Modern Meditations: Kirsten Green - by Mario Gabriele

Consumer investing is a kind of alchemy. Determining which product or app is set to take over the world while another is slated for the scrapheap requires a rare blend of talents: an equity analyst’s understanding of the market and its particular dynamics; a marketer’s nous for assessing a brand’s particular charms; a psychologist’s reading of the founder in front of them; and an anthropologist’s grasp on the motives and machinations of our species. Why do we like this cosmetics company and not that one? Why do we trust one bank over another? What explains our loyalty to something as prosaic as a razor, a multivitamin, a suitcase, or a pair of sneakers? Over the past fourteen years, few investors have been as skilled at reading the vagaries of consumer desire as Kirsten Green. As the founder of Forerunner Ventures, Kirsten has backed many of the most successful startups of the past couple of decades, including Glossier, Chime, Dollar Shave Club, Oura, Jet, Bonobos, The Farmer’s Dog, an

Consumer investing is a kind of alchemy. Determining which product or app is set to take over the world while another is slated for the scrapheap requires a rare blend of talents: an equity analyst’s understanding of the market and its particular dynamics; a marketer’s nous for assessing a brand’s particular charms; a psychologist’s reading of the founder in front of them; and an anthropologist’s grasp on the motives and machinations of our species. Why do we like this cosmetics company and not that one? Why do we trust one bank over another? What explains our loyalty to something as prosaic a