Ever wonder what it’s like to be an angel investor? In our ongoing series with Pipeline Fellowship, we get to know some of the graduates of their angel investing bootcamp for women.
By Pipeline Fellowship
Meet Pipeline Fellowship alumna Jenn Viane Riese
Title: Founder
Affiliation: Modern Humanity Consulting
Describe the moment when you decided to become an angel:
I was part of an incubator program with a team of other women and when we pitched our startup to a panel of five male investors, they told us having an all-female team was distracting.
List investments made since graduating from the Pipeline Fellowship:
Company: Repurpose
Founders: Lauren Gropper, Corey Scholibo
What are your investment deal-breakers?
Lack of passion and commitment, poorly written business plan, defensive attitude.
What types of companies do you want to invest in?
Those creating positive, social change using unique technology that has a large-scale impact.
What do you look for in an entrepreneur/founding team?
Experience and knowledge in the field and passion for the purpose not just the product.
How has your background played (or not) a role in your angel investing?
My experience with nonprofit and for-profit businesses helps me look at potential investments through a complete lens, able to see the whole picture.
If you could share one piece of advice to an angel-in-training, what would it be?
Don’t ever undervalue who you are and what you have to bring to the table.
If you could share one piece of advice to an entrepreneur looking for capital, what would it be?
Pitching for funding is like a blind date so plan accordingly.
What does impact investing mean to you?
It’s how I put my money where my mouth is — active change vs. good intentions — an opportunity to do something for myself, others, and the world.
How would you define a for-profit social venture?
Businesses looking at a triple bottom line: people, planet, profits.
Random fact about you: I revived my college’s defunct women’s rugby team and fifteen years later the team is ranked in the top ten in the country. Glory days.
This post originally appeared on Pipeline Fellowship.
