Allen Penn
About Allen Penn
Allen Penn is Head of Commercial at Zipline, a role Crunchbase dates from February 2026. He was previously Chief Operating Officer and President at Ready, a healthcare company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Miami University of Ohio.
Before Ready, he spent about seven years at Uber. PitchBook says he helped grow the company from 25 employees to more than 25,000, led its expansion across Asia, and managed global operations at Uber Eats. Crunchbase lists his Uber Eats title as Vice President, Global Operations. In a LinkedIn post about joining Ready, he wrote that he returned to the US after six years living in Asia and a 15-month travel break.
He is also listed as the founder of Framework, a Nashville wellness venture, on its Wefunder page. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
PitchBook lists five investments, three current portfolio companies and two exits. The earliest is DIY in November 2020. Crunchbase counts four personal investments and Tracxn counts three, so the databases do not fully agree on his history.
PitchBook records DIY as acquired in February 2025 and Nana with an exit in December 2023. Deal sizes and his own check amounts are not disclosed in these sources.
His most recent investment is HrFlow.ai, a Paris-based company that builds AI for recruiting and talent data. Crunchbase shows the Seed round announced on April 8, 2026, with 17 investors including 115K and EmergingTech Ventures as lead investors. Tracxn lists the round at $7M.
The other companies in his public record are described as business software, consumer or community products. They are not described as AI companies in the sources reviewed.
Public databases show mostly seed and early-stage rounds in business and productivity software, software development tools and consumer products. Tracxn lists his top sectors as High Tech and Enterprise Applications, with portfolio companies in India, the United States and France.
He has not published a check size, a fund size or a statement about what he looks for, and none is given here. He appears to invest his own money alongside other investors, not through a fund.
- HrFlow.ai: AI platform for recruiting and talent data, based in Paris. Seed round, April 2026.
- Basil: consumer durables company. PitchBook dates his investment to February 2024 and Tracxn lists a Seed round in July 2023.
- OnLoop: business and productivity software. Seed round, September 2021.
- Nana: business and productivity software. Early-stage round, May 2021, with an exit recorded in December 2023.
- DIY: online community platform for kids and software development tool. Seed round, November 2020, acquired February 2025.
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/454368-43
- crunchbase.com/person/allen-penn
- crunchbase.com/organization/riminder
- tracxn.com/d/people/allen-penn/__H6wUyGwsP9DnkZDQdq7aZR5OQeJNuB0FBK7Y4
- tracxn.com/d/people/allen-penn/__ChZgUYuJ02vLT41syLv0a4o2Jzz6LQWMVmtj-
- linkedin.com/pulse/why-i-joined-ready-allen-penn
- wefunder.com/framework/buzz
Investing activity
Allen Penn appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $7M. The most recent is HrFlow.ai (Seed, $7M, Apr 2026).
Allen Penn most often invests alongside EmergingTech Ventures, 115K, Sophie Serratrice and Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Allen Penn
Who is Allen Penn the angel investor?
Allen Penn is a Nashville-based angel investor and operator. He is Head of Commercial at Zipline and previously held senior roles at Uber Eats and Ready.
Has Allen Penn invested in AI startups?
Yes. Crunchbase and PitchBook both show him in the April 2026 Seed round of HrFlow.ai, which makes AI for recruiting.
What stage does Allen Penn invest in?
His public record shows mostly seed and early-stage rounds, from DIY in 2020 to HrFlow.ai in 2026.
What is Allen Penn's check size?
It is not public. The sources reviewed do not give his check amounts, only the total size of some rounds.
What sectors does Allen Penn back?
PitchBook lists business and productivity software, software development applications and consumer durables. Tracxn adds enterprise applications.
How can founders contact Allen Penn?
His LinkedIn profile is linkedin.com/in/allenpenn. No personal website or X account was confirmed.
Is Allen Penn an angel investor?
Yes. Allen Penn invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Allen Penn invested in?
Allen Penn's AI investments include HrFlow.ai. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Allen Penn invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Allen Penn has invested at Seed, with a median round of $7M.
Who does Allen Penn co-invest with?
Allen Penn's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are EmergingTech Ventures (1 deal), 115K (1 deal), Sophie Serratrice (1 deal), Jean-Baptiste Rudelle (1 deal) and Domnin de Kerdaniel (1 deal).