Forerunner Fund IV will be dedicated to partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs who are addressing the challenges and opportunities of today’s changing commerce landscape.
The fund will continue to leverage the firm’s thesis-driven approach to investing by pairing retail expertise and knowledge of changing consumer behaviors with brand building and focus on customer experience to identify strong leaders and guide them in their efforts to build meaningful companies.
Led by Kirsten Green, Founder and Managing Partner, Forerunner Ventures has invested in sush successful companies as Dollar Shave Club and Jet.com, and has Away, Birchbox, Bonobos, Glossier, Hotel Tonight, and Warby Parker, among others (49 in total) in its current portfolio.
The fund will back founders looking to bring new products and services to life, and address large audiences and unmet needs through innovative new models and distribution strategies. It will support companies challenging norms within their categories, either taking on incumbents with superior offerings and models, or leveraging new technologies to meet emerging potential.
Investment themes will include:
- Relationship retailing
- Attention to transparency and integrity
- Micro-influences
- collection of networks online across multiple platforms, both on and offline
- reach beyond the store and magazines
- design
- unlock new approaches to supply chain and manufacturing
- address the shift from goods to experiences
Beyond Green, Forerunner’s team also include:
- Eurie Kim, Partner
- Brian O’Malley, Partner
- Jason Bornstein, Principal
- Nicole Johnson, Principal
- KJ Sidberry, Associate
- Melissa Grillo Aruz, Head of Talent & Business Development
- Jennifer Mariska, Head of Ops & Finance
- Ashley Rogers, Executive Support
FinSMEs
09/10/2018