The Consumer Manifesto

and the top 100 angels investing at pre-seed

Consumer is having an identity crisis. Most investors hear "consumer" and immediately think dying CPG brands or yet another social app. Then they run. Fast. The numbers don't lie: only 7% of seed funding went to consumer startups last year, despite these companies driving the best returns in venture history. We've been getting consumer completely wrong. A couple of reasons why:

The consumer is dead. For decades, "consumer" meant building for zombies - passive users buying soap or mindlessly scrolling feeds. That world is over. Today's consumers are creators. They're networked, leveraged, and ridiculously active. Millions have become creators, artists, prosumers, founders. The B2C vs B2B debate is dead: Welcome to Consumer+, where the winners capture hearts like consumer brands, and scale like enterprise giants.

Consumer isn't a market. It’s a moment that happens when two curves collide: technological barriers dropping and cultural momentum rising. When they cross at the "consumer boiling point," entire industries explode overnight. We saw it happen with software (bits), where building on web/mobile infra birthed Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat. Now, as software becomes commodity, the same collision is racing towards hardware (atoms) and biology (cells).

This new frontier demands a new definition: Consumer is the intuitive, intentional, and intensive pursuit of cultural change through technology. This manifesto is for the founders obsessing about the cultural wedge as much as the core tech. You're not alone. Alongside this manifesto is a curated, double opt-in list of 100 angels and 75 VCs who actively back consumer founders at pre-seed. These investors are allies with skin in the game who've committed real capital to founders moving culture.

You're building in the right place, at the right time.

Let’s move culture together.

Manifesto:

1. Consumer = culture. Not consumption. Consumer is what happens when technology moves culture. It means obsessing about the cultural wedge as much as the core tech. Whether building with bits, atoms, or cells, the hardest problems aren’t just scientific - they’re also cultural.

2. Weird is the way. Pay strangers online, swipe faces for love, sleep at a stranger’s place, watch others play games. Before culture moves, people don’t - only a tiny niche sees the magic. Embrace the weird. Once you've moved culture, it's the high you’ll always want back.

3. Chasing the C-Spot. Consumer isn’t a market - it’s a moment. One that happens when tech gets easier and culture gets eager. When these two curves cross, we hit the “C-Spot” and new giants are born. Software had it first, hardware and biology are just getting started.

4. Arm the creators. The era of passive users buying soap or mindlessly scrolling feeds is over. Everyone’s a creators now. Time to arm millions or artists, coders, designers, founders and prosumers with scalable means of creation. Time to crush the gatekeepers.

5. Gen-Z is a tsunami. Two billion internet natives flooded the mainstream continent into an archipelago of hyper-personalized subcultures and ultra-specific niches - often at the price of loneliness. Fast content, fast commerce, fast communities - slow movers won’t survive.

6. Davids will win. Winning isn’t just about data and distribution; it’s also about taste and trust - something tech giants lost. Midjourney wasn’t built by Adobe, Perplexity by Google, Cursor by Microsoft. There’s never been a better time to be Davids fighting Goliaths.

7. Cheap until it clicks. Pre-PMF building is getting cheaper every month wit AI-leverage, but post-PMF is getting more expensive as channels saturate. Founders will only need 2 funding rounds: A pre-seed from amigos with soul in the game, a Series A from padrinos with deep pockets.

8. People pay for power. Forget scaling to millions who pay nothing - users were ready to pay yesterday. Mortgages and tuition can wait; people want to invest in themselves now. Charge upfront, then let your power users pay extra. The tail is fat, and so are the whales - happy fishing.

9. Scaling is chaos. While 0 to 1 is more accessible than ever, 1 to 10 is uncharted territory. Speed might be the only moat. Or network effects. Or taste. Who knows? There's no playbook, only new rules to write. But when magic happens, 10 to 100 unfolds in months - ask Sama.

10. Ambition needs company. It’s tough to stay ambitious and slightly delusional in a vacuum - tougher when surrounded by B2B SaaS founders. Surround yourself with people who get it, the sooner the better. Ping me if you’re around SF or NYC - might have something for you.

Angel / VC list:

This is a very biased list of people I know and like who get and love backing consumer tech companies at pre-seed. There’s a good number of great VCs doing great things at Seed and Series A - I’ll cover them in another article probably.

Full Consumer Angel List here.

