An early stage venture capital firm dedicated to investing in ambitious entrepreneurs to define and dominate a new generation of commerce

 

Everything Has Changed.

Modern Consumers are Ready to be Inspired.

“The next generation of consumers has arrived, and they have spoken. They don’t eat the same cereal their parents ate; wear the same makeup their mothers wore; or buy the same dog food they grew up with.”

- FORBES, 2015

Today’s Retailers and Brands Must Be Digitally Savvy.

“Digital influence continues to increase and shift the ground under the feet of retailers large and small alike. In a world where nearly everyone is always online, there is no offline. So it is not about the digital business, it is just business. It’s not about eCommerce, it is simply commerce.”

- DELOITTE, 2015

Forerunner Offers Founders A Distinct Edge.

Our Partnership Promise:

To us, an investment means joining your team. Being on your team means showing up. Showing up means being the first call you make when you need real help —  honing your business model, being smarter as you scale, building your team with the right people, navigating blindspots, and developing a sound capitalization strategy.

- FORERUNNER TEAM

Investment Focus.

With over $120m dedicated to investing in early stage businesses, we are seeking to partner with ambitious entrepreneurs that are disrupting the commerce landscape from every angle.

We are active investors, leading or co-leading investment rounds.

We make early stage initial investments in companies typically post launch.

We are looking for companies that are tackling big markets, bringing something new to the table, and executing scalable business models.

Beyond that we seek a service proposition that enables a Company to stand out, unfair marketing advantages, and visionary, disciplined, magnetic founder(s).

Team.

Meet the Forerunner Team >

“One of our earliest investors, Forerunner Ventures has been one of our closest partners. They’ve provided particularly valuable insight into the future of retail and ecommerce as well as access to their wide network including the person behind Apple’s retail real estate who has since become a partner in our bricks and mortar rollout. Equally important, we consider Kirsten a trusted friend and advocate who we can call on for any reason.”

Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder & Co-CEO - Warby Parker

“Forerunner has impressive insight in retail and e-commerce trends, as well as the highest quality network and access to decision makers. That they work with only the best and the brightest is also common knowledge among founders in this space. Forerunner gets entrepreneurs and only adds value where there is value to be added. Forerunner is different and their commitment to and passion for their portfolio companies was apparent early on.”

Jerry Jao, Co-Founder & CEO - Retention Science

“What stands out to me the most about Forerunner are the firm’s focus on commerce (i.e. differentiation in the investor landscape), Forerunner’s awareness and connectedness to brand building, and most importantly, my personal relationship with Kirsten and her overall support.”

Deena Varshavskaya, Founder & CEO - Wanelo

Portfolio.

Explore the New Guard of Commerce >

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