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
The operator playbook we built after 80+ investments - now public.
Most tech leaders want to angel invest or back a fund as an LP. Very few have a repeatable system for either.
After 80+ early-stage investments, we distilled our internal frameworks, decision models, and templates into a practical playbook - built by operators, for operators. We're making it public here on Maven.
What you’ll learn
Go from curious to confidently writing your first angel or LP check - with a documented strategy you can reuse across real deals.
Understand the real differences - time commitment, check sizes, portfolio math, and expected involvement for each path
Walk away knowing whether to write your first direct check, back a fund as an LP, or do both
Apply a repeatable evaluation process to real startup and fund case studies and defend your go/no-go decision
Build and pressure-test your personal investment thesis to make faster, more consistent calls with less bias
Use our reusable tools on a live or recent deal - not just hypotheticals
Design your full investing system from sourcing and diligence
Know what you're signing and how to evaluate terms without needing a finance background
Learn realistic check sizes, allocation strategies, and how to find deals without an existing network
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 leaders who want their first angel or LP check -without relying on gut feel or hype
Operators and c-suite executives who want to be a value-add investor, not just a check
Busy professionals who want to understand angel vs. LP investing before committing to either
Prerequisites
Leaders with 5–10+ years of experience
We invest from an operator POV. Your experience leading functions inside real organizations is the foundation everything builds on.
Aspiring & Current Alternative Early-Stage Investors
Whether you've done 0 deals or 10+, this playbook will help you build a more repeatable system.
Investing Readiness (Accredited or Preparing)
Most actionable for accredited investors ready to apply an operator-led approach. Not accredited yet? Build the framework so you're ready.
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.
Ready to Use Template
✅ Personal investment thesis ✅ Portfolio construction plan ✅ Startup investment evaluation checklist ✅ Tracking performance template ✅ Exit comparison & portfolio returns calculator
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Course syllabus
6 live sessions • 12 lessons • 4 projects
Week 1
Jul
24
Angel & LP Investing 101
Fri 7/247:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Angel & LP Investing 101: How This World Actually Works
Week 2
Jul
31
Angel & LP Investing 102
Fri 7/317:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Angel & LP Investing 102: Sourcing, Picking, & Closing Opportunities
Schedule
Live sessions
1 hr / week
Fri, Jul 24
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Jul 31
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Aug 7
7:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Frequently asked questions
$1,500
USD