She pushed us to define a new category for consumers and to meet consumer needs with a product that resonates. 6,015 Followers, 2,189 Following, 86 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Forerunner (@forerunnerventures) Driven by fascination with consumer behavior, love for the entrepreneurial journey and belief in the power of progress. Forerunner Team We challenge conventional thinking with unconventional perspectives. Forerunner Portfolio We partner: With those who challenge industry norms. “The venture industry does not reward those who stay in the moment. Forerunner Ventures has made 77 diversity investments. When we were looking to hire our first analyst, she immediately came to mind. Jobs. Team. Our partnership with founders is rooted in unwavering conviction and commitment, enabling us to champion and challenge entrepreneurs in a way that brings out their best and stands the test of time. Since our founding nearly ten years ago, Forerunner Ventures has been an agent of change, championing the companies who aim to rewrite the rules of culture by meeting evolved consumer expectations through modern, technology-advantaged business models. She previously worked with SapientNitro, a leading brand and digital strategy consultancy where she supported the development of the global eCommerce strategy and omni-channel growth strategy for a multinational luxury eyewear conglomerate. We make bold, innovative gear. Forerunner Ventures's Founding Partner is Kirsten Green. Rockets of Awesome’s team of stylists formerly worked for major brands including J.Crew and Kate Spade, among others. The productivity platform, founded in 2015, powers every aspect of work and helps fast pace companies stay on track. Investor. Expert advice available for your company and industry segment in 1:1 sessions with a Founder Success team member. Forerunner Ventures 's most notable exits include Birchbox, Dollar Shave Club, and Jet. Kirsten graduated from UCLA with a B.A. Job opportunities at Cotopaxi. Beyond the requisite traits – initiative, passion and thinking like an inventor – great founders must be magnetic, disciplined and truly visionary. Away is a modern travel and lifestyle brand. "Kirsten and the Forerunner Ventures team are ideal partners for us and I cannot wait to charge forward with their support," said Afton Vechery, CEO and co-founder of Modern Fertility. Nicole Johnson embodies these qualities as a collaborator and so much more. Driven by fascination with consumer behavior, love for the entrepreneurial journey and belief in the power of progress. Attabotics provides a robotic warehousing and fulfillment system that has the potential to redefine the market. Nicole Johnson. Who upend entire categories by reimagining the future. Forerunner Ventures General Partner Eurie Kim describes the skills and traits needed to be on a startup’s founding team, as well as the pros and cons. Forerunner’s mission and vision have always stood firmly upon our core values of teamwork, original thought, integrity, and community. When Eurie and I met Nicole seven years ago, she had hopes of networking with our portfolio. The company is a vertically-integrated company offering beautiful, high-quality luggage at an affordable price point. Forerunner’s mission and vision have always stood firmly upon our core values of teamwork, original thought, integrity, and community. Ushering in the future by solving today’s challenges with better business models and superior experiences is simultaneously a significant challenge and a requirement for successful start-ups. We view the world through an expanded lens that enables us to have the diversity of perspectives needed to challenge industry norms and spot the unexpected. The Data Science team owns a wide variety of algorithms and models that power the marketplace. Their most recent diversity investment was on Oct 27, 2020, when Faire raised $170M. We create unforgettable events. Combining a unique and unconventional blend of professional history and acquired investment experience, Kirsten launched San Francisco-based Forerunner Ventures in 2010, where she serves as Founder and Managing Partner. Instead of developing technology to speed the human workload, Attabotics is a robotic-centric storage and retrieval system. >> Sure, ForeRunner is an early-stage venture Venture Capitol Firm. We’ve learned from each other, worked together tirelessly to accomplish goals, weathered the markets, celebrated wins, overcame losses, and beat the odds. Importantly, Nicole has a keen eye for identifying consumer trends, and she intuitively understands where originality and delight meet business potential. Undo discard. From copyedits to closing candidates, she has been an invaluable and unstoppable asset to our team,” said Isabelle Kenyon, founder of Calibrate. Other executives include Eurie Kim, Partner; Brian O'Malley, Partner and 5 others. Forerunner Ventures is an early-stage VC firm dedicated to partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs who are meeting the challenges and opportunities of today’s rapidly evolving digital commerce landscape. Meet the rest of the Forerunner team Our team brings a special combination of EQ and IQ that sets us apart. Attabotics has taken a different perspective on the technology. Calibrate is a modern, medical solution that gives people everywhere