From Nightclub DJ to Angel Investor: One Woman's Path to Financial Independence

Angel investing can feel like it takes a spare million dollars and access that most of us never get. Emma Malina challenges that assumption, and this episode shows how women can start angel investing with a check as small as five thousand dollars. Emma Malina is an active investor and the host of Matcha and Money, a Santa Barbara gathering built to get women talking honestly about capital. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten traces Emma's path from teenage DJ to New York real estate broker to investor. As a teenager, Emma walked into a bank with fifty pounds from a DJ gig and opened a pension plan despite being told she was too young. That same instinct shaped her real estate career, including a 1031 exchange that helped move her from a Brooklyn walk-up to a 3,600-square-foot house on an acre in Santa Barbara. She also shares her first steps into equity crowdfunding for beginners and pre-IPO investing for beginners, the family estate crisis that pushed her toward Matcha and Money, and a clear answer for anyone wondering how to become an angel investor with little money. Her larger case is that women have real power in how they use their money, and that becoming thoughtful owners, investors, and stewards of capital gives them a greater voice in shaping the future. Listen for the full story and a real starting point if you have been waiting to write your first check. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 A Teenage DJ Opens Her First Pension 04:35 Growing Up Between Santa Barbara and London 08:20 First Jobs, Club Culture, and Early Money 20:49 The Bus Stop Ad That Started It All 29:04 Restaurants, Real Estate, and Building Instincts 37:38 Retirement Accounts and Her First Apartment 44:31 Leaving New York and Starting Over 49:45 How Women Can Start Angel Investing 51:42 Her Mother's Estate and a Hard Lesson 56:37 Building Matcha and Money From Her Living Room Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey. Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Register to Attend a Salon Near You: https://wealthcatalyst.com/salons/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm