The Council

How Tech Leaders Start Angel & LP Investing

Apple

Snap Inc.

Cruise

Eli Lilly and Company

Amber illig

General Partner of The Council Fund

Amber will share her path from operator to angel investor to launching The Council Fund, including early lessons.

How operators transition into angel & LP investing

You’ll get a clear, end-to-end view of how angel and LP investing actually works in practice, from budget to wiring  $$.

The lifecycle of angel & LP investing without the jargon

We’ll walk through the real risks and upside of investing in the venture asset class.

How to think about risk, rewards, and budget

Designed for emerging VCs, this course gives you practical frameworks to refine your narrative, raise with conviction, structure your fund, and build durable LP relationships. Whether you’re about to launch or already managing a fund, you’ll get tools to sharpen your approach and win investor trust. I’ve shared these lessons as a guest lecturer at Oxford Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneurship Centre. Now they’re available in a concise, high-production on-demand format designed for your schedule. PLEASE NOTE: This course is self-paced with six pre-recorded lessons (~80 mins), followed by a private 1:1 session with me. You’ll also join a private WhatsApp community for peer support.

Master the skills to excel as an emerging VC manager and lead with confidence.

Course syllabus

Learn through 6 concise, professionally recorded video lessons. Watch on your own time, revisit key frameworks, and progress at the pace that fits your fundraising journey.

Self-Paced

After completing the videos, schedule a private 60-min 1:1 with Dario. Bring your toughest questions on fundraising, LP engagement, or structuring your fund.

Private 1:1 Session

Access a private WhatsApp group of peers worldwide. Discuss fundraising tactics, share learnings, and stay accountable. This group keeps you connected after the course.

Community

Course schedule

You're an existing emerging manager seeking to optimize and enhance your fund offering to attract investors and drive growth.

You're a seasoned investor ready to spin out and start your own fund, navigating the challenge of building without a big brand behind you.

You aspire to start your own fund, are proactive and eager to get ahead, gaining a deep understanding of what of what this journey entails.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

Acquire the skills and knowledge to maximize investor appeal. Learn the tools and strategies needed to refine your fund’s narrative, structure, and value proposition, ensuring you effectively communicate your vision and optimize your fundraising efforts for success.

Explore Best Practices to Optimize Your Fund Opportunity.

Gain insight into the mindset of LP investors and understand what drives their decisions. Learn how to tailor your pitch, build trust, and align your fund’s goals with their investment criteria to increase your chances of success.

Understand the Mind of an LP Investor on the Other Side of the Table.

The VC industry thrives on connections. By joining this cohort, you’ll tap into my global network of 1000+ VC funds and gain access to lifelong learning, knowledge-sharing, deal flow, and valuable opportunities to expand your footprint in the VC world.

Expand Your Network, Amplify Your Impact.
 

Emerging VC? Master fundraising & LP strategy with on-demand lessons + private 1:1 sessions, taught by an LP who’s reviewed 1,200+ funds.

Cohort 10

Q3 2025

f7 Ventures

WndrCo

Seven Seven Six

Seedcamp

Springbank Collective

Dario de Wet

Founder & General Partner at LTV Capital

Cohort August 2025

Learn to lead with confidence, stop asking for permission, and build the mindset required to own your path as a founder.

Lead Without Permission

Crewasis

Angeles Investors

Buena Gente Golf

Health Hero

ConPRmetidos

Angel Leon

Founder mentor | Startup advisor | Former US Navy | Your First Angel

Cohort 1

Too many Latino founders are talented, driven, and working harder than everyone else, yet still feel stuck asking for permission, waiting for validation, or shrinking themselves in rooms they’ve earned the right to be in.This course exists to break that pattern.Not because Latinos lack ability, but because many of us were taught to play it safe, stay grateful, avoid risk, and wait our turn. That mindset may help you survive, but it will not help you lead, build, or scale.Seguimos Aquí is about shifting from survival mode to founder mode.It helps you identify the invisible beliefs shaping your decisions, your confidence, and how you show up in leadership, fundraising, and business conversations. You’ll learn how to replace hesitation with clarity, guilt with conviction, and fear of being seen with pride in taking space.This is not motivational talk. It’s practical mindset work grounded in real founder challenges: making decisions without certainty, owning your voice, leading others, and committing to a path before it feels safe.By the end of this course, you won’t just think differently. You’ll show up differently. More grounded. More decisive. More unapologetic.

