In a fluctuating consumer landscape, Kirsten Green has more than 20 years of evaluation and investment success. Her savvy instinct for products, consumer insights, and methodical, research-driven procedures has motivated all of her investments – from pre-revenue start-ups to multi-billion dollar enterprises. This led to the creation of San Francisco-based Forerunner Venture, which she launched in 2010 and where she serves as Manager and Founding Partner. She has spearheaded efforts to raise over $650 million from leading investors and has invested in more than 80 companies
Green supports female-led start-ups and has made shrewd investments in companies like Birchbox and Glossier. Two of her early investments, e-tailer Jet.com and razor-delivery startup Dollar Shave Club, were the two largest and highest-profile e-commerce exits in recent years – and Forerunner Ventures was the only firm to invest in both. After the $1 billion dollar acquisition of Dollar Shave Club by Unilever and the sale of Jet.com to Wal-Mart for $3.3 billion, Green was officially on the radar. Her reputation as one of the most astute investors in all things consumer was cemented. "Until you're somebody who's had top-tier returns for three funds, you're trying to prove to people that you're responsible, that you care about their money, that you take it really seriously," she says.
Kirsten has been honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, named a Top 20 Venture Capitalists by The New York Times in 2017 and 2018, and included on Forbes' Midas List for the past five years, in addition to being named to the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. She was named VC of the Year at TechCrunch’s 2017 Crunchies Awards and listed on Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list. Kirsten is a founding member of All Raise, a female mentorship collective, and actively champions women in the tech industry.
Prior to Forerunner, Kirsten was an equity research analyst and investor at Banc of America Securities – formerly Montgomery Securities and now part of Merrill Lynch – covering publicly-traded retail and consumer stocks. Kirsten graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and has earned a CPA license and a CFA certification.