Michelle Kennedy

Michelle Kennedy is an Investor at StartHer, a specialized microfund launched by the social networking application Peanut to support underrepresented founders. Before establishing this investment vehicle, she began her professional career as a corporate lawyer and later transitioned into the technology sector with a leadership role at the dating platform Badoo. Kennedy subsequently founded Peanut, a dedicated social network designed specifically for women, where she raised $23 million in venture capital funding to scale the platform's operations. Through the StartHer microfund, she currently provides pre-seed checks ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 to early-stage startups led by women and historically excluded entrepreneurs, frequently structuring these initial investments without taking equity. Her current focus centers on financing diverse entrepreneurs by deploying capital into women's health and social networking ventures while actively addressing persistent venture capital funding gaps.