Amanda Johnstone
About Amanda Johnstone
Amanda Johnstone is the founding CEO of Transhuman Inc., also known as Social Health Innovations, Inc. She started it in 2014. It is a mental health and emotion AI company, and its products include the free check-in app Be A Looper, launched in 2016 and available in 87 countries. She is based in Sydney.
At 17 she co-founded the retail chain Sebachi in Tasmania. It became one of Australia's early e-commerce stores. Before Transhuman she consulted on a pharmaceutical and technology rollout for Ramsay Healthcare.
TIME named her a Next Generation Leader (2019), The CEO Magazine named her Startup Executive of the Year (2020), and LinkedIn named her a Top Voice in AI (2023). She holds patents, hosts the social audio show Talk Nerdy To Me (300,000 subscribers) and speaks on emerging technology and AI. Her advisory roles include Startmate (since 2025) and Tech Ready Women Academy.
Johnstone describes herself as a technologist, inventor and investor, primarily in emerging technologies. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as a seed investor and mentor at Tech Ready Women Academy since 2016. The academy is an Australian upskilling program for non-technical female founders, and it was later acquired by Scalare Partners.
Crunchbase records one personal investment and one portfolio company, with no lead investments and no exits. The one investment is an angel round in her own company, Transhuman. Her investing history beyond these entries is not public.
No outside AI company investments are publicly documented. Her AI work is operational. She builds Transhuman's emotion AI and ethical human-data technologies, and she comments publicly on AI ethics, AI sentiment in Australia and proof of personhood.
She describes her investing as primarily in emerging technologies. Her own work and her mentoring cover AI, mental health technology and support for female founders. She is based in Sydney, and Crunchbase lists her regions as Asia-Pacific and Australasia. She has not published a check size, preferred stage or fund size, so none is given here.
- Transhuman: emotion AI and mental health technology company she founded in 2014. Crunchbase lists her as an angel investor in it.
- Tech Ready Women Academy: Australian upskilling program for non-technical female founders. She invested in 2016 and it was later acquired by Scalare Partners.
Investing activity
Amanda Johnstone has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has founded 2 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Amanda Johnstone
Who is Amanda Johnstone?
She is an Australian technology entrepreneur and the founding CEO of Transhuman, an emotion AI and mental health company founded in 2014. She is based in Sydney and is also a keynote speaker.
Does Amanda Johnstone invest in AI startups?
She describes herself as an investor primarily in emerging technologies. No outside AI investments are publicly documented. Crunchbase lists one investment, in her own company Transhuman.
What is Amanda Johnstone's angel check size?
She has not published a check size, so it is unknown. Founders should not assume a range.
What stage does Amanda Johnstone invest in?
She has not stated a preferred stage. Her one documented outside investment, in Tech Ready Women Academy, was a seed investment in 2016.
What companies has Amanda Johnstone founded?
She co-founded the retail chain Sebachi at 17 and co-founded Transhuman in 2014. Transhuman makes the Be A Looper mental health app.
How can founders contact Amanda Johnstone?
Her public channels are LinkedIn, X (@amandaj0hnstone) and amandajohnstone.com. She has not said she takes cold pitches.
Is Amanda Johnstone an angel investor?
Yes. Amanda Johnstone invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 1 investment.
Where is Amanda Johnstone based?
Amanda Johnstone is based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
How can founders reach Amanda Johnstone?
Founders on Lounge can see Amanda Johnstone's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Amanda Johnstone to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.