As technological advances lower both the difficulty and overhead of starting a company, entrepreneurs have become numerous and competition for funding ruthless. Online services such as AngelList allow entrepreneurs to connect with angel investors they would never otherwise meet. Last year, some 66,230 companies received $22.5 billion through angel investors, up from 36,000 receiving $15.7 billion in 2002, according to the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire.