Kirsten Green: The Biggest Challenges Scaling Both Teams and AUM | 20VC #912

Kirsten Green is the Founder and Managing Partner @ Forerunner Ventures, one of the leading firms of the last decade investing at the intersection of innovation and culture. As a founder, Kirsten has led efforts to raise over $2B+ from leading institutional investors and invest in more than 100 companies. She currently serves as a board member at Glossier, Ritual, Faire, Hims & Hers, and Curated, to name a few. She has also invested in other smash hits including Chime, Jet, Warby Parker, Hotel Tonight and many more. Due to her immense success, Kirsten has been honored in Time’s 100 Most Influential People and named a Top 20 Venture Capitalists by The New York Times in 2018 & 2017. Prior to Forerunner, Kirsten was an equity research analyst and investor at Bank of America Securities. ------------------------------------------------------ Timestamps: 0:00 Kirsten's background 2:37 How does creativity give you an edge in investing? 4:19 What parts of your history are you rebelling from? 7:49 How do you try to make the most of every moment? 10:05 Why do you have a chip on your shoulder? 13:49 What do you tell yourself when you're questioning yourself? 16:36 What is "high performance" to you? 18:30 How to retain quality while scaling AUM? 21:08 Why did you decide start investing in enterprise businesses? 27:15 When scaling, what gets easier and what gets harder? 29:16 How would you describe your leadership style? 31:28 How to give negative feedback 32:48 Do you ever lose your temper? 34:06 Do relationships detract from ability to work hard? 38:00 How did becoming a parent change how you think about investing? 40:49 Kirsten's biggest strength/weakness 42:00 Most painful lesson Kirsten learned (but doesn't regret) 43:37 So you're stranded on a desert island.. 44:27 What three traits would you most like your children to adopt? 44:42 What do you know that you wish you'd known when you started Forerunner? 45:37 What would a man in VC take for granted that you've had to adapt to in starting Forerunner? 47:10 Where will you be in five years? ------------------------------------------------------ In Today’s Episode with Kirsten Green We Discuss: 1.) Entry in Venture at 40 and Founding Forerunner: How did Kirsten make her way into VC at 40 with the founding of Forerunner having never had a role in VC before? What did everyone tell Kirsten when she was looking to break into venture? What did she tell herself when she heard this? What does Kirsten believe she is running from? What does she believe she is running toward? 2.) Fund Management and Leadership: How does Kirsten define high-performance today? What are the nuances of high performance in fund management? How would Kirsten describe her leadership style today? How has it changed over time? What have been some of Kirsten’s biggest lessons in terms of what it takes to retain quality with scaling AUM and teams? What have been Kirsten’s biggest lessons when it comes to giving hard feedback with kindness? 3.) The Venture Landscape Today and Forerunner’s Position: Why does Kirsten believe the venture landscape is more dynamic today than ever? Does Kirsten agree with the statement that venture is less collaborative than ever? Why did Kirsten and Forerunner seem to amend strategy and move into B2B? Why does Kirsten disagree with the delineation between B2C and B2B? 4.) Parenting, Relationships and Life: What have been Kirsten’s biggest lessons since becoming a parent? How has it impacted her mindset? Does Kirsten agree that relationships attract from sheer input on work? How does Kirsten separate relationships into two kinds of relationships? What does success in marriage mean for Kirsten? How has she seen that in her own marriage? ------------------------------------------------------ #KirstenGreen #ForerunnerVentures #20VC #harrystebbings #venturecapital #business #parenting #leadership #founders #venturecapitalist