Forerunner Ventures

Kirsten has been in the investment business since 1996, investing in both public and private companies and building a focus on the consumer sector. Her career has required her to evaluate countless businesses, researching their strategies and markets, and drawing conclusions on their viability and opportunity. As an equity research analyst, investor and company board member, Kirsten’s experience with consumer businesses spans multi-billion dollar enterprises to pre-revenue start-ups.

Since founding Forerunner Ventures in 2004, Kirsten has been focused on making and facilitating expansion-stage capital investments and building a network to serve Forerunner’s clients. In addition, she has worked as a consultant to both private equity firms and companies directly, advising on matters including: investment opportunities, business strategy and market positioning, capital structure/deal structure, and merger/acquisition activity. Kirsten currently serves on the boards of Serena and Lily, OhSo Clean, Skyn Iceland, and Belli Cosmetics.

Prior to founding Forerunner Ventures, Kirsten was an analyst in the equity research department at Banc of America Securities covering the Specialty Retail sector. After three years in the firm’s research department she joined an in-house team managing over $600 million in assets, where she was the lead consumer-focused investment professional. She has also held positions at Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette and Deloitte and Touche.

Kirsten graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Business Economics. She also holds a CPA license, as well as a CFA certification. Kirsten is a board member of the Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropic organization and an advisory board member to Spark, a San Francisco based non-profit organization focused on supporting Grassroots Women’s Organizations around the globe.

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Tracy’s extensive background in driving business on a retail level has positioned her as a leader in helping brands to maximize their sales strategies and efforts. Over the past five years with Bravo Port Retail Management Group, Tracy has been a key retail strategist and market developer for several of Bravo Port’s brands, including Air Stocking, Anne Geddes, Breath Palette, Joico Hair Care, SuperFoodsRX, Spongeables, kaplanMD, Advanced Skincare, Whish Body Products, Juice Organics, and Too Faced Cosmetics. Prior to her position with Bravo Port Retail Management Group, Tracy held various executive positions in the retail and salon industries: Executive Vice President of Sales for Aquis, a leader in the cosmetic accessory industry; CEO at Jaqua Beauty, a bath and body innovator; Management Consultant for L’anza Hair Care Company. Tracy holds an MA in Organizational Development from Columbia University.

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Mark has spent his entire career working and investing in the retail and consumer marketplace. He is a founding partner of Open Realty Advisors, formerly The Harberg Masinter Company. Since 1988, Mark has successfully negotiated real estate transactions with every major retail developer in the United States. Mark has worked in virtually every aspect of strategic retail planning, site review and selection, and lease negotiation for the rollout of hundreds of stores for over twenty concepts. He was a founding venture investor of Restoration Hardware and a founding partner of Retail and Restaurant Growth Capital, an SBIC lending fund focusing on growing retail and restaurant ventures. He currently serves on the Development Board of Advisors of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Mark received a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Southern Methodist University.

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Nada is respected as a true visionary in the personal care industry. As the Founder of Brand Management consulting and strategy firm Lantz-a-Lot, Cosmetic Architects, Nada has played an instrumental role in building some of the most successful beauty companies in the market today. Her firm focuses on building brands through innovative retail marketing, highly specialized multi-tier training concepts, directed distribution strategies and a dynamic sales team.

She began her cosmetic career more than 25 years ago working with Cosmair, Parfums Stern and then during the late 1980’s the then emerging brand La Prairie. In 1997 she established her consulting business and has since been involved with numerous high profile brand/beauty category launches and expansions. A few of her most notable projects and successes include: developing the Derm/ Cosmeceutical segment in the prestige luxury skincare category with the launch, retail & marketing execution of N.V. Perricone Cosmeceuticals, M.D., which today maintains the largest majority of the Derm/Cosmeceutical category in prestige distribution; leading efforts to facilitate 33 product re-formulations, developing promotional & training materials, sampling programs, website re-design, as well as structuring the field and corporate retail for ‘dr. brandt skincare’; developing the prestige hair care segment with Frederic Fekkai through a program using “Language” and “Training Elements” respected by the prestige segment but not yet pursued by the traditionally Mass market hair care companies.

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Margaret has entrepreneurial experience spanning strategy, operations and finance. Plum TV is the sixth startup venture she has been involved in; her involvement in previous ventures includes CFO, COO, Board member, founder and investor. Previously Margaret was COO/CFO of the Wedding List, where she ran the operations of the company and oversaw all aspects of financing, including structuring equity and debt capital transactions from angel investors, strategic partners and venture capital firms, and ultimately successfully selling the company to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Margaret then worked at MSLO as Vice President in its Internet division where she oversaw the integration of the company into MSLO, developed and implemented Internet strategy and orchestrated ran large-scale web development projects. Margaret received a BA from UCLA and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

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Charles brings a wealth of experience in the direct to consumer retailing marketplace having pioneered the development of product and service marketing techniques both domestically and internationally for dozens of brands through the use of direct response marketing. As the founder and CEO of two strategic marketing and sales companies during last 25 years, Mr. Benard has developed and managed relationships with some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies, including: Hewlett Packard; Ford Motor Company and the Walt Disney Company. As CEO of Impact Television, he managed a number of highly successful initiatives including the launch of Meyer Corporation (owner of Farberware Cookware) into the hour long-form television arena, as well as developing and directing a joint venture licensing, television production and product distribution partnership with QVC, the largest electronic retailer in America. Charles also made a mark in the industry with the highly successful launch of the Don’t Sweat brand into television with PBS and the Discovery Network, as well as into online space, audio/video publishing, seminars and radio syndication.

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Laura has an impressive track record of executing successful business strategies, as well as an incredible eye for talent and ability to build teams. Most recently Laura served as Chief Operating Officer of Benefit Cosmetics, a high-growth $300MM+ international cosmetics brand and a subsidiary of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Prior to joining the Benefit team in early 2002, Laura had a long-standing relationship with founders, Jean and Jane Ford, having consulted on various matters since 1991 as the company was making the transition from an organically grown business to a full-scale operation. She was instrumental in recruiting and retaining key management team members, as well as sourcing and facilitating the 1999 70% acquisition by LVMH Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Ms. Enos honed her business skills as a transactional attorney, with extensive M&A experience. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Denison University, Granville, Ohio and a graduate of the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

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Robbie has over 22 years of experience in technology, start-ups, consulting and financial services in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to Method, Robbie was the turnaround CEO of Ecast, a location-based entertainment network. Prior to this he was Co-CEO of Inspired Technology Group, an SMS mobile entertainment company based in London. The company has since evolved to become Inspired Broadcast Networks, an AIM-listed company and Europe’s Largest Networked Entertainment Provider. Robbie was the co-founder of Viant Inc., a web services consultancy he helped build into an 850-person, $160 million run rate, $2.2 billion, NASDAQ-listed firm. Earlier in his career, Robbie held positions at Illustra, Oracle and Seer Technologies. He holds a B.S. in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics from The London School of Economics and an M.S. in Management Science and Operational Research from The University of Warwick.

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