Announcing f7 Ventures’ 2021 Fellows
Please join us in welcoming our inaugural class of f7 Fellows! At f7, we believe deeply that the future of innovation is accelerated by creating an equal starting line for bold entrepreneurs to build the next world changing companies. And we believe that the starting line must include underrepresented founders & funders.
Our mission at f7 is to help outstanding early stage entrepreneurs focus on their superpowers and maximize their impact on humanity. We do this day in and day out by leveraging our deep operating experience at generation defining companies and consistently working to add value to founders.
With f7, we chose to build our own firm from the ground up with our values at the center: operating with integrity, working hard & smart, producing excellence and generating trust.
To deliver on our vision & mission, we knew early on that we wanted to work inclusively and transparently with others interested in taking a step closer to the venture ecosystem and work hard to expand the archetype of both successful founder & funder — this is where the f7 Fellows program was born.
As we have experienced first hand moving from operator to investor, venture can be a black box. It’s an industry that relies heavily on networks and passed knowledge and experience. And much of this is held close to the vest as some investors elbow one another out for the best deals. That is not how we work. Transparency & learning is at the heart of our Fellows program. Over the next 6 months, these talented individuals will work closely with us on all aspects of venture from deal sourcing to diligence; to providing operational expertise & value to founders; to firm building. We will provide bi-weekly programming that dives deep into all the jobs to be done in venture: sourcing, picking, winning & helping and firm building strategies and decisions as well as spotlight the experiences of our founding partners and f7 Operator Council.
We are thrilled that this incredible group of people will be working alongside us over the coming months as we double down on core deliverables including founder resources, stronger community outreach and deal sourcing & sharing mechanisms.
Please join us in welcoming our inaugural group of f7 Fellows:
Grace is a second year MBA candidate at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She spent the 4 years prior at HotelTonight and Airbnb, running supply side operations, business development, and revenue operations in San Francisco, London, and Berlin. At the GSB, Grace is pursuing her interest in early stage venture capital and entrepreneurship and serves as co-president of Galvanizer, a female-founder incubator focused on bringing more MBA women into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In Grace’s words:
- Company or founder you admire: Curious Cardinals
- Fun fact: In the six years since college, I’ve lived in 8 different cities across the world.
- One thing that shapes your perspective on the world: We have to treat mental wellness the same way we do physical fitness: everyone’s mental health is a continuous work in progress.
- Favorite remote work location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cat is an MBA + MS in Design Innovation student at the Kellogg School of Management. After six years of consulting within big tech, Cat is now pursuing her passion for leveraging design thinking to build better start-ups. Outside of the office, Cat can be found outside on her local bike trails and baking along to the Great British Bake Off.
In Cat’s words:
- Company or founder you admire: Rachel Carlson, Guild Education
- Fun fact: I donated $600 to AAPI initiatives last year from selling homemade ice cream
- One thing that shapes your perspective on the world: Growing up in the metro-Detroit area; it taught me about income and education equality from a young age.
- Favorite remote work location: Anywhere near Lake Michigan
Molly currently works at Carta with first time venture fund managers helping scale back office operations. After graduating from Stanford with a BA & MA in Sustainability Science & Practice, she launched her career in LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program where she was able to rotate through a number of different teams, including global customer operations, recruiting, and business development.
In Molly’s words:
- Company or founder you admire: Allbirds
- Fun fact: I love scuba diving & actually got certified in East Timor!
- One thing that shapes your perspective on the world: UN Sustainable Development Goals + thinking about sustainability not only from an environmental lens, but one that emphasizes intergenerational inclusive well-being.
- Favorite remote work location: Lake Tahoe, California
Paige has spent the last four years as a strategic growth marketer in big tech, accelerating the advertising strategies of some of today’s most disruptive businesses, including Headspace, Spanx, The Farmer’s Dog, Noom and TOMS Shoes. Prior to that, she graduated from Yale and began her career in private equity consulting before launching her own non-profit, Headway Foundation, which supports individuals recovering from concussions. Outside of work, Paige enjoys being active, writing, and finding the best streaming content to watch.
In Paige’s words:
- Company or founder you admire: Melanie Perkins, Canva
- Fun fact: I played Division I Ice Hockey in college
- One thing that shapes your perspective on the world: Growing up my dad owned his own business which inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and taught me to always keep my eyes open for innovation in business.
- Favorite remote work location: Washington, Connecticut — the town I live in, which is the town based on Gilmore Girls
