Amber Illig intentionally spent three years testing her investment skills by angel investing in ~30 startups with her own savings before becoming a full-time VC, and she built The Council Angels, a curated group of 100+ operator angels from companies like Square and Airbnb that she activates for expert help and follow-on capital after investing. She focuses on "existential industries" like construction and healthcare while positioning herself as an "operations expert" rather than a traditional finance-first GP, using her dual background spanning heavily regulated physical industries and high-growth software to identify strong operators to back as founders.

• Deep interest in hardware, robotics, and industrial manufacturing. Having a background in early consumer electronics brings a natural affinity for founders building in the physical world. A great example of this is a recent trip to visit a portfolio company metal factory in Detroit, coupled with organizing specialized dinners for robotics operators to discuss the future of the industry.
• Passionate about early startup operators who drive massive growth. There is a deep respect for early employees who act like founders and execute relentlessly before a company achieves obvious success. For example, the SpaceX president was highlighted as the ideal archetype of an entrepreneurial operator who joins early and simply forces things to happen.
• Highly protective of inbox space and reliant on warm introductions for deals. Because almost all deal flow comes from trusted networks, cold outreach needs to be incredibly thoughtful to break through. She specifically noted using artificial intelligence to automatically filter out low-effort automated spam pitches, and warned founders never to waste pitch deck space defining their startup by what it is not.
• Dedicated to improving healthcare models for non-traditional workers. There is a recurring theme of supporting health solutions for people left behind by the standard medical system. A prime example is leading an early investment in a company building health insurance tailored entirely for freelancers and independent workers who lack corporate benefits.