From Operator to Investor: The Angel & LP Investing Playbook for Tech Leaders
Amber Illig
General Partner of The Council Fund
Rachel Tsui
Partner of The Council Fund
Go from curious to a confident investor with a clear alternative investing plan
Most tech leaders want to angel invest. Very few know how to start and build a repeatable strategy.
After 80+ early-stage investments, we organized our internal frameworks, decision models, and templates into a practical investing playbook for our private operator community and are making them public here on Maven.
What you’ll learn
Go from curious to confidently writing your first (or next) angel/LP check, with a documented strategy you can reuse across real deals.
Apply a structured investment decision framework to evaluate real startup case studies and defend your go/no-go decision
Build and pressure-test your personal investment thesis to reduce bias, sharpen conviction, and make faster, more consistent calls
Design your full investing system - from deal sourcing and diligence to check sizing, portfolio construction, and follow-on strategy
Use our reusable tools (thesis template, diligence checklist, tracking dashboard) and apply them to a live or recent deal
✅ A personal investment thesis template you can reuse
✅ A startup & fund diligence checklist
✅ A portfolio tracking and performance framework
Draws directly from real deals, real outcomes, and real tradeoffs experienced by active angels & fund managers
Access to case study discussions and Q&A to see how experienced investors think under uncertainty in real time
Learn directly from Amber & Rachel
Amber Illig
Operations leader, angel investor, VC fund manager
Rachel Tsui
Healthcare & customer success leader, angel investor, VC partner
Who this course is for
Tech professionals who want to make their first angel or LP investment but don’t want to rely on gut feel or hype
Builders - operators, c-suite executives, & tech professionals - who want to be a value-add investor and not just a check
Professionals looking to expand their networks & influence through strategic investing, with a clear framework behind every decision
Prerequisites
Leaders with 5–10+ years of experience
We're operators focused on investing from an operator POV. Your experience leading functions within top organizations is key.
Aspiring & Current Alternative Early-Stage Investors
Whether you've completed 0 or 10+ deals, our playbook will help you level up.
Investing Readiness (Accredited or Preparing)
This course is most actionable for accredited investors who want to immediately apply an operator-led investing approach.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Amber Illig & Rachel Tsui in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Course syllabus
6 live sessions • 12 lessons • 4 projects
Week 1
Mar
27
Angel & LP Investing 101
Fri 3/277:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Angel & LP Investing 101: How This World Actually Works
Week 2
Apr
3
Angel & LP Investing 102
Fri 4/37:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Angel & LP Investing 102: Sourcing, Picking, & Closing Opportunities
Schedule
Live sessions
1 hr / week
Fri, Mar 27
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Apr 3
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Apr 10
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)