Isabelle Freidheim
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Isabelle Freidheim is the founder and managing partner of Athena Capital. She is the youngest female chairman of a publicly traded company in the U.S. In her role as founder and managing partner, Freidheim oversees the company's strategic direction and leads its efforts in identifying and investing in promising technology firms.
Founding Athena Capital
Isabelle Freidheim is an entrepreneur and investor with more than 15 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, SPACs and IPOs. She founded Athena in 2020. Athena Capital is an investment fund focusing on the intersection of private companies preparing to go public or considering exits through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
In 2020, Freidheim also founded a platform of SPAC vehicles, each with dedicated, full-time management teams with specialized expertise in nurturing innovative technology companies and executing transactions. Athena’s team members hired by Freidheim include board members of Fortune 100 companies and CEOs, Fortune 500 companies, company founders and investors. Under Freidheim’s leadership, Athena has raised more than $1.2 billion.
Earlier Professional Life
Before founding Athena Capital, Isabelle Freidheim co-founded and acted as CEO of Magnifi, the AI and machine-learning fintech company. Freidheim led Magnifi's early growth as one of the few female CEOs in the AI industry. As CEO of Magnifi, she focused on steering the company's strategy, fostering technological innovation and expanding market presence while raising multiple rounds of capital leading up to Magnifi's acquisition by The Tifin Group in December 2020.
Freidheim previously co-founded and managed The London Fund, where her work centered on investing in and advising high-growth, intellectual property-driven companies specializing in emerging technologies.
She previously was the first female venture partner at VC fund MissionOG, where she leveraged her deep industry expertise to deploy capital in growth tech companies.
Freidheim started her investing career at one of Invesco's private equity funds, focusing on European assets.
Education
Isabelle Freidheim holds a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University, where she studied Economics and Econometrics/Statistics. In 2009, Freidheim earned her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, where she concentrated in Economics and graduated with academic honors.
Quick Facts
Name: Isabelle Freidheim
Current Title: Founder and Managing Partner of Athena Capital
Industries: Tech
Education:
- B.A. in Economics, Columbia University
- M.B.A., Columbia Business School
Previous Roles:
- Co-founder, Magnifi
- CEO, Magnifi
- Private Equity Investor at Invesco
- Partner, The London Fund
- Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Starwood VC
Prior Board Member:
- (NYSE: ATHN), (NYSE: ACAQ),(NASDAQ: GFGD)
Current board member:
- (NASDAQ: EGOX)(NYSE: ATEK)Member, YPO