You don’t have to be a Silicon Valley venture capitalist to invest in the hot new technology startups.

Individuals interested in startups can invest through angel groups or online platforms for early-stage investors like AngelList and Propel(x). Or they can invest in later-stage, but still young, companies through publicly traded funds that hold stakes in companies already backed by venture capitalists.

Investing in fledgling companies can bring returns that are hard to find when buying stock in publicly traded companies. And it can be a thrill. “You can’t discount how psychologically interesting and intoxicating it is” for many people to get involved in startups, says Semil Shah, who invested through AngelList before going on to become a venture capitalist at two firms, Haystack Fund and Lightspeed Venture Partners. “It’s an exciting thing to be around people doing new things.”

But those opportunities come with a huge caveat: Investing in technology startups is high-risk, particularly for people who aren’t familiar with the volatile tech scene. Angel investors, experts warn, shouldn’t invest money they can’t afford to lose. This isn’t the place to put savings an investor is depending on for retirement.

For individuals who want a piece of the action, angel groups are an option that’s growing in popularity. They offer the inexperienced investor a way to learn from more-seasoned hands about the language of investing as well as how to pick prospects. Some angel groups pool investor contributions in a fund and the group decides which startups to back with that money. Other groups give members the option to back individual companies.