Meet Michelle Tinsley

Written by Tom Kelly

Michelle Tinsley is a 30+ year experienced technical leader. Michelle served in a variety of Financial, General Management, Product an Sales roles at Intel for 26 years. 14 years of those roles were in support of the IoT business. She then worked for 6 years in startup environments as a founder. Michelle brings fundraising, M&A and business development skills to the company.

On the personal side of things, Michelle is an angel investor in the Arizona Technology Investors group since 2013. Michelle served on the BOD for QuikTrip for 5 years, and actively serves on the board of AZ Tech Investors. Tinsley received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Oregon (Marketing & Finance) and an MBA from Arizona State University. She is happily married and raises her two sons aged 17 and 11 with her husband Alan in Phoenix, Arizona.

How did you hear about Venture Café?

I’ve attended 5+ times over the years,

Have you had any memorable connections at Venture Café Phoenix? If so, please tell us how you met them, who they are and how they have impacted you and your organization?

As a startup I have connected with potential employees. As an angel I have found new members for our group- which increases our ability to fund local startups. As an entrepreneur I’ve been able to connect with mentors and mentees.

What inspires you?

Seeing people grow/achieve new things that they have never done before. I get inspiration from the journeys and successes of other entrepreneurs.

Tell us a little more about your current role with your organization and how it has impacted the start-up ecosystem here in the greater Phoenix region.

I have been with Sciata about 3 months now. We are HQ in Phoenix and serve clients nationwide. Sciata is a revolutionary, tech-enabled services company, delivering artificial intelligence, software engineering, and custom software solutions to our customers. The results we create help our clients pioneer their next generation competitive advantages enabling them to grow faster and become more profitable. They hire us time-and-time again for our technology expertise and because they simply love our never-ceasing “can-do” mentality. We are now exploring M&A targets across the US.

Can you discuss your experience at Venture Café Phoenix and any impact the event has had on your organization?

Yes- I have had 26 years of experience in corporate settings across a variety of functions. Then I went to the land of startups for 6 years and started 3 companies. Now I’m leveraging all of that learning in a private equity backed company. The experiences I have gathered are fueling my future career path.

Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs and People Looking for their Passion

Lean in on what you love, know what motivates you, and how you do your best work.

Most Impactful Book?

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Tell us about the people, mentors, etc that have helped you along the way.

At Intel- many mentors/managers that gave me the really tough assignments and then set me free to learn. In angel circles I’ve learned from fellow angels how to value a company, what is in a term sheet and what a good deal looks like. I exercise my network to get new introductions and maintain relationships as I always look for ways to help others.

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