Forerunner
@ForerunnerVC
A venture capital firm dedicated to the modern consumer and the ambitious teams reshaping categories Our weekly newsletter 👇 http://forerunnerventures.substack.com
Our CEO @mnaficy spoke at #HumansintheLoop, a gathering hosted by @ForerunnerVC and others. She shared what we’re building at Arcade: a platform where shopping begins with whatever you’re dreaming of, whether it’s heirloom-inspired rugs or mulberry tree pillows. The hunt is…
We’re co-leading a new investment in @Slingshot.ai, the first AI for therapy with a purpose-built LLM for psychology forerunnerventures.com/perspectives/i…
I’m excited to announce Ash by Slingshot AI, the first AI designed for therapy backed by $93M in funding from the world’s top mission-driven investors.
We're co-leading a new investment in @slingshotai_inc as they unveil Ash, the first AI therapy trained on a purpose-built LLM for psychology. Ash is a true breakthrough in scalable, impactful mental healthcare. @nicoleahjohnson forerunnerventures.com/perspectives/i…
They said it couldn't be done. They said it *shouldn't* be done. We tried anyways. Today we're launching Ash, the first AI designed for therapy, and announcing $93M in funding from @radicalventures @ForerunnerVC @a16z @felicis @trailmixvc @joinsequel and many more. We've had…
some musings on consumer ai, digital cloning, and why intimacy is key for accessing a missing majority of the consumer mind
Best day, best cohosts, best founders/CEOs. Here are the highlights from Humans in the Loop. Sign up for info about the next event (we can’t not do it again!): humansintheloop2025.com
Here’s my talk on @doji_com at the Humans in The Loop AI Conference. I shared a bit about our vision and founding story, a product demo, and why now is the perfect time to build this. If you’re curious to learn more about Doji, this is a good place to start.
In SF presenting @doji_com at the Humans In The Loop Conference: a showcase of 20+ ambitious consumer AI startups, featuring talks from @reidhoffman and @mikeyk I’m around Wed-Fri talking to engineers and AI builders — dms open
Been reading more into the brutal state of dating apps since @ForerunnerVC 's consumer conference last week. Every single public dating property is seeing user growth vanish - Tinder is already shrinking, and expect the others will follow. Notable exception here is Grindr.
We designed the branding for the most important AI conference of 2025 Thousands of AI entrepreneurs joined. @reidhoffman spoke and @mikeyk shared the stage We had the honor of crafting the full brand system for Humans in the Loop in partnership with the brilliant team at…
"Being a VC who invests in consumer shouldn’t be contrarian, and the hope of everyone at Humans in the Loop was that the event would inspire more builders. I think we achieved that. The energy at the event was palpable, with 1,000+ founders, builders, and investors crowding into…
We were grateful to join @ForerunnerVC and our fellow co-hosts in bringing together a standout group of early-stage consumer AI builders at #HumansInTheLoop. It was a powerful reminder that collective success grows from an inclusive community—where founders, investors, and…
Forerunner did a great job yesterday with Humans in the Loop! I sat with @kirstenagreen to talk about how Consumer AI is on its way back and we are both open for business funding the next consumer wave
Kirsten Green (@kirstenagreen), founder of Forerunner Ventures, has backed some of the most iconic consumer brands of the past two decades — from Warby Parker to Chime to Dollar Shave Club. She sat down with @garrytan to share how great products (not marketing tricks) still…
The playbook for building in consumer AI is being rewritten. If you're a builder, this interview with @kirstenagreen and @garrytan is a must-watch this weekend 👇
Kirsten Green (@kirstenagreen), founder of Forerunner Ventures, has backed some of the most iconic consumer brands of the past two decades — from Warby Parker to Chime to Dollar Shave Club. She sat down with @garrytan to share how great products (not marketing tricks) still…
In @ForerunnerVC's somewhat biased view, no better place to start a business than with the consumer!
"Some of the biggest companies from the tech ecosystem in the last 25 years started with the consumer; Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple. "Their first goal was to entice a user to engage. That's a magical place to build from because you can move at the speed of technology." -…
Just hit Humans in the Loop 2025 at the Presidio Theatre, easily one of the best venues in SF. Room was packed w/ builders, VCs & visionaries pushing consumer AI forward. Reid Hoffman & Mike Krieger brought 🔥. Alfred Lin dropped straight gems. Real-time annotation, ethical…
It is funny how consumer has become “uncool” in the age of AI but yesterday was a refreshing day with Human in the Loop. Thanks @ForerunnerVC for hosting! A short thread summarising the discussions
We had the honor of designing the full brand identity for Humans in the Loop. A conference packed with energy and ideas at the frontier of AI and consumer. Huge thanks to @ForerunnerVC and @kirstenagreen for trusting us with such a meaningful project.