Abigail Risse Headshot

Abigail
Risse

Analyst

twittertwitter hover linkedinlinkedin hover

Early on, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to helping create innovative technologies to change and improve people’s lives.

I grew up in Brookline with my mom, dad, and younger brother. My dad is an entrepreneur and started a custom woodworking and general contracting business in his 20s. He still works there today. Growing up, I saw firsthand the challenges of operating all aspects of a business and the hustle required for success.

 

My brother and father are both severely dyslexic, so my father always placed an emphasis on fixing things with our hands. After school, there always seemed to be some sort of manual project working on various pieces of disgruntled machinery. My dad inspired us to be curious about things we didn’t know or understand and not to be afraid to get our hands dirty. Experiences like this, in combination with my love of math and science, led me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

 

The importance of making a meaningful impact and leaving an intentional and thoughtful mark on the world was cemented by a few pivotal experiences in college. I went abroad to Barcelona in 2018 for an engineering co-op program. My internship was in a prosthetic and orthopedic clinic with a patient-facing doctor’s office in the front and a manufacturing facility in the back for real-time device manufacturing and tweaking. We worked with pediatric patients with physical limitations due to polio or amputations. I vividly remember modifying two leg braces for Julio, a nine-year-old boy with severe growth impediments. I will never forget that feeling of enabling a child to walk.

 

In 2021, I met the Hyperplane team and have since learned quickly the importance of wearing multiple hats. On the investment team, I have spent my time focusing on AI-based solutions in the industries of logistics and supply chain, robotics, vertical SaaS, sales enablement, and, most notably, healthcare. Day-to-day, I spend time sourcing companies for investment, performing due diligence, hosting events for the tech community, working with portfolio companies, and, more recently, writing a newsletter for thousands of Bostonians interested in local financings, Boston Tech Deals.

Before joining Hyperplane, I worked as an engineer at iRobot, ensuring that pre-launch product lines were functional, ergonomic, and seamlessly integrated into the iRobot product network and brand. My role focused on the optimization of both functional design and human factor considerations as it relates to consumer robots, specifically at the intersection of hardware and software.

Before iRobot, I contributed to engineering efforts at Embr Labs, investing functions at the Engine and medical device design across orthopedic and prosthetic clinics and academic research labs.

 

I have a German Shepherd named Stella and am pathetically obsessed with her. Like, a full-on dog mom obsessed. I love animals and nature and, given the opportunity, would have loved to be a farm girl. My happy place is anywhere with trees, most likely a result of my childhood spent between Boston and Vermont.

I’ve always been driven by routine, a trait that lends itself well to being generally very active and playing sports. Exercising the edge of mental and physical boundaries makes me tick. I use fitness as an outlet for any source of stress and love the process of working towards any goal. For example, the idea of training for a marathon is the most exciting part about running one, which also happens to be one of my bucket list items.

I’m a spin instructor across the Equinox Boston studios and love empowering people to reach their own level of “wow, I can really do this” – it is truly energizing. Teaching has allowed me the opportunity to uplift and empower others, help them recognize their potential, and test their personal boundaries.

Abigail spin instructor
qna image

Fun Facts

To Start With

A nerd from the earliest days, in 5th grade, I memorized the first 40 digits of Pi and can still recite them today. 🥧 ✖️ ➗🥧 ✖️ ➗ 📐🥧 ✖️ ➗

I’ve worked for several prosthetic clinics on both the engineering and patient-facing side of the fittings, and one of my favorite patients was Lionel Messi.

Solo traveling has become my preferred means of travel. Favorite solo destinations so far: Koh Samui island in Thailand and the Canary Islands in Spain.

Favorite Book

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. The first book that ever made me cry - and by cry I mean full-on sob.