New Fellowship Fund for Graduate MBA Students at UC Irvine Established to Honor Leading Businessman and Tech Coast Angels Founder, Luis Villalobos

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The friends and colleagues of recently deceased businessman, entrepreneur and Tech Coast Angels founder, Luis Villalobos, are establishing an endowed fellowship fund to be awarded to a graduate MBA student at the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine. The fellowship, entitled the Luis Villalobos Endowed Fellowship in Entrepreneurship, is designed to honor the business leader in perpetuity.

According to Tech Coast Angels Orange County President Richard Sudek, "Luis spent most of his life mentoring and training new entrepreneurs. It's appropriate that this endowment should continue his mission to help and assist young entrepreneurs."

The Villalobos Fellowship will attract outstanding students to the full-time MBA program at the Paul Merage School of Business. Candidates for the endowment must meet all of the requirements for admission to the school as well as display an interest in entrepreneurship and/or starting or being part of a new business. The endowment will only be awarded in years when a suitable candidate is identified. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of donors.

Luis Villalobos passed away on October 1, 2009 and his memory will be honored at a celebration of life gathering on November 11, 2009, 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Orange County Wine & Food Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. He is remembered as the founder of Tech Coast Angels, the largest angel investment network in the U.S., and as a tireless entrepreneur and investor who founded several successful high technology firms, invested in over 50 early-stage startups and personally mentored at least a dozen company CEOs. He is survived by his wife Ora-Zoe.

The Villalobos Fellowship will be available for application in 2010. Donations are currently being accepted for the Luis Villalobos Endowed Fellowship in Entrepreneurship. Checks can be mailed to Assistant Dean Donna Mumford, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine, SB 350B, Irvine, CA, 92697. Donations can also be made online via credit card. For further information, contact Donna Mumford at (949) 824-6418 or at dmumford@uci.edu.

About Tech Coast Angels
Tech Coast Angels, www.techcoastangels.com, the largest angel investor group in the U.S., provides funding and guidance to more early-stage, high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group. TCA members invest in companies in a wide range of industries, including the life sciences, biotech, IT, services, retail, Internet, financial, software, media, consumer products and tech startups. TCA members give companies more than just capital; they also provide counsel, mentoring and access to an extensive network of potential investors, customers, strategic partners and management talent. TCA has more than 250 members, including its venture capital affiliates, in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Westlake/Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire. More information on Tech Coast Angels can be found at www.techcoastangels.com or twitter.com/techcoastangels.