Karen Francis – Startup Investor Profile

Ms. Karen Francis, an experienced investor, has a diverse background in the technology and education sectors. She served as the Chairman and CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney, an advertising agency based in San Francisco and has held senior executive positions with companies like Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and Ford Motor Company. Ms. Francis currently serves as an Executive Chairman at AcademixDirect and as an Advisor at Kennet Partners. She has a keen interest in the technology industry, serving on the boards of various tech companies and advising technology firms. With a strong educational foundation from Harvard Business School and Dartmouth College, she brings a strategic vision to her investments. Ms. Francis focuses on independent director roles and serves as an Executive Advisory Board Member at Kennet Partners. Her investments span education technology, automotive, and technology sectors. Her past roles at major automotive companies highlight her expertise in operational management. Her broad experience positions her as a valuable advisor and investor in the tech and education sectors.

Location: Menlo Park, CA

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Investment Regions:

Investment Stages: pre-seed, seed

Website:

AI Reasoning: Crunchbase and other bios show Karen Francis took board/investor roles recently: Chair of CelLink starting Oct 2021, Senior Advisor at TPG Jul 2020, board roles including Metawave Aug 2018 and Nauto Apr 2016. The most recent investment-like board appointment is Oct 2021 at CelLink which is more than 12 months ago; however additional sources indicate ongoing involvement with CelLink and possible investment activity. Given lack of any confirmed investments after May 2025 or later, but with evidence of a board role beginning Oct 2021, calculate time since last known investment: from Oct 2021 to Nov 1, 2025 is 49 months (over 12 months). This places her in low-active.

Low Activity – Only known angel investments more than 12 months ago.

Active – Known angel investments between the last 12 and 6 months.

Very Active – Known angel investments in the last 6 months.