I left Amazon and became an angel investor. Mentoring startups for 6 years made me a better founder.

After selling his first startup, Evi, to Amazon in 2012, William Tunstall-Pedoe transitioned from a tech entrepreneur to an angel investor and mentor, a shift that would profoundly shape his career. Evi later evolved into what we know today as Alexa, providing Tunstall-Pedoe with the financial resources to explore new ventures after leaving Amazon in 2016. Initially, he anticipated taking a six-month break, but soon found himself busier than ever. Embracing new opportunities, he began attending events and engaging with the startup community. His involvement included joining the Creative Destruction Lab, a program where seasoned entrepreneurs guide early-stage science and technology ventures. Here, he contributed significantly, meeting regularly with startups to help them define and reach their objectives. Over six years, Tunstall-Pedoe traveled frequently between the UK and Toronto, making angel investments in various promising startups. When the program relocated to the University of Oxford in 2019, he continued his mentorship journey. His participation in networks like Cambridge Angels expanded his exposure to early-stage companies, further enhancing his investment acumen. Although he aspired to be a founder again, Tunstall-Pedoe recognized the value of patience. His experiences as a mentor provided him with a wealth of knowledge and insights, complementing the decade he spent with Evi. In 2019, when he founded his second startup, UnlikelyAI, he approached it with a different mindset. Armed with self-funding capabilities and a robust network of angel investors from his mentorship days, he was no longer the novice he once was. The lessons learned from guiding numerous startups enabled him to navigate challenges more effectively, marking a significant evolution in his entrepreneurial journey.