Angels:

1. Alex Mashrabov : Higgsfield AI founder - pushing boundaries of media through AI; merging creativity and tech.

2. Alex Zaccaria: Linktree co-founder - gave creators a single link to rule them all; power-user of the creator economy.

3. Alexis Barreyat : BeReal founder - created the no-filter photo trend that took Gen Z by storm worldwide.

4. Andy Dunn: Bonobos founder - pioneered D2C menswear and sold to Walmart; knows how to scale consumer brands.

5. Antoine Francoeur : Roblox corp dev lead - behind big acquisitions in gaming; knows how to spot interactive fun.

6. Anu Atluru: Slang founder - doctor-turned-product thinker who writes viral essays on social tech and creativity. Best substack ever.

7. Armand Saramout: Growth advisor extraordinaire - quietly helps scale multiple consumer apps behind the scenes.

8. Ashley Lundström: EQT Ventures Partner - one of the most consumer friendly investor I know - write angel checks in US/EU companies.

9. Ayah Bdeir : littleBits inventor - trailblazer fusing tech and DIY creativity; champion for new gen hardware.

10. Bryant Detwiller: Ex-Google/Vine/Snap product leader - helped shape the social video era; go-to advisor for viral apps.

11. Casey Winters: Ex-Pinterest growth master and Eventbrite CPO - the go-to advisor for scaling user bases.

12. Ceci Mourkogiannis : VP Product at Snap - design leader behind Snapchat’s camera & AR; now advising emerging social apps.

13. Christianne Molina : Head of Consumer at Anthos Capital - brand and consumer obsessed, also part of an all-women angel group writing $25K checks.

14. Christina Brodbeck : YouTube founding team designer - helped build YouTube from day one; now invests with a keen product eye.

15. Christopher Wu: Moxxie Ventures VP - boots-on-ground helping founders in health and consumer, writes angel checks and helps a lot.

16. Claire Valoti & Amir Nooriala: Ex-Snap EMEA leaders now launching their own fund - they helped Snapchat conquer Europe, now they’ll help you.

17. Cliff Weitzman: Speechify founder - turned a personal need into a wildly popular text-to-speech app; hustle meets heart.

18. Dandan Li: Popshop Live founder - pioneered live commerce in the US, making shopping a social event.

19. Danny Trinh: Ex-Path & Snap design guru - created iconic mobile UI at Path, Zenly & Snapchat; now leading Meta’s AI design.

20. Dave Nemetz: Bleacher Report founder - started a sports media empire from a blog; knows how to build fan communities.

21. David Booth: On Deck CEO - runs a global founder fellowship community; can plug you into a vast network of builders.

22. David Zhou : Ex-YC founder turned angel - always tinkering on ‘something new’; small checks with big startup instincts.

23. Dennis Crowley: Foursquare co-founder - put the check-in on the map; veteran of local social and city gaming.

24. Derek Yang: Roblox product lead - designs playful features for 200M kids; expert in user-generated content loops.

25. Dhruv Bindra : Stealth founder and crypto whiz kid - backing social apps like vibecode with early conviction.

26. Dylan Field : Figma cofounder/CEO - built a $20B design platform from scratch; product visionary extraordinaire.

27. Edward Lando: Pareto Holdings co-founder - one of tech’s most active angels (first checks into Misfits Market, Ramp etc.).

28. Eric Setton: Tango founder - a video chat pioneer who scaled to 400M users; seasoned in viral growth.

29. Eugenia Kuyda: AI companion app creator (Replika) - mixing tech and emotion to redefine social connections.

30. Eyal Baumel: Yoola CEO - global YouTube network mogul (manages Like Nastya, one of YouTube’s biggest stars).

31. Fidji Simo: Ex-Facebook App head & Instacart CEO - scaled products to millions; now bridging AI and consumer at OpenAI.

32. Flo Crivello : Ex-Uber PM now founder of Lindy (AI assistant) - blends real-world ops with AI to create magical user experiences.

33. Gabby Dizon: Yield Guild Games co-founder - pioneer of play-to-earn gaming communities in Web3.

34. Gaby Goldberg : Gen Z investor building a cult following on Twitter - connects web3 and consumer culture effortlessly.

35. Greg Isenberg : Late Checkout founder - community-building expert turning online communities into products (and profit).

