Investor · Speaker · Innovation Catalyst
Capital.
Calling.
Community.
Activating women investors, founders, universities, and innovation ecosystems to create flourishing through entrepreneurship, education, and early-stage investing.
- 200+
- Startups backed
- 5,000+
- Companies reviewed
- 12
- Funds & vehicles
Dr. Silvia Mah
“Women don't need permission. They need to lead with their purpose to uniquely flourish.”
Trusted by universities, funds, summits & angel networks
Global innovation & government partners
🇨🇱Chile
CORFO & Start-Up ChileKeynotes and workshops on women entrepreneurs, STEM opportunities, and the investors who fund them
🇯🇵Japan
BioJapan — Pacifico YokohamaStrengthening the life-science startup bridge between San Diego & Yokohama
🇰🇷Korea
World Research & Innovation Congress2012 delegate from UCSD at the University-Industry Roundtable Dinner, building bridges for Seoul's tech-hub expansion
Three ways we create impact
One person, three levers: the stage, the check, and the ecosystem.
Each one strengthens the others. Keynotes create investors. Investors create founders. Ecosystems keep them all in the same room.
Stages & keynotes
Speaker
Keynotes on women and wealth, the investor mindset, ethical AI, and human flourishing — delivered with research depth and a room-warming presence.
Speaking themesEarly-stage capital
Investor
200+ startups backed since 2010 across angel checks, funds, and syndicates — with a thesis centered on female and BIPOC founders.
See the portfolioEcosystems & universities
Innovation Catalyst
Designing innovation ecosystems for universities, corporations, and regions — from AI venture studios to angel activation programs.
Explore the workBy the numbers
Two decades of capital, classrooms, and stages.
200+
Startups backed
5,000+
Companies reviewed
12
Funds & investment vehicles
3x
TEDx / SHETalks stages
40+
Stella Angels investors convened
2010
First angel check
Multiple exits. Professor and Director of Innovation. Women investors activated across a dozen ecosystems — from San Diego to the Midwest to campus innovation districts.
TEDx
Two talks that started a thousand first checks.
From the mindset shift that turns a saver into an investor, to the arithmetic of getting funding to even.
The mindset of startup investors
TEDxSanDiegoWomen · TEDx talk
Why the next generation of investors looks nothing like the last one — and what changes in a community when capital changes hands.
Getting to Even
TEDxChulaVista · TEDx talk
Closing the funding gap is not charity, it is math: what it takes to get women and founders of color to even.
Featured books
The Mindset trilogy.
Practical frameworks for the people who fund, build, and champion new ventures.
The Startup Investor Mindset
The 5 M's, thesis development, diligence, portfolio construction, and stewardship after the wire.
View on Amazon
The Startup Founder Mindset
Equipping entrepreneurs to lead with intentionality, leverage networks, and build for positive impact.
View on AmazonShe Invests Institute
From mindset to first check to a real portfolio.
Courses, investor circles, workshops, and templates that move women from curiosity to conviction — and from conviction to capital deployed.
- Courses & certificates
- Investor circles
- Downloadable templates
- Community & podcast
Innovation
University partnerships, AI, and economic development
Designing innovation ecosystems where students, founders, and capital actually meet.
Recognition
Honored for the work, not the noise.
Awards and recognition across San Diego's innovation, investing, and women-in-business communities.
SD500 — Top 500 Influential Leaders in San Diego
Unsung Hero Award
MOXIE Award, Class of 2020
Women's Advocate of the Year
Commitment to Diversity Winner
Charles W. Hostler Citizen Diplomat of the Year
Athena Pinnacle Award — Individual in Service
Female Startup Champion
“Capital is not just money. It is attention, relationship, and belief — arriving early enough to matter.”
Dr. Silvia Mah