Meet Pipeline Angels member, Tamra Johnson
Meet Pipeline Angels member Tamra Johnson
Full name: Tamra Johnson
Title: Partner & Co-Founder
Affiliation: 79 Studios
Twitter handle: @tamrajohnson
Describe the moment when you decided to become an angel:
When I realized that the early stage venture investing I was doing through someone else’s fund was something I could do on my own.
What investments have you made since graduating from Pipeline Angels?
*Woman founder!
Company: Kidstir
Founder: Aparna Pande*
Company: Moxxly
Founders: Santhi Analytis*, Cara Delzer*, Gabrielle Guthrie*
Company: Evrnu
Founders: Stacy Flynn* and Christopher Stanev
Company: Rising Tide Fund
Founder: Alicia Robb*
Company: Vertical Mass
Founder: Mark Shedletsky
Company: Pinger
Founder: Cleveland Motley
How many investments do you make per year?
5
What are your investment deal-breakers?
When it’s not clear that the problem is one that the market wants and needs to have solved, and where there isn’t technology underlying the product or solution.
What types of companies do you look to invest in?
Women-led companies with underlying technology, solving a real problem, and with a tangible exit point.
What do you look for in an entrepreneur/founding team?
Knowledge of the problem they are solving and a passion to fix the problem, as well as being good at listening and trying new approaches.
How has your background played a role in your angel investing?
My network has been good and continues to be good for sourcing deals, while my technical and business training means that people look to me for my opinions on companies.
One piece of advice to an angel-in-training?
Define and continue to iterate on your investment criteria―write it down and learn from what you try.
One piece of advice to an entrepreneur looking for capital?
Don’t spend time going after investors that haven’t shown interest in the type of company you are building.
How would you define a for-profit social venture?
Strong business model underlying a company that cares about its impact on others and the world. 
Favorite quotation:
You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through. ―Rosalynn Carter
Random fact about you:
My first job was dressing up and performing as Bugs Bunny at Six Flags.
Help us change the face of angel investing! Apply to Pipeline Angels’ fall 2016 angel investing bootcamps in Albuquerque, Ann Arbor-Detroit, Atlanta, Austin-Houston, Baltimore, Bangor-Portland, Boston, Boulder-Denver, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, DC, Jackson Hole, LA, Memphis-Nashville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, SF, Silicon Valley, and Vegas: pfapply.seamlessdocs.com/f/
This post originally appeared on Pipeline Fellowship.