36. Greg Tkachenko: Cactus app founder - consumer product hacker crafting mindful social experiences.

37. Hamish Shephard: Co-founder at HelloFresh and BrideBook, knows all things CPG/Brands by heart.

38. Jack Brody : Ex-Head of Product at Snap - helped craft Snapchat’s core features; product exec turned investor.

39. Jacob Andreou: Ex-Snap #2 for 8 years - helped scale Snapchat; now leading consumer AI at Microsoft.

40. Jad Esber : Koodos Labs founder - artist and techie bridging web3, memes, and culture into new social products.

41. Jaireh Tecarro : Apple UX lead - shapes the interface of devices in your pocket; guru of intuitive design.

42. Jake Brooks: Triumph Arcade founder - gaming fanatic building social competition experiences for the next generation.

43. Jennifer Fleiss : Rent the Runway co-founder - revolutionized fashion rental; formidable operator turned investor.

44. Jeremy Yap: Prolific SF angel & connector - known for hosting founders at epic gatherings from SF to Paris.

45. Jill Fisher Bowen: Bain Capital scout - bridges founders to a top VC’s resources; quietly writing angel checks in SF.

46. Johannes Heinze: Popcore games co-founder (acquired by Zynga) - hyper-casual gaming expert turned global investor.

47. Josh Constine: Ex-TechCrunch editor turned VC - saw every consumer trend early and now backs them at SignalFire.

48. Julian Kabab: Fruitz dating app founder (exited to Bumble) - understands how to crack Gen Z hearts.

49. Kayvon Beykpour: Periscope founder and ex-Twitter product head - knows what it takes to make an app go viral overnight.

50. Kerry Trainor : Ex-CEO Vimeo & SoundCloud - led two major music platforms; now investing in the creator economy.

51. Lenny Rachitsky: Ex-Airbnb product lead turned newsletter icon - Lenny’s Newsletter guru for growth and product tactics.

52. Luke deWilde : Digital marketplace expert at Claim - product leader turning resale and secondhand into slick user experiences.

53. Maria Raga: Depop CEO - scaled a fashion resale app to a $1.6B exit; expert at community-driven commerce.

54. Marina Mogilko: YouTube creator with millions of followers - navigates the creator economy from the inside.

55. Mateo Price: MrBeast’s strategy chief - right-hand man behind the world’s biggest YouTuber’s business empire.

56. Max Marchione: Superpower founder blending tech and wellness - on a mission to make self-improvement addictive.

57. Max Mullen : Instacart co-founder - built on-demand grocery to a $10B+ giant; deep expertise in marketplaces.

58. Mene Mazarakis : Ex-Meta product manager turned Chapter One VC, now co-founding stealth startup Anon - blends big tech product chops with investor savvy.

59. Mercedes Bent : Lightspeed alum now GP at a new consumer fund - fintech + consumer expert with insights about behavioral change

60. Michael Philippe: Jellysmack co-founder - built a creator content powerhouse used by top YouTubers and celebrities.

61. Mika Salmi: AtomFilms creator and ex-MTV digital chief - media trailblazer now investing in Europe’s next hits.

62. Mike Lee: Co-founder of MyFitnessPal - scaled a fitness app to millions; now advising the next health hits.

63. Mohit Jitani : Spotify product director - drives the playlists and features loved by billions; a true music-tech insider.

64. Nalden: WeTransfer co-founder - turned file-sharing into a lifestyle brand; beloved by creatives worldwide.

65. Namat Bahram: Stealth fund GP - early investor in ElevenLabs and Praktika; merges cutting-edge AI with consumer vision.

66. Nathan Sharp: Serial consumer founder (now building Retro) - product brain always one step ahead of user trends.

67. Neil Waller: Whalar founder - world's leading creator agency, also building The Lighthouse, the 1st IRL creative campus & studio playground (LA/NYC)."

68. Nicolas Steegmann: Serial media founder (Stupeflix) - built creative tools acquired by GoPro; now fuels new media startups.

69. Omid Ashtari: Ex-Citymapper GM - navigated urban mobility at scale; brings operational chops to consumer transit apps.

70. Peter Sellis : Discord VP Product - leads the playbook for building passionate online communities at scale.

71. Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty: Uber Eats global chief - scaled Uber’s food arm; high-level operator now eyeing European consumer deals.

72. Rahul Vohra : Superhuman founder (previously sold his startup to LinkedIn) and prolific angel (120+ startups) - literally wrote the product-market fit playbook.

