The Top 12 Female Angel Investors in the USA
You already know that at PIN, we're passionate about exploring all aspects of the startup investing, from the latest tech companies to the most successful angel investors.
These women have not only shattered glass ceilings in the male-dominated world of finance and tech, but they are also revolutionizing the startup ecosystem through their investments. With their sharp business acumen and a keen eye for spotting potential, these female angel investors have made a significant mark on the startup world. Not only have they backed some of the most successful companies in recent years, but they continue to provide valuable mentorship and support to a new generation of entrepreneurs.
In this article, we're shining a spotlight on some of the top female angel investors in the USA who have absolutely killed it and continue to do so. From financial technology to software, they are making waves in the startup ecosystem and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Brianne Kimmel
Brianne Kimmel is an angel investor and founder of Work Life Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund that invests in startups that are transforming the way we work. Kimmel is also known for her work in the Women in VC community, where she has helped to connect and support women in the venture capital industry.
- Portfolio: Webflow, Notion, and Bravely.
- Exits: Webflow, Lunchclub, Command E.
- Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannekimmel/
Esther Dyson
She is a journalist, author, and angel investor who has been involved in the technology industry for many years. She is the founder of EDventure Holdings, which invests in and advises startups in a variety of industries, including healthcare and space exploration.
- Portfolio: companies like Square, Flickr, and Meetup.
- Exits: She has had many successful exits as an investor, including Flickr, del.icio.us, and Medstory.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherdyson/
Jennifer Lum
She is a prominent angel investor as well as a co-founder and partner at the venture capital firm, LUMA Capital Partners, which focuses on investing in early-stage digital media, marketing, and mobile startups. She is also known for her role in the high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins in 2015.
- Portfolio Portfolio includes companies like AppOmni, Cybrary, and SecurityScorecard.
- Exits: Adelphic, MoPub.
- Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlum/
Linda Xie
Linda Xie is an angel investor and entrepreneur who is the co-founder of Scalar Capital, a crypto-focused investment fund. Prior to founding Scalar Capital, Xie worked at several prominent tech companies, including Coinbase and Ripple.
- Portfolio: Her portfolio includes investments in companies like Polkadot, Chainlink, and Ethereum.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaxie/
Cyan Banister
Cyan co-founded Zivity and she has written over 100 checks as an angel. Previously she was a partner at Founders Fund, and currently she is a partner at Long Journey Ventures, a fund for early stage investing which is her number one passion. Banister has worked in the tech industry for many years and has also served on the board of several prominent companies, including the ACLU of Northern California. She is known for her advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
- Portfolio: Invested in several successful companies, including Uber, Postmates, and Lime, SpaceX.
- Exits: Over 24 exits, including Oculus VR and Uber.
- Education: Banister started her career as a self-taught programmer and graphic designer.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyanb/
Ellen Pao
Ellen Pao is best known for her work promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, particularly through her advocacy for gender equality and combatting harassment in the workplace.
She co-founded Project Include, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in tech and has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits and controversies related to these issues. She also served as CEO of Reddit, where she led efforts to combat harassment and hate speech on the platform.
- Portfolio: She's invested in over 12 companies, her latest investment was in Dagger in 2022 in a Series A round.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, as well as a law degree from Harvard Law School.
- Exits: Expectful, Evertoon, Bloomberg Second Measure, Kit.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekpao/
Joanne Wilson
Joanne Wilson, also known as Gotham Gal, has made more than 120 investments in startups, many of which have been founded or co-founded by women. She is also a mentor and advisor to several startup accelerators, including Techstars and the Women's Startup Lab.
- Portfolio: She has invested in companies such as Food52, DailyWorth, and LittleBits. These companies are all from in verticals, from kitchenware and food products to electronic building blocks.
- Exits: Joanne Wilson has 13 exits. Some of them being VenueBook, Switchboard, and Spoon University.
- Education: She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Psychology.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-wilson-b0886110/
- She even has her own blog - https://gothamgal.com/
Arlan Hamilton
Arlan Hamilton is an angel investor as well as the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in underrepresented founders, including women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. She also founded Backstage Studio, an accelerator for underrepresented founders.
- Portfolio: Having worked in the music industry before transitioning to venture capital, she has invested in companies such as Dockabl, Teleport, and LOLA. She has over 11 personal investments and 8 partner investments.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlanhamilton/
Jenny Fielding
Jenny Fielding has an impressive angel investing portfolio in addition to being the founder and general partner of The Fund, an early-stage investment fund that focuses on companies at the intersection of finance and technology. Fielding was previously the Managing Director of Techstars New York, a startup accelerator, and she also held executive roles at companies such as BBC Worldwide and NBC Universal.
Check out our very own PIN interview with Jenny over here.
- Portfolio: She has invested in companies such as Plaid, Credijusto, and Alloy.
- Education: She graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA.
- Find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyfielding/
Jocelyn Goldfein
Jocelyn Goldfein is an angel investor who was previously the director of engineering at Facebook, where she led the development of the News Feed and oversaw the growth of the company's engineering team. She also worked at VMware and Trilogy Software before transitioning to investing.
- Portfolio: She has invested in companies such as Datadog, Tines, and LaunchDarkly. All three companies are focused on improving the software development and deployment process.
- Exits: Jocelyn Goldfein has 2 exits - WedPics and Ampool.
- Education: Goldfein has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and a Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
- You can find her here🔎: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgoldfein/
Sarah Kunst
Sarah Kunst is an angel investor and entrepreneur who is also the founder and CEO of Cleo Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in companies founded by women and underrepresented minorities. Kunst has a diverse background, having worked in product management, marketing, and business development roles at companies such as Apple, Red Bull, and Chanel.
She also previously founded the fitness startup Proday.
- Portfolio: She has invested in companies such as Ellevest, Stash, and Uncharted Power. All three companies are founded and led by individuals who are passionate about creating positive social impact and using technology to drive change in their respective industries.
- Exits: Littlefund.
- You can find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkunst/
Christine Tsai
Christine Tsai is an experienced angel investor as well as the CEO and founding partner of 500 Startups, a venture capital firm that has invested in more than 2,500 companies in over 75 countries. With a focus on supporting diverse and underrepresented founders, Tsai is a passionate advocate for empowering women and minorities in the startup world.
- Portfolio: She has personally led investments in companies such as Udemy, Talkdesk, and GitLab.
- Exits: She has had a total of 5 exits, the most notable exits are Reesio, Geekatoo, and CultureMap.
- Education: Christine Tsai received her Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
- You can find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinesltsai/
These women are not only investing in the future but also paving the way for the next generation of female investors.
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