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11/28/12 | Uncategorized

This Is What An Angel Investor Looks Like – Rachel Sheinbein

Women 2.0 profiles women angel investors in our weekly “This Is What An Angel Investor Looks Like” series.

By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)

Rachel Sheinbein is a Partner at CMEA Capital, investing in the energy and material space. And even before her career in venture capital began, Rachel was an angel investor in startups.

Armed with multiple degrees in chemical, civil and environmental engineering – and an MBA – from MIT and UPenn, Rachel has consulted for entrepreneurs in the sectors of solar, bio plastics and water.

Meet Angel Investor Rachel Sheinbein

How and why did you decide to become an angel investor?
“I went to a networking event for women who wanted to learn more about angel investing. I knew it might be an expensive education to invest in seed-stage companies, but I felt compelled to be connected to these amazing entrepreneurs.”

What are active investments have you made?

Company: Generated Material Recovery
Founder(s): Philip Sheinbein (related)

Company: Evo Organic
Founder(s): Rick Baker

Company: PV Evolution Labs
Founder(s): Jenya Meydbray

Company: Scan
Founder(s): Kirk Ouimet, Garrett Gee

Company: Bevel
Founder(s): Courtney McColgan*

Company: Social Imprints
Founder(s): Jeff Sheinbein (not related)

Company: Local Mission Eatery
Founder(s): Yaron Milgrom-Elcott

*Woman founder!

Range of initial investments?
“$10k-$50k”

Number of investments a year?
“2ish”

What types of companies or industries do you want to invest in?
“I’m pretty open regarding the sector, but usually I’m attracted to companies with a social or environmental mission or founders that I want to connect with and support.”

One piece of advice to an angel-in-training?
“Go for it. It’s only money.”

One piece of advice to entrepreneurs looking for capital?
“Keep asking.”

How has your background played (or not) a role in your angel investing?
“For angel investing, I only invest in people I want to work with. My secondary motivation is my interest in the focus of the product/business. Sometimes my experience and education in operations and professional investing knowledge comes in handy, but usually it’s more about my interest in being connected to the founder and his/her vision.”

Favorite quote?
“It’s all ball bearings.” – Fletch

In her spare time, Rachel serves as a board member for Expanding Your Horizons, which encourages girls in math, science, engineering and technology, and Hadassah Foundation.

Entrepreneurs and aspiring angel investors can follow Rachel on Twitter at @rachelsheinbein.

Only 15% of angel investors are women. And as this handy infographic on investing in women shows, women investors are far more apt to be directly connected to and able to attract female-led ventures.

A solution to the low rate of women entrepreneurs receiving investment to go big with their ventures would be to increase the pipeline of women angel investors and venture capitalists. You can take classes on angel investing with Golden Seeds or sign up for the Women Investors Now Challenge, a 500 Startups initiative.

Women 2.0 readers: Know more women angel investors? Let us know in the comments!

Angie Chang is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Women 2.0, a media company offering content, community and conferences for aspiring and current women innovators in technology. Our mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups with inspiration, information and education through our platform. Previously, Angie held roles in product management and web UI design. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter at @thisgirlangie.

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland, an intern with Women 2.0, was on the StartupBus. She studies neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College, where she is trying to merge a passion for tech and the brain into a new wave of cognition-based technology

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