Break inherited limits and step into real founder leadership

Build unshakeable founder confidence

Break limiting cultural and internal narratives

Lead without permission or validation

Strengthen personal leadership presence

Articulate a bold founder vision

Early-stage Latino founders building their first company who want confidence, clarity, and leadership presence without asking for permission

Latino professionals transitioning into entrepreneurship who need a mindset reset to step into leadership and ownership

Latino creators and operators ready to stop playing small, own their voice, and lead boldly in business and life

Learn to build & deploy AI workflows so you become your firm’s go‑to AI native investor—driving better deals, operations & portfolio impact.

I tell jokes, invest,  and teach AI

Ibrahim Rashid 

Impact Investor & Founder who has trained 150+ investors how to build AI Agents

I dance, invest, and also teach AI

Grisel Hernandez

Venture Capitalist who finds Ibrahim annoying (and also trains investors on AI)

No AI strategy. No safety net. Just the pressure to stay competitive.That’s the reality most investors face.Fund size doesn’t matter. Results do.Today’s edge belongs to investors who can source faster, analyze deeper, and manage portfolios at scale with AI—without losing judgment.Over the past eight months, I’ve hosted free monthly workshops with 50–70+ investors. Great for exposure—but too large for real connection.This cohort is intentionally capped at ~30 people. You’ll meet peers, get feedback, and build relationships in a high-trust environment.You’ll learn the AI for Investors Framework™—refined through training 150+ investors—to automate workflows, sharpen decisions, and drive performance.You’ll graduate with: • Deal qualification agents that score thesis alignment • Curated newsletters that filter signal from noise • Email systems that never miss follow-ups • A repeatable AI execution system for any workflowDon't take my word for it. See what 25+ students had to say.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://partners.relay.app/ai-for-vc-ops">https://partners.relay.app/ai-for-vc-ops</a>The skill gap is widening. Most investors still use AI like search.Those who master workflow automation will outperform.Are you ready to win?

AI-Native Investing Starts Here

Identify what to automate vs keep human in your investment workflow

Build AI agents to qualify deals and process 10x more inbound

Automate portfolio monitoring across 50+ companies with AI

Choose and chain the right AI tools to build strong workflows

Design custom AI market intelligence for your investment thesis

The Overwhelmed Senior Professional who knows AI matters but is drowning in work with zero bandwidth for learning new tools.

The Ambitious Analyst who knows AI is the future and wants to master workflow automation to accelerate career growth.

The Solo Practitioner operating without institutional resources, and needs AI automation to compete with larger, well-staffed teams.

Transform from L&D order-taker to strategic business partner using proven frameworks that secure executive buy-in.

Think and Execute Like a Learning Leader

Dr. Christie Vanorsdale, Ed.D, Ms.Ed.

Doctor of Education with 15+ years building evidence-based learning ecosystems.

Cohort 2

Break Out of the “Order-Taker” Role in L&amp;DMost L&amp;D professionals get stuck taking orders—creating courses without influence over strategy. Even with strong skills, they struggle to: • Connect learning to business results leaders value • Gain buy-in or budget for ideas • Navigate organizational politics • Break through the ceiling that limits growthThis 4-week course gives you the tools and language to operate as a strategic partner. You’ll learn to audit learning ecosystems, build executive-ready business cases, map stakeholder influence, and design phased implementation plans that prove impact.What to Expect A 4-week blend of self-paced lessons and live collaboration:<ul><li>Week 1: Learning Ecosystem Audit</li><li>Week 2: Building Business Cases (+ Live)</li><li>Week 3: Stakeholder &amp; Implementation Planning</li><li>Week 4: Capstone Presentations (+ Live)</li></ul>Projects &amp; Community<ul><li>Project 1: Audit a real training request</li><li>Project 2: Create a Strategic Implementation Plan </li><li>Takeaway: Build a portfolio with audits, business cases, and influence maps—plus a positioning statement showing your readiness for strategic L&amp;D roles.</li></ul>

Transform from L&D order-taker to strategic business partner with C-suite access

Shift from executor to strategist by framing learning in business terms.

Use systems thinking to design learning that drives organizational impact.

Communicate learning value in ROI-focused language leaders respect.

Apply proven frameworks to link learning strategy to measurable results.

The Frustrated Senior ID Senior instructional designers tired of being order-takers who want strategic influence and leadership advancement.

The Ambitious L&amp;D Manager L&amp;D managers seeking C-suite access and organizational influence to drive business impact.

The Strategic Learning Professional Learning professionals ready to transition from tactical execution to strategic business partnership.