The Council

It's been a busy fall The Council! Here are some highlights from our recent events where we've brought together our angel members, founders, and partners. ?? ?? Los Angeles - It was my first time meeting some of our angels in person. The conversation, affirmations, and sincerity was a major "OH, I get the magic" moment for me! ?? High Tea during #SFTechWeek - A cozy afternoon gathering, thanks to the support of the J.P. Morgan team. Special thanks to Erin Lashbrook Evan Sanchez! ??? Industrial Tech Event at SHACK15 during #SFTechWeek - We hosted 200+ attendees for a powerful gathering on the future of industrial tech. ?? NYC Friends & Founder Dinner - An intimate evening in New York?with operators and founders with Megan (Ceryanec) Murphy and Jenn Sockolov. ??? Throwback Pitch Night at Canopy SF - Hosting this event last week was a full-circle moment. The Council Angels began with in-person founder events back in 2019—Canopy was one of our original venues. Huge thanks to Suzanne Zadeh and her team for the incredible hospitality! On top of reconnecting with our community, it's always such a joy spending time with our amazing team! Amber Illig Rachel Tsui, PhD This is very much the beginning—we're already gearing up for a very full 2025! Excuse me for just unloading our camera roll at you ??

Where industry expertise meets future-defining innovation. The Council Angels made a triumphant return to where it all began - an exclusive pitch night at Canopy SF that reminded us why we're different by design. Last night embodied everything The Council stands for: - Three exceptional founders presenting groundbreaking solutions - A carefully curated audience of tech's brightest operators - Intimate, high-impact networking - Deal flow you won't find anywhere else The Council isn't just another investor network - it's a carefully orchestrated community of tech's most discerning operators, coming together to fund the future. Our track record speaks for itself, but we prefer to let our portfolio companies do the talking. This is how we've always done it. This is how we'll continue to shape the future of tech. Interested in learning more about The Council? Our doors open a few times a year, but we're always watching for exceptional operators who share our vision. #VentureCapital #TechInvestment #StartupInvesting #WomenInVC #FutureOfTech

I had so much fun co-hosting 200 founders and investors in Industrial Tech at SHACK15 a few weeks back. We keep hearing that it was a highlight of SF Tech Week! Industrial Tech is a big part of our focus on essential industries at The Council Capital. Industrial sectors are operationally complex, critical to society, and historically underserved by technology. It's awesome to see the swelling energy around these sectors now. We had a mix of "Big VCs" and "Small VCs" in the space on our panel. It was wonderful to speak alongside giants of today and tomorrow: ??Aidan Madigan-Curtis from Eclipse ??Zeeza Cole from Bain Capital Ventures ? Maggie Kenefake from Iron Prairie Ventures ? Scott Howard from House Of Ventures ? Our wonderful moderator with an AI/ML lens Sheena Hillier Thanks to all the founders who brought incredible ideas and questions into the room. And special thanks to our sponsors Judy L. and Safa Aliabadi at Citizens, Head of Community Vanessa S., and venue team at SHACK15 for helping us pull this off at TECH WEEK by a16z. Video by Israel Alemu

I had so much fun co-hosting 200 founders and investors in Industrial Tech at SHACK15 a few weeks back. We keep hearing that it was a highlight of SF Tech Week! Industrial Tech is a big part of our focus on essential industries at The Council Capital. Industrial sectors are operationally complex, critical to society, and historically underserved by technology. It's awesome to see the swelling energy around these sectors now. We had a mix of "Big VCs" and "Small VCs" in the space on our panel. It was wonderful to speak alongside giants of today and tomorrow: ??Aidan Madigan-Curtis from Eclipse ??Zeeza Cole from Bain Capital Ventures ? Maggie Kenefake from Iron Prairie Ventures ? Scott Howard from House Of Ventures ? Our wonderful moderator with an AI/ML lens Sheena Hillier Thanks to all the founders who brought incredible ideas and questions into the room. And special thanks to our sponsors Judy L. and Safa Aliabadi at Citizens, Head of Community Vanessa S., and venue team at SHACK15 for helping us pull this off at TECH WEEK by a16z. Video by Israel Alemu

I was a big fan of the The Council's incredible community as a founder, and so it feels especially special to be able to support as a partner! What founder wouldn't want the backing of exceptional operators and a network spanning verticals, geographies, and expertise? It was a blast working with Amber Illig and Vanessa S., and also a special thank you to my fellow JPM-er Jenn Sockolov ??

