VC | Founder & Startup Advisor | Empowering Founders to Scale | Global Citizen & Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Bridge Builder

I work with two types of people:

⚡Founders and business owners preparing for capital, acquisition, or exit
⚡Investors seeking curated access to high-quality opportunities and communities 

I sit in between - connecting the right capital with the right opportunities, globally.

WHO I AM

I’m Anna C. Mallon - a serial entrepreneur, investor, and ecosystem builder with 25+ years operating across Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

I split my time between Singapore, London, and Amsterdam, after spending 15 years building companies and ecosystems in Asia.

My edge is internationalisation, scale through partnerships, and exit strategy - seen from both the founder and investor side.

TRACK RECORD (CURATED)

• Founder of 5 companies
• Involved in a $289M exit transaction (2010)
• Supported 330+ startups, raising $500M+ collectively
• Formerly led VC & Startup Ecosystem partnerships at AWS
• Led innovation programs with Meta, Google, Shell, Daimler, Bosch
• Invested across startups, private businesses, and real estate
• Worked with and alongside leading funds including Sequoia, Northzone, and global VCs
• Ran and advised venture builders, accelerators, and investor-backed programs
• Board member of a publicly listed company
• Featured in Forbes, Channel NewsAsia, Web Summit, and global media

WHAT I DO NOW

Today, I build and steward global wealth ecosystems connecting:

📍Investors seeking curated deal access
📍Founders preparing for investment, scale, or exit
📍Operators and acquirers seeking quality businesses
📍Ecosystem partners bringing capital, deals, or distribution

My work spans venture, M&A, property, and private capital — with a focus on cross-border scale, partnership-led growth, and exits.

HOW I WORK

I don’t pitch deals publicly. I don’t run mass-market funnels. LinkedIn is where I share:

✨ how investors and buyers actually think
✨why good businesses struggle to scale or exit globally
✨how partnerships compound faster than capital alone

The actual work happens outside.

In parallel I’m also a mother of two teenagers - fuelled by strong coffee ☕️and a high tolerance for complexity.

WHO THIS IS FOR

👉 Exited or near-exit founders transitioning into investors
👉 Angels, HNWIs, family offices, and allocators
👉 Operators, acquirers, and ecosystem builders

If this resonates, please reach out here or at the link below. I would be delighted to connect and hear more. 
https://www.annacmallon.com/more

Anna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡

Most business owners don’t really own a business.
They own a job. And it’s usually not one a buyer wants.

I learned this the hard way.

For a long time, I thought I was building a company.
What I’d actually done was build myself into it (a cage).

Every decision came back to me.
Clients want me.
If I step away, things slowed.

But that’s not ownership and not transferable...
...the business is leaning on one person

When I started working with owners who wanted to sell - and when I looked honestly back at my own earlier businesses - I kept seeing the same thing.

Good businesses on the surface.
Very shaky underneath.

Buyers notice it straight away. If 

📍 the owner is the bottleneck.
📍the knowledge sits in one head.
📍the business only works when someone is constantly jumping in.

That is not something they (or we) want to buy.

That’s why these businesses get discounted.
Not because they’re bad.
Because they are risky.

The fix isn’t fancy.
And it’s rarely comfortable.

You...

👉 Hand things over.
👉 Write things down.
👉 Set it up so the business runs when you’re not there.

...Build it so you can step back.
Not so you have to save it every day.

When you do that, a lot changes.
The value improves.
The stress eases.

And the business finally starts to give some freedom.

Many owners never make that shift.
Which is why most businesses never become sellable.

5x Entrepreneur & Investor | M&A | Investor Communities I Private markets & exits | UK • EU • Asia

Exit Carousel

At the heart of everything I do is a mission to close funding and wealth gaps by activating more diverse angel investors and supporting diverse founders to thrive.

Through AtVenture, we're building a platform where angel investing becomes a tool for systemic change:
• AtVenture Academy: Training programs for (new) angels
• AtVenture Angels: Peer investing community where we invest together
• AtVenture Allocate: Curated scouting and pitch events connecting diverse founders with aligned investors

I actively invest myself, backing early-stage ventures with a focus on diverse teams, independently and through Great Stuff Ventures and AtVenture.

This work builds on my broader commitment to supporting entrepreneurs with both capital and operational expertise. Through Nearwater, I work as a Fractional COO and advisor helping impact-driven founders and leadership teams cut through operational chaos and build clarity, structure, and momentum so they can scale sustainably.

In addition, I offer:
•  Chaos to Clarity Program: 1-1 tailored support for founders who’ve outgrown the ad hoc phase
•  Structure Sprints: short, high-impact workshops to accelerate progress on planning, structure, and execution

What sets me apart?
It’s not just systems and frameworks, it’s the calm, reliable presence I bring when growth feels messy and overwhelming. Founders call me when they need real clarity, consistency, and movement.

With 18 years of corporate experience (GE, ABN AMRO) and 7+ years working alongside founders, I understand what it takes to grow sustainably and I know how to build the operational foundations that make growth feel achievable.

Alongside these core activities, I regularly speak, mentor, and serve on panels and juries around angel investing, scaling, and startup growth.

If you’re building an impactful business or interested in becoming an angel investor, let’s connect! I’m always open to a sparring session.

Tessa Flines

Most people think angel investing is about spotting the next big winner fast. In reality, it’s much closer to sitting at a table with 2,000 puzzle pieces🧩and no picture on the box.

I’ve always loved doing puzzles, especially during vacation. It’s how I slow down without switching my brain off. Time flies when I’m working on one. Pieces spread out on a table, starting with the edges, grouping by pattern, and that small moment of satisfaction when a piece finally clicks into place.

That way of thinking is also at the heart of how we approach angel investing at AtVenture Platform. You never start with the full picture. Information is incomplete, signals can be noisy, and some pieces only make sense after spending real time with founders, understanding their market, and seeing how the dynamics interact. It’s not about rushing to conclusions, but about observing, connecting dots, and building conviction step by step.

What I enjoy most is the thinking process itself. Looking at how team, timing, traction, incentives, and values come together. Testing assumptions. Realizing that a piece you initially overlooked can turn out to be essential.

In both puzzles and angel investing, forcing things rarely works. Progress comes from staying with the process, being comfortable with uncertainty, and trusting that clarity will emerge if you keep showing up and paying attention.

📸 This Christmas I started a 2,000-piece puzzle. I’m nowhere near finished but I love working on a small part each day.

#angelinvesting #atventure #atventureplatform #inclusivecapital #startupinvesting #puzzles #puzzle

Tessa de Flines

Co-founder AtVenture Platform ✦ Investor ✦ Fractional COO ✦ Driving Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Entrepreneurship

taplio

The Battle

Anna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡

Tessa Flines

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAnna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡'s LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreTessa Flines's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Anna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡

Tessa Flines

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Anna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡'s LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreTessa Flines's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAnna C Mallon ⚡⚡⚡'s LinkedIn Performance