73. Randy Hunt: Ex-Etsy design head - crafted beloved user experiences in e-commerce; champion of good design.

74. Reggie James: Eternal founder - blending hardware and consumer culture; literally writing the book on it.

75. Rich Waterworth: Ex-TikTok EMEA GM - launched and scaled TikTok across Europe; master of viral growth and youth culture.

76. Sameer Singh: Speedinvest partner and newsletter writer - dissects consumer tech trends and backs EU consumer gems.

77. Samir Sama: Chapter One founder - ex-NFL Director of Investments connecting sports strategy with startup hustle.

78. Sari Azout : Sublime founder - thought leader writing about tech and building tools for the creator economy.

79. Scott Belsky: Behance founder and Adobe CPO - design community builder turned Fortune 500 product chief.

80. Scott Heiferman: Meetup co-founder - built the original IRL social network; decades of community building experience.

81. Sebastien Borget: The Sandbox co-founder - early metaverse builder bringing user-generated gaming to the mainstream.

82. Seth Farbman: Ex-Spotify & Gap CMO - branding magician who made Spotify cool; now advises startups on brand and growth.

83. Severin Hacker : Duolingo co-founder/CTO - made language learning a game for millions; tech genius with consumer flair.

84. Shreya Murthy: Partiful founder - bringing back party planning with Gen Z flair (say goodbye to boring e-vites).

85. Sima Sistani : Houseparty co-founder - her video chat app sold to Epic; serial social app builder and now WW CEO.

86. Snir Kodesh : Ex-Lyft engineering leader - scaled infrastructure for millions of rides; now diving into AI startup world.

87. Soleio ​: Facebook’s first designer (invented the Like button) - design legend now backing creative startups.

88. Suchit Dash : Co-founded Dubsmash (early TikTok predecessor); now leads consumer product at Reddit.

89. Suhail Doshi: Mixpanel founder now riding the generative AI wave (Playground); product savant with two unicorns under his belt.

90. Tal Shachar: Infinite Canvas founder - ex-BuzzFeed strategist merging gaming and content for Gen Z creators.

91. Tarek Mansour : Kalshi founder - cracked the code on regulated prediction markets; fearless fintech entrepreneur.

92. Thilo Konzok: Sequoia scout in Berlin - plugged into the European consumer startup scene and Sequoia’s playbook.

93. Tomer Cohen : LinkedIn’s Chief Product Officer - leads a platform for 900M professionals; master of engagement at scale.

94. Tyler Denk: Beehiiv co-founder/CEO (ex-Morning Brew early team) - built Brew's viral referral engine, now helping newsletter creators go big.

95. Varsha Rao : Ex-Airbnb & Clover Health exec, now Zeal founder - blending online and offline for real-life social discovery.

96. Will Mayer : Innovative brand builder - co-founder of Better Half studio helping consumer companies craft cult followings.

97. Will Wu: CTO of Match Group - oversees tech for Tinder & co; knows how to scale love connections globally.

98. Xiaoyin Qu: Run The World founder - built a virtual events platform, now onto a new AI social venture.

99. Zac Stern: Official app founder - reinventing modern dating for couples; tapping into how Gen Z maintains love.

100. Zach Sims : Codecademy co-founder - taught millions to code; knows how to engage users and scale edtech globally.

101. Zehra Naqvi : Lore founder & Z-List curator - super-connector of under-the-radar talent in NYC consumer scene.

VCs (follow):

1. Aditya Agarwal : Early Facebook engineer & Dropbox CTO - tech heavyweight now funding builders at South Park Commons.

2. Alexia Bonatsos : Dream Machine founder - ex-TechCrunch editor injecting weird and wonderful ideas into consumer tech.

3. Allen Gannett : Author of The Creative Curve - turned storytelling into investing, backing creativity-driven startups.

4. Ally Bell : Baukunst principal - new guard VC blending art and tech vibes into consumer investing.

5. Ammar Amdani : Adapt Ventures GP - globally connected family office investor bridging Middle East and US in tech deals. Loves consumer.

6. Andres Lauer: Fairway Partners investor - turning a German industrial fortune into fun investments in music. Advisor to Cercle festival and Colors studio.

7. Anthony Vennare : Fitt Insider co-founder turned VC, backing 20+ health & fitness startups - deep network across the wellness industry.

8. Barrett Parkman : Goodwater investor - part of team behind Facebook & Musical.ly funding; plugs founders into consumer VC gold. Leads Genesis program, $50k pre-seed/seed bets.