?? The Council's Legendary Pitch Night Returns to SF! We're bringing back the event that launched countless success stories - our iconic Pitch Night at CANOPY where it all began. What's in store: ??Live pitches from standout founders ??High-caliber networking ??Exclusive investor-only debrief session ?? Thursday, November 7 | 6–8:30 PM ?? Special Announcement: We're offering just 5 guest passes to exceptional women operators in tech based in the Bay. This is a rare chance to experience The Council's most coveted event. Previous pitch nights have led to multiple angel checks and invaluable connections. Don't miss your chance to be in the room. ??? Limited guest passes available - apply now (link in comments) #WomenInTech #VentureCapital #SFTech

If you are a seasoned female angel investor or new to investing and interested in diversifying your portfolio with angel investments, I highly recommend joining The Council. From kick-starting deal flow to live pitch calls, and access to co-investing, you'll be surrounded by a fantastic group of deeply curious women operating leaders. Joining The Council is a great way to do more angel investing with less overhead.?Amber Illig, Anabel Lippincott Paksoy, and the team are the absolute best.

The Council Angels is proud to continue our Friends & Founders event series, graciously sponsored by J.P. Morgan Our latest gathering brought us to the renowned The Dutch in New York City, where we enjoyed meaningful conversations over an exceptional dining experience. We extend our sincere appreciation to Megan (Ceryanec) Murphy and Jenn Sockolov for their outstanding partnership and co-hosting expertise. Their contributions were instrumental in creating an atmosphere of genuine connection and collaboration. These evenings exemplify what we value most at The Council: fostering meaningful relationships between our members, founders, and operators. Through intimate discussions, our angel investors and industry leaders gained valuable insights from innovative founders who are revolutionizing multiple sectors: ? Sustainability solutions for tomorrow ? Next-generation social experiences ? AI-powered customer service automation Are you a seasoned operator interested in joining The Council's curated community? We welcome you to share your background at [email protected]. We'll ensure you're notified of future gatherings in your area that align with your expertise and interests. #TechInvestment #AngelInvesting #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #NYCTech

? Community Spotlight Series #3: Alexis Zhu ? Today, we’re shining the spotlight on a powerhouse operator and founding member of The Council: Alexis Zhu! ?? Alexis is a sales and partnerships leader with investment experience from Summit Partners. She has also built teams at innovative startups like Affirm and Stripe. She built the sales team at Affirm, driving the company's first billion in loan volume. Now, Alexis leads a global payments partnership team at Stripe. Alexis returns to the Council to discuss her investment thesis and strategy, and empowers new investors on the many ways to get involved with startups— whether as an early check or an advisor. We are so grateful for Alexis' continued check-ins, and we love creating opportunities for our active members and alumnae to connect and learn from one another! ?? One upcoming event that captures this community energy is our Throwback Pitch Night on November 7th! RSVP link to this special event can be found in the comments.

An afternoon of refined networking and visionary discussions at our @SFTechWeek2024 High Tea! ???? The Council hosted an exclusive gathering where founders building in essential industries and our select angel community came together. The atmosphere brewed with potential as groundbreaking ideas were shared and new collaborations took root. Event highlights: ? Celebrating wins: We applauded founders signing deals with Fortune 500 companies, personal milestones, and big enterprise contracts for startups in the room ? Curated group of innovators across industrial tech sectors High-level discussions on the future of essential industries like healthcare and supply chain ? Knowledge exchange between seasoned investors and visionary entrepreneurs We're grateful to J.P. Morgan for co-hosting this premier event, with special thanks to our partners Erin Lashbrook and Evan Sanchez. Together, we've facilitated connections that promise to reshape the industrial tech landscape. The Council continues to be at the forefront of bringing together top talent in tech leadership and angel investing. Stay tuned for more on how our community is driving the next wave of industrial innovation. #SFTechWeek2024 #IndustrialTech #ExclusiveNetworking #Innovation #TheCouncilFund