Congratulations to Jason Bornstein, our Newest Partner and Head of Research!

At Forerunner, we believe in keeping our team lean, nimble and purposefully structured to only include the experts who will ensure we succeed — but we also remain eyes-wide-open about how to maintain an edge (call it the discipline of traditionalists paired with the hunger of entrepreneurs). With this approach, it was an easy and obvious next step to promote Jason Bornstein to Partner — and for him to assume a new, defining role for our firm: Head of Research.

Throughout Jason’s 5+ year tenure at Forerunner, and 10+ year tenure in the Forerunner community while previously at a portfolio company, he’s proved time and time again that he’s unafraid to push boundaries on common assumptions, inherently driven to take on new challenges, and highly skillful at combining analytical nuances with big picture thinking. This has made Jason an indispensable resource to our investment team and portfolio companies, who consistently rely on him for strategic guidance rooted in the values that make us Forerunner: teamwork, original thought, integrity, and curiosity.

Jason’s next role marks a new one at Forerunner, and one that’s illustrative of an ongoing commitment to hone our research-driven competitive edge.  As our Partner and Head of Research, Jason will set Forerunner up to remain two steps ahead when it comes to projecting ongoing shifts in market conditions and evolutions of consumer needs, aspirations, attitudes, and inclinations.  As consumer-led investors, we obsess about uncovering why people believe the things they believe, buy the things they buy, want the things they want, and pursue the goals they chose — and as modern consumers grow evermore individualistic and complex, consistent data-driven analysis is essential to illuminating these cultural dynamics. With Jason helming this practice, we’ll double down on the research that sharpens our investment strategies, crystalizes our market perspectives, and informs how we guide our companies.

For these past several years Jason has proven to be an incredibly valuable thought partner — someone we and Forerunner entrepreneurs truly rely on. Jason makes us all better at what we do, and we look forward to him continuing to make a lasting impact at Forerunner, our portfolio, as well as on consumer research at large.