---
title: "New Orleans' Gulf South Angels Absorbs MEDA Angels"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/6078ea5d-d519-4410-819b-1b5938437cc5
source_url: "https://hypepotamus.com/news/gulf-south-angels-meda-angels-healthcare-investors/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/business/stack/7a08816e-bcdf-4d4b-a0bd-5d79ce6bcb6d
summary: "Gulf South Angels (GSA), a New Orleans-based angel investing network, is absorbing Washington, D.C.-based MEDA Angels, adding 50 healthcare-focused investors to deepen its reach into healthcare, biotech, biopharma, and medical technology startup investing. The consolidation reflects a broader trend of angel groups collaborating as deal sizes have ballooned, with GSA's portfolio already 40% concentrated in health-related sectors across 75 companies and 151 investment rounds over 12 years."
tags: "angel-investing, healthcare-startups, merger, gulf-south, biotech, deal-flow, early-stage-investing"
key_entities: "Gulf South Angels (organization), MEDA Angels (organization), Mike Eckert (person), Elizabeth Cho-Fertikh (person), New Orleans (location), Washington, D.C. (location), Hypepotamus (organization), The Weather Channel (organization), Atlanta Technology Angels (organization), Atraverse Medical (organization), Citus Health (organization), Maija Ehlinger (person), angel group consolidation (concept)"
classification: "analysis"
content_hash: "sha256:c2a99342c0fa409718138f0145cfee325c3c8921e35ffe722c1e8e699e5bca66"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 917
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# New Orleans' Gulf South Angels Absorbs MEDA Angels

Skip to content Home // New Orleans’ Gulf South Angels Absorbs MEDA Angels To Expand Startup Deal Flow New Orleans’ Gulf South Angels Absorbs MEDA Angels To Expand Startup Deal Flow Maija Ehlinger May 19, 2026 For founders across the Gulf South and Southeast, the consolidation could mean more specialized healthcare expertise inside one of the region’s active early-stage investment networks. GSA says roughly 40% of its current portfolio is concentrated in health-related sectors, making MEDA Angels’ physician- and healthcare-executive investor base a strategic fit. Stay up to date with Hypepotamus Add us as a preferred source in Google Add to Google ↗   Gulf South Angels (GSA), the New Orleans-based angel investing network, is absorbing Washington, D.C.-based MEDA Angels in a move that adds 50 healthcare-focused investors to its network and deepens its reach into healthcare, biotech, biopharma, and medical technology startup investing.   What does it mean for local investing? While GSA remains sector-agnostic, chairman Mike Eckert told Hypepotamus that connecting with MEDA Angels made sense given the fact that investments have been heavily concentrated in healthcare, biotech, and biopharma startups ( 40% of GSA’s current portfolio is into the health-related sector ). Eckert noted that since the announcement was made last week, GSA is already fielding a surge in inbound calls from venture capital firms and healthcare-focused accelerators looking to collaborate. MEDA Angels, founded seven years ago by Elizabeth Cho-Fertikh , has a portfolio of 26 healthcare startups (including successful exits like Atraverse Medical and Citus Health). But as the group scaled, Cho-Fertikh began looking for a partner with a larger infrastructure, which led her to reach out to GSA. As part of the transition, Cho-Fertikh will join the Gulf South Angels Board of Directors, ensuring her network’s deep clinical expertise directly shapes GSA’s future investments.     Navigating the Era of “Ballooning” Deals The consolidation of these two angel groups highlights a broader, macroeconomic trend. “Today, angel groups are working together more to get deals done, simply because deal size has ballooned over the last few years,” Eckert explained. Eckert told Hypepotamus that he sees the group as an “importer of deal flow.” The group reviews upwards of 50 deals a month. By bringing 50 specialized healthcare minds into the fold, Eckert expects GSA will dramatically “enhance the quality of the deal flow” they review. When asked why healthcare technologies are commanding so much capital and attention right now for GSA members, Eckert said that he thinks members “like leading-edge solutions to real problems.”     Meet the Chairman Longtime members of the Atlanta tech scene will know Eckert from his time as President and CEO of The Weather Channel (1985-1999), and later as the Executive Chairman of the Atlanta Technology Angels. But in 2014, family called. Eckert packed up and relocated to New Orleans to be closer to his grandchildren. Since 2014 as the Chairman of Gulf South Angels (originally called NO/LA Angel Network), the group has seen 19 exits and liquidity events, which has helped spin the “flywheel” of capital into the startup community. GSA has participated in 151 investment rounds across 75 companies over the last 12 years. – Featured photo shows New Orleans (from Unsplash) Prev Previous 92% of Businesses Won’t Sell. This Wilmington Startup Wants to Change That. Next Where To Be In June: Charlotte For Fintech Week Next Maija Ehlinger View Posts