control of their health. Nicole has been instrumental in sourcing, diligence, and implementing investment execution within our portfolio including companies such as Calibrate, Heroes, Neighborhood Goods, Nécessaire, Prose, and Stadium Goods (exited), among others. Person Role Period; Kirsten Green. We partner with entrepreneurs, as well as other venture firms, to develop and implement strategies to overcome the challenges to successful entry into the marketplace. Melissa also spearheads efforts to facilitate partnerships with service providers for the benefit of the portfolio. Job opportunities at Attabotics. Head of Platform. Congratulations to Nicole Johnson, our newest Partner, Sign up for the Weekly Forerunner News Recap, Forerunner Venture 2020 — All Rights Reserved, Making plant-based dairy indistinguishable from conventional dairy, Fostering our next generation’s social-emotional growth. Sign up for the Weekly Forerunner News Recap, Forerunner Venture 2020 — All Rights Reserved. Nicole has risen quickly on the Forerunner team to be an incredibly valuable and equal thought partner, someone I can truly rely on. Partner May 2012 to Present Melissa Grillo Aruz. See the full leadership team at Craft. In an unpredictable consumer landscape, Kirsten’s 20+ years of evaluation and investment success stems from a combination of product savvy, consumer insight and a thesis-driven approach that has been the basis of all her investments — from pre-revenue startups to multi-billion-dollar enterprises. Luckily for us, she accepted and joined us. It started with luggage, designed with thoughtful features that solve real travel problems—for life. Our team has collectively built thousands of homes in California, and we are working with dozens of clients in Sonoma, Napa and Ventura counties today. Kirsten is a founding member of the female mentorship collective, All Raise, and actively champions women in the tech industry. She was named VC of the Year at TechCrunch’s 2017 Crunchies Awards and listed on Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list. In February, the startup raised $7 million in seed funding from LAUNCH, Forerunner Ventures and General Catalyst Partners. Job opportunities at Cleo. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Glossier, Ritual, Faire, The Yes, Hims & Hers, Curated, and Modern Fertility. We view the world through an expanded lens that enables us to have the diversity of perspectives needed to challenge industry norms and spot the unexpected. Cleo is bringing expert parent and maternity coaching together with a powerful technology platform that helps every working parent succeed as they grow their families and their careers. In February, the startup raised $7 million in seed funding from LAUNCH, Forerunner Ventures and General Catalyst Partners. Job opportunities at Away. As a founder, Kirsten has led efforts to raise over $1B+ from leading institutional investors and invest in more than 100 companies. You must have a unique expertise that complements the team and accept that your stake in the company is lower than that of the actual founders. Combining a unique and unconventional blend of professional history and acquired investment experience, Kirsten launched San Francisco-based Forerunner Ventures in 2010, where she serves as Founder and Managing Partner. By changing the supply chain for the better, volunteering in our communities, and giving 1% of our revenue to those in need, we can make a positive, measurable impact on people’s lives. We don’t win as individuals; we win as a team. The round was led by Forerunner Ventures… Not only does she understand the merits of a quality company and investment, she knows how this industry works forward and backward and has proven to be keen at spotting potential. >> Mm-hm. Rockets of Awesome’s team of stylists formerly worked for major brands including J.Crew and Kate Spade, among others. She is original in her thinking and unabashedly unafraid to challenge ideas. We look forward to Nicole continuing to make a lasting impact at Forerunner, our portfolio companies, as well as on the broader venture ecosystem. Our diversity of perspectives … Companies. Melissa Grillo Aruz. I feel good when people around me are comfortable being themselves; it’s a core value that brings me such fulfillment and joy when working with founders.”, Congratulations to Nicole Johnson, our newest Partner. Ashley Rogers. Since our founding nearly ten years ago, Forerunner Ventures has been an agent of change, championing the companies who aim to rewrite the rules of culture by meeting evolved consumer expectations through modern, technology-advantaged business models. Head of Operations & Finance. We view the world through an expanded lens. Search job openings across the Forerunner Ventures network. About Forerunner At Forerunner, we invest in companies that operate at the intersection of evolution and opportunity. During her time at Forerunner, Nicole has proven time and time again to be a critical and strategic thinker, as well as a dedicated and trusted team player; the combination of which makes her effective at spotting great investments and building lasting relationships with entrepreneurs. Nicole Johnson embodies these qualities as a collaborator and so much more. Forerunner Ventures Micro VC San Francisco, United States forerunnerventures.com. We are