Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.
This week I’m excited to bring you my conversation with Eurie Kim of Forerunner Ventures, which without a doubt is one of the world's top VC firms formed over the last decade.
Forerunner invests in entrepreneurs who are redefining culture and consumer experiences in today’s digital world and has invested in companies such as Jet, Birchbox, Warby Parker, and Curology. It currently has over $2B in AUM, and they recently closed a $1B fund.
This was such a treat for me as I’ve known the Forerunner team since their launch of Fund 1, and it was fun to go back in time to relive the evolution of Forerunner.
About Eurie Kim:
Eurie joined Forerunner Ventures in 2012 and has invested in a wide array of lifestyle and health-focused companies. She sits on the Boards of Oura, The Farmer’s Dog, Curology, Attabotics, Eclipse, and Juni, among others, and was featured on the Forbes Midas Brink List in 2020. Eurie is also a founding member of the female mentorship collective, All Raise, and champions women in the technology industry.
Prior to joining Forerunner, Eurie founded MAVN, a luxury accessories brand, and worked with Bain & Company. She got her MBA at Wharton and her undergrad at Berkeley.
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In this episode we discuss:
03:01 The creation of Forerunner and why she jumped into venture capital full-time
06:45 How she saw the obvious opportunity in dommerce when most investors were still skeptical
11:04 Overcoming early objections from LPs when raising early funds
21:32 Hiring the initial team and firm building
28:48 The most effective tactic for building a cohesive culture of success
33:51 Why deal attribution can be a hindrance to firm growth
37:22 Looking back at the inflection points that changed Forerunner
42:03 How the last few years have changed the market
47:46 Advice for smaller fund managers competing at early stages
50:55 Why having a strong, but nimble point of view is so important in investing
52:48 The most impactful career advice she’s received
I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Eurie. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.
Forerunner Ventures Eurie Kim on scaling the Forerunner franchise, thesis based investing, and advice for emerging managers