Until then I'm looking out for your podcast, interesting interviews and thoughtful questions! Thank you very much!

Lets talk about http://asana.com - a bay area internet technology company which raised 9 Mio. USD within three days. When I'm looking at the Angel Investors it seems to be the elite. My question (as an German entrepreneur without knowing how this system works internally) is: How are these deals made? What is the most important factor?

With kind regards, Birger Hartung

Last night I had the honor of speaking at the Entrepreneurship Course for Scientists and Engineers at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCIrvine. It was my 3rd year in a row presenting to this class. My friend Goran Matijasevic instructs and brings in a speaker a week to address the students. I can relate to this audience and we all shared a few laughs.

Last night's topic: An Angel in LA, a blend of my entrepreneurial journey mixed with dance photography and stories of the Tech Coast Angels.

Check out the schedule; all the guest lectures are free and open to the public.

See me in Austin on April 21st for the Texas Entrepreneur Funding Symposium. I'll keynote.

Check out Silicon Valley Bank's Lauri Lumenti Garty: Portrait of a Modern-Day Boostrapper.

He has a little more spring in his step today after charges were dismissed in his options backdating trial. The Los Angeles Times called it "a dramatic twist" when US District Judge Cormac J. Carney decided his transgressions were not a crime.

Henry Samueli is the billionaire co-founder of Broadcom and he's used his wealth, in part, to contribute to many local charities in Orange County. The Schools of Engineering at both UC Irvine and UCLA bear his name. Listen to how he created his empire.

Show #264 (43:36) Listen

At Luis' memorial celebration, Howard Miller is one of the first to speak.

Show #258 (08:56) Listen

Register today
8 Dec 2009 the Puerto Rico Venture Forum in San Juan

Westlake Village based Maverick Angels announced today its alliance with Intesa SanPaolo Bank, Italy's largest bank and among the largest financial institutions in Europe to create a new angel investor network based in Milan. Read press release.

I hope Italian Angels for Growth Managing Director Marco Villa knows what he'll be dealing with. Listen to my interview with Maverick Angel founder John Dilts. Jason Calacanis has had a lot to say about Keiretsu and Maverick; can't wait to hear his take on this.

Wait... no fees to pitch? See comment from John Dilts.

This morning Marianne Hudson, Executive Director of Angel Capital Association announced a partnership with New York City based Angelsoft. As "official deal flow and collaboration software partner" to ACA, each member angel group will continue to enjoy free use of the software.

As part of the new relationship, ACA proposes the "creation of a Users Group to work with Angelsoft to standardize and improve the platform's features, processes, and protocols". Those ACA members wishing to participate in the new user group are invited to apply.

Read full text.

FROM TORONTO

Is Keiretsu Forum preparing to file suit against Jason Calacanis?

It started last week when Mahalo founder Jason Calacanis fired a shot across the bow of angel groups, like Keiretsu and Maverick Angels, that charge entrepreneurs fees to present. We're talking big fees, too: $3500 for Maverick, $7500 for Keiretsu. Are these angel groups losing sight of their purpose, that being to get early-stage deals funded? Or are they out to maximize short term profits? For more background, listen to my recent interview with Maverick Angels' founder John Dilts.

Contrast presentation fees with the recent trend by angel groups to charge a "bozo filter" (credit NY Angels' David Rose) when entrepreneurs apply. I've pleaded with Tech Coast Angels to implement a bozo filter.

Luis Villalobos has died suddenly after a brief illness.

Often credited as the founder of the Los Angeles-based Tech Coast Angels, Luis Villalobos was presented with the prestigious Hans Severiens Award at the Angel Capital Association's Annual Summit in Chicago in 2007.

Yesterday word spread that he had been undergoing treatment for a yet to be determined lung infection. He's been in the ICU at St. Josephs in Orange since this past weekend. Then tonight at 9pm, incoming TCA Chairman Richard Sudek made the announcement that "he contracted an infection in his lungs and went very quickly". Luis was 70.

Show #249 (56:07) Listen

Alana Semuels reports in today's Los Angeles Times that Venture Capital Investment is Still Sluggish.