dedicated to investing in the evolution of commerce. Search jobs; Explore companies; Calibrate. Since our founding nearly 10 years ago, Forerunner has remained a small but mighty team. Kirsten has been honored in Time’s 100 Most Influential People, named a Top 20 Venture Capitalists by The New York Times in 2018 & 2017, is part of Forbes' 2020, 2019, 2018 & 2017 Midas Lists, in addition to being named in the magazine’s World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. We are a team of retail industry experts and technologists passionate about transforming the wholesale industry through disruptive products and services. Kirsten Green. “Nicole intuitively understood our mission from our first conversation. I thrive in the balance of dreaming years in the future and walking that back to today where the signals are just enough to support a nascent business to emerge.”, “Growing up, friends joked that they would go to “Kirsten’s couch” to get advice. Forerunner Ventures Team Add Team Member. Eurie Kim. Executive Support & Operations. Forerunner Ventures has 8 current team members, including Founding Partner Kirsten Green. The firm seeks to invest in the business service, e-commerce, software, mobile, retail, technology, and internet sectors. Search job openings across the Forerunner Ventures network. She also served on the board of Dollar Shave Club and Bonobos, two Forerunner portfolio companies with notable sale transactions. I was someone people confided in when working through problems. Forerunner Ventures has had 21 exits. Prior to Forerunner, Kirsten was an equity research analyst and investor at Banc of America Securities, formerly Montgomery Securities, covering publicly-traded retail and consumer stocks. Grande Ventures, LLC is a venture capital firm committed to the transformation of ideas into successful enterprises. Before founding Forerunner Ventures, Kirsten was an analyst in the equity research department at Banc of America Securities (Montgomery Securities), covering the Specialty Retail sector. Melissa joined the Forerunner team in 2014 and as Head of Talent and Partnerships she leads the firm’s efforts to support portfolio companies in the areas of talent strategy, organization development and community building. Curated, a San Francisco, CA-based online shopping platform that matches customers with experts, announced $27.5m in total funding.. We don’t win as individuals; we win as a team. Founder, Managing Partner Jan 2010 to Present Eurie Kim. “I am not in the business of funding good companies,” says Kim, a general partner at Forerunner Ventures. Away designs special objects for modern travel. We offer a safe space for founders to practice with an advisor at the SVB office. If everyone on a team shares the same goal, it is logical to assume that executing and achieving this goal is simple, but we all know that isn’t true and that’s exactly what Hive solves. Our team brings a special combination of EQ and IQ that sets us apart. Description Founded in 2010, Forerunner Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. Search job openings across the … 846. At Cotopaxi, we like to shake things up. 57. She is also a member of the Board of Directors at Nordstrom, Inc (NYSE: JWN). >> And, that means all kinds of things, but, effectively, we'll take a consumer lens, to the opportunities we evaluate. Pitch Sessions. Discarded companies won't appear in search results. Venture capitalist Eurie Kim lists the qualities needed to be a founder. We leverage a thematic focus and original research to invest ahead of the curve. That’s why we’re so incredibly proud to name Nicole Forerunner’s newest Partner. Company profile page for Forerunner Ventures LLC including stock price, company news, press releases, executives, board members, and contact information Jennifer Mariska. Our one-year, digital metabolic reset combines medication with one-on-one coaching. Forerunner Ventures. ... Forerunner Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and DST Global. in Business Economics, and has earned a CPA license and a CFA certification. She had a depth to her — not only in her knowledge, but in her personality and people skills. The founders she works with rely on her and appreciate her candor and guidance in helping them refine strategy, evaluate market opportunity, and evolve consumer experience. And she is just as good at building trust and relationships with people as she is at critical thinking and analysis. That’s why we’re so incredibly proud to name Nicole Forerunner’s newest Partner. Founder and Managing Director. Partner. Nicole joined the Forerunner team in December 2013. We strive to work with founders who are more than great leaders, but also shepherds for entire industries, driving markets to better, more sustainable solutions. Principal Unknown to Present View more team members » Forerunner Ventures News Add News. The Forerunner team uniquely pairs deep domain expertise and an understanding of consumer behaviors, brand building and product, to successfully Lists Featuring This Company Female Founded Late Stage Venture Investors with Investments in Canada 26 Number of Organizations • $63.5M Total Funding Amount • 8 Number of Investors Having a partner like Nicole makes us all better at what we do, both at work and in our lives. 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