The fact is, the majority of tech industry investors are men — that goes from the larger venture capital firms that fund companies in the mid- to late-stages, to the angel investors who help to get seed-stage companies off the ground.
But an organization called the Pipeline Fellowship is working to deliberately change that, by putting on angel investing “bootcamps” for women. Pipeline aims to “train” its participants to become angel investors through a combination of mentoring and practice. As part of the experience, each class of Pipeline Fellows together commit to pool their money and invest in a woman-led, for-profit venture of their choosing in exchange for equity and a board seat.
Pipeline founder Natalia Oberti Noguera (pictured at left) told TechCrunch in an interview last year that Pipeline’s aim is to take down what she perceives as bias against women in the VC world and the startup ecosystem at large.
Pipeline launched its program last year in New York, and has since also had runs in Boston and Washington D.C. But this week it is making its first steps out west, announcing its first-ever Bay Area Fellowship Class. The program will kick off on Friday in San Francisco with the Bay Area Pipeline Fellowship Conference.
Without further ado, here are the 2012 Bay Area Pipeline Fellows:
- Allison Thoreson Bhusri
Allison is currently working as a consultant at eBay Inc. in the Business Incubation Group. She is on the Leadership Council at NewSchools Venture Fund, a Trustee at Gateway Public Schools, a member of the ARCS Foundation of Northern California, and on the Discovery Council for the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Allison holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA in Government from Dartmouth College. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and daughter.
- Stephanie Galinson
Stephanie is a professionally trained pastry chef and bread baker, having shifted her lifelong baking passion from a vocation to occupation five years ago. She is developing a freelance baking business after baking experiences at Quince, Telltale Preserve Company, and other Bay Area kitchens. Stephanie is a member of The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Women Chefs and Restaurateur, as well as the California Artisan Cheese Guild. In her prior life, Stephanie was a college administrator and philanthropic grants director. She currently serves as a volunteer fundraiser for Live Oak School, as well as The Urban School of San Francisco, and holds an active position on her family’s foundation board. Stephanie resides in San Francisco with her husband and three teenage children. She holds a BS from New York University, an MBA from San Francisco State University, and a professional pastry credential from the Culinary Institute of America.
- Susan J. Hwang, MAPP
Susan is a Principal at OnePlus Leadership, a boutique leadership development firm. Previously, Susan led a startup business unit and served as a member of the Senior Management Team at SNL Financial, a global financial research data technology company. She also established and managed SNL’s Pan-European business from London, United Kingdom. Susan holds a BA as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia and an MAPP in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on the science, theory and research of what drives exceptional success in organizations and individuals. Susan’s pro-bono work includes leadership consulting for nonprofits that support women and the arts. She is also actively involved with arts organizations that promote contemporary art.
- Tabitha Jordan
Tabitha Jordan is the Executive Director of the Adam J. Weissman Foundation, a family foundation expanding economic opportunity through support of entrepreneurship, education, and advocacy. Previously, Tabitha worked as a management consultant supporting private and public sector clients. She serves on the board of Agora Partnerships and is a member of the women’s security network of the Ploughshares Fund. Tabitha holds a BA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
- Rebeca Rangel
Rebeca is Senior Vice President and Community Affairs Manager at Bank of the West. She serves on the boards of the Making Waves Education Program and Familias Unidas in Richmond, California. Rangel is also a member of Operation HOPE’s northwest regional board, a loan committee member of Working Solutions, and a volunteer at Jewish Vocational Services. Rebeca holds a BA in Urban Studies from Stanford University, an MPP from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is a Pacific Coast Banking School graduate.
- Kathryn Salmanowitz
Kathryn is an independent nonprofit adviser and board member who has led a nonprofit consulting program for fifteen years. She currently is a board member of SV2, a venture philanthropy organization, and Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin. Kathryn also serves on the San Francisco Bay Area Selection Advisory Council for the GreenLight Fund. Kathryn holds a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
- Gretchen Sisson
Gretchen Sisson is a sociologist and a writer whose work focuses on reproductive and economic justice. She is on the board of directors for Backline and a past volunteer at the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund. Gretchen holds a PhD in sociology from Boston College and a BA from Amherst College. She lives in San Francisco.
- Suzanne Stout
Suzanne is the Vice President of the Data Center Group at Cisco Systems, Inc.. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for DayOne Response, Inc., a social enterprise, and her philanthropic interests include building resilient families and communities. Suzanne holds a BA in Physics from the University of Texas, an MBA from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD in Management from Stanford University.
- Jenn Viane Riese
As the Founder of Modern Humanity Consulting, Jenn works with organizations and companies to create strategic partnerships, increase funding for philanthropic programs, and align business priorities to support a triple bottom line: people, planet, profits. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. Jenn can be found advocating on behalf of women social entrepreneurs alongside the Global Women’s Leadership Network, writing about trends in social business on SocialBusiness.org, editing content for Fashion Hope to help survivors of human trafficking, or enjoying every moment shared with her two kids, husband, and two dogs. Jenn holds a BA in English from Santa Clara University.
- Anna Wilson
Anna is currently employed at Pandora Media, Inc., as a Senior Manager focused on mobile monetization. She recently left Google Inc. where she worked for the last seven years in various areas of their digital advertising technology businesses. She is a volunteer teacher at Citizen Schools, offering a course on digital literacy to sixth grade students from underserved schools in Oakland, California. Anna holds an AB in Sociology, as well as Markets and Management Studies from Duke University.