Angel Kim Tennican advises aspiring investors to wait for the opportunities that align with personal passions.
By Pipeline Fellowship
This post originally appeared on the Pipeline Fellowship blog. In this series, we highlight alumna from their an angel investing bootcamp for women. The goal of Pipeline Fellowship is to increase diversity in the U.S. angel investing community and create capital for women social entrepreneurs.
Name: Kim Tennican
Title: Principal
Affiliation: Berntson Porter & Company, PLLC
Twitter handle: @KimTennica
Describe the moment when you decided to become an angel: The headline announcing the Seattle launch of Pipeline Fellowship caught my eye, and the subsequent conversations with Natalia ignited the fire — I knew this was the path to increasing my personal impact I had been searching for.
What investments have you made since graduating from Pipeline Fellowship? *Woman founder!
Company: Kidstir | Founder: Aparna Pande*
Company: Moxxly | Founders: Cara Delzer*, Santhi Analytis*, Gabrielle Guthrie*
Company: FoodTrace | Founder: Riana Lynn*
Company: Genomic Expression | Founder: Gitte Pedersen*
Company: Pigeonly | Founder: Frederick Hutson
Company: PotaVida, Inc. | Founders: Charlie Matlack, Tyler Davis, Jackie Linnes*
Company: Energy Storage Systems | Founders: Craig Evans, Julia Song*
Company: Fledge | Founder: Michael “Luni” Libes
Company: Evrnu | Founder: Stacy Flynn*
Company: Kindara | Founders: Katherine Bicknell*, William Sacks
How many investments do you make per year?
Three to eight.
What are your investment deal-breakers?
Founders who are not receptive to feedback or not open to seeking advice from others; lack of coachability is a deal-breaker for me.
What types of companies do you look to invest in?
I am interested in women-founded social impact companies, preferably in a stage of growth where I can also lend my expertise to help them succeed and where their potential for doing good is aligned with my interests.
What do you look for in an entrepreneur/founding team?
I look for founders who are following their passion and have surrounded themselves with a great team.
How has your background played a role in your angel investing?
My business, accounting and tax expertise, as well as my attention to detail, have definitely been an asset during due diligence and deal structuring.
One piece of advice to an angel-in-training?
Develop an investment thesis based on your personal financial goals and passions and let that drive your investment decisions, then cast a wide net for deals to consider, but be selective in the deals you choose to pursue — wait for the opportunities that really align with your personal passions.
One piece of advice to an entrepreneur looking for capital?
Be realistic and transparent about your funding needs—how much you need, what will it allow you to accomplish and how that will lead to your success.
How would you define a for-profit social venture?
A for-profit social venture is a business whose mission and purpose will have a positive impact on the world, making it a better place, while also returning a reasonable profit to shareholders.
Favorite quotation?
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
Random fact?
I enjoy combining my interests in gardening and cooking by creating “Zero Mile Meals” from my front-yard urban farm.
Help us change the face of angel investing! Apply to Pipeline Fellowship’s fall 2015 angel investing bootcamps in Albuquerque, Boulder, Denver, LA, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, SF, Silicon Valley and Vegas.
Pipeline Angels, a network of new & seasoned women investors, is changing the face of angel investing & creating capital for women social entrepreneurs. Help us change the face of angel investing! Apply to Pipeline Angels’ angel investing bootcamps in Albuquerque, Ann Arbor-Detroit, Atlanta, Austin-Houston, Baltimore, Bangor-Portland, Boston, Boulder-Denver, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland-Akron, Columbus, Dallas, DC, Jackson Hole, LA, Memphis-Nashville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Portsmouth, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, SF, Silicon Valley, Tampa, and Vegas: Learn More
