Consumer VC Natalie Dillon (Maveron) - Subcultures, Sustainability, and The Differences Between Gen Z & and Millennials
*Please note this episode was recorded back in January before the global pandemic.*
Natalie Dillon is a Principal at Maveron. Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of their investments include eBay, Everlane, and Allbirds
Prior to Maveron, Natalie was at Susa Ventures, a premier seed-stage fund in San Francisco. At Susa, Natalie worked with the team to source and help diligence several investments, largely in the consumer space. Before Susa, Natalie was a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs and a research associate at Silicon Valley Bank.
I would like to thank Sumeet Shah for the introduction!
A book that inspired Natalie professionally is Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. A book that inspired her personally is Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
You can follow Natalie on Twitter @ntdillon. If you are a founder and working on something innovative, have a question you’d like to hear VCs or founders answer on the show you can DM and follow on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.
- What attracted Natalie to venture capital and consumer investing? Walk us through Maveron’s due diligence process and founder checklist? What are specific attributes that you think are non-negotiable and what founders need to have? What subculture trends she is focused on? What makes Natalie interested in consumer vs. enterprise?
- How she thinks about the future of social applications and what are you noticing about Gen Z? What is her most recent investment? What is one thing that she would change when it came to venture capital?
- What is one company you had the opportunity to invest in, didn’t and in retrospect wish you did? What is one piece of advice for B2C founders?
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