Why Forerunner Ventures: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Forerunner Ventures Overview

Established in 2012 by Kirsten Green and based in San Francisco, Forerunner Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in companies from Seed through Growth stages, with a strong focus on Seed and Series A.

The firm is dedicated to the modern consumer and the ambitious teams reshaping various market categories.

With over $2.3 billion in assets under management, Forerunner Ventures is one of the pioneering women-led venture capital firms. It is known for its high-conviction, research-driven approach, often leading investment rounds or co-investing with strong lead investors.

Forerunner invests in companies operating at the intersection of emerging user demand, technological advancements, and business model evolution.

The firm targets consumer-tech companies and enterprise/B2B businesses that effectively meet consumer needs across fintech, healthtech, supply chain, marketplaces, and innovative brands.

Forerunner’s portfolio includes category-defining companies like Faire, Chime, Glossier, Hims&Hers, OURA, The Farmer’s Dog, and Ritual.

Forerunner Ventures AUM

According to the official LinkedIn page of Forerunner Ventures, the firm has over $2.3 billion in assets under management.

Forerunner Ventures Interview Process & Questions

Interview processes can vary, but if you’re interviewing at Forerunner Ventures or a similar firm, you can typically expect around 4-6 rounds of interviews.

Initial interviews are usually conducted by junior investment professionals or the HR team, while later rounds involve more senior team members. At Forerunner Ventures, interviews cover a combination of fit questions, behavioral questions, and investing/technical questions.

The whole process generally spans several weeks, unless it is part of an “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting effort.

If you need help preparing for interviews, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Forerunner Ventures

“Why this firm?” is one of the most common and crucial interview questions.

If you’ve networked with people at the firm, mention those interactions and how they left a positive impression on you.

Also, researching the firm before the interview is quite important. A great way to do this is by listening to interviews with its founders or investors to get insights into the firm’s values and culture.

To get you started, here’s an interview with Kirsten Green, Founder of Forerunner Ventures:

More Interviews

• Kirsten Green shares how she built Forerunner Ventures
• TechCrunch interview with Kirsten Green, Founder of Forerunner Ventures

Forerunner Ventures Case Study

Interviewees typically encounter a case study during interviews, as it allows firms to evaluate both technical skills and communication abilities.

At firms like Forerunner Ventures, case studies often focus on financial modeling and investment recommendations. For junior roles, a cold calling case study may also be required.

If you’re getting ready for such interviews, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Forerunner Ventures Salary & Compensation

Recent salary data specific to investment analysts and associates at Forerunner Ventures is not available. However, based on Salary.com, the estimated average annual salary for employees at Forerunner Ventures is approximately $112,178. Top earners in the 75th percentile can earn over $127,109.

Actual salaries vary depending on factors such as job role, department, location, level of education, certifications, and additional skills possessed by the employee.

Forerunner Ventures Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To view current job openings at Forerunner Ventures and similar firms, please visit our job board where we feature open investing roles..

Forerunner Ventures Portfolio & Investments

According to Crunchbase, Forerunner Ventures has made 243 investments across eight funds. Some of their notable deals include Fay, Craftwork, and Duckbill.

Notable Transaction: Daydream

Forerunner Ventures, along with Index Ventures, GV (Google Ventures), and True Ventures, has co-led a $50M seed round investment in Daydream, a pioneering AI-powered platform set to revolutionize online shopping.

Founded by e-commerce and retail veteran Julie Bornstein, along with co-founders Matt Fisher, Dan Cary, Lisa Green, and Richard Kim, Daydream integrates machine learning, generative AI, and computer vision to improve the entire shopping journey, starting from search and discovery.

The platform aims to streamline online shopping by addressing common pain points and offering a unified interface for consumers to discover and purchase products from their favorite brands.

Even in its pre-launch phase, Daydream boasts partnerships with nearly 2,000 brands across multi-brand and mono-brand retailers.

Next Steps

If you decide to be one of the professional investors at Forerunner Ventures, I highly recommend checking out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Professionals who want to break into growth equity use this self-paced online course to increase their chances of securing their target role. The course covers concepts which usually show up during interviews such as case studies, financial modeling, and more.

Start preparing for your interviews today!