9. Ben Zises : SuperAngel fund founder - first money in quip & Caraway; the go-to guy for DTC before it’s cool.

10. Brian O'Hagan : Sorare Head of Growth and active angel investor backing NFT/gaming startups - sharing his playbook for scaling communities.

11. Brian Truong: Graph Ventures partner - quietly seeding ambitious ideas at day zero and helping them find product-market fit.

12. Chris Zarou: Visionary music mogul (signed Logic) turned VC - brings star power and hustle to consumer investing.

13. Clara Lindh: 528 VC GP - connecting London and Stockholm consumer scenes; ex-Resident Advisor exec building global networks.

14. Cory Levy : Z Fellows founder - built networks like Internapalooza; now empowering up-and-coming founders.

15. Daniel Gulati: Treble Capital GP - ex-founder and author using his playbook to amplify promising consumer startups.

16. Dave Ambrose: Bungalow VC GP - ex-media founder who got acquired; now pays it forward to the next gen of creators.

17. Dave Font: HF0 founder - runs elite hacker houses in SF to turn brilliant coders into the next wave of founders.

18. Dave Haynes: FOV Ventures GP - Europe’s VR/AR guy, investing in the future of immersive entertainment.

19. Den Dmytrenko: Roosh VC partner - Ukrainian VC doubling down on AI and next-gen consumer apps.

20. Erica Wenger: 3x founder (with an exit) turned solo VC (Park Rangers Capital) backing community-driven startups - champion for first-time founders.

21. Ezra Galston: Starting Line founder - early Cameo backer; Midwestern VC proving great consumer startups come from anywhere.

22. Anti Fund co‑founder, Archive & Ketone‑IQ entrepreneur – seed investor in Ramp, Chronosphere & Simplebet; elite product & GTM instincts.

23. Hugo Amsellem: intuition GP - ex-The Family and Jellysmack writing about how tech moves culture at interentculture.co

24. Jamie Elliott: Upside VC GP - UK seed investor backing consumer and CPG startups with a transatlantic mindset.

25. Johnnie Yu: Listen Ventures investor - knows the CPG game and has an ear for what consumers want next.

26. Justin Caldbeck: Ex‑Lightspeed & Binary partner who seeded early hits like Stitch Fix and Grubhub - deep roots in transactional consumer tech.

27. Lawrence Chu: SilverCircle partner - Hollywood meets tech, backing media and entertainment startups from SF.

28. Lorrain de Silva: Best Nights VC GP - backed by Jägermeister to invest in nightlife and entertainment experiences.

29. Matthew Lee: Progression Fund investor - championing media and entertainment startups with founder empathy.

30. Maya Bakhai: Spice Capital partner - ex-Apple PM fueling daring consumer bets with a fresh, global perspective.

31. Michele Attisani: FACEIT co‑founder turned angel investor - built esports platform with 20M+ users then led gaming partnerships at EFG.

32. Nicole Ripka : Betaworks partner - helps launch experimental products (like Giphy) in the heart of NYC’s tech scene.

33. Niklas Jensen: Blinkist co-founder - proved people will pay for knowledge snacks; now investing in subscription consumer apps.

34. Noé Gersanois: OPRTRS partner - invests video game fortune money into consumer startups (for Voodoo’s founder).

35. Owen Willis : Opal Ventures GP - healthcare meets consumer specialist turning wellness tech into approachable products.

36. Patrick Mandia: Uncommon.fyi GP - ex-founder with eye for social apps; writing big checks to uncommon consumer ideas.

37. Philipp Moering: TinyVC partner - Berlin micro VC backing quirky early projects; keeps it lean and founder-friendly.

38. Rana Taghdisi Argenio: Palette VC GP - injecting color and creativity into consumer seed deals, even from outside Silicon Valley.

39. Roger Ehrenberg : IA Ventures founder turned sports owner - early Twitter investor now bringing fintech savvy to sports/media startups.

40. Ryan Engel : Cade Ventures GP - early Peleton employee, hardware geek funding the next Nest or Oculus out of NYC.

41. Ryan Hoover: Product Hunt founder turned VC - the ultimate maker’s champion now writing checks at Weekend Fund.

42. Salomon Aiach: Origins partner - Parisian investor linking sports, culture, and consumer startups with global capital.

43. Sandy Cass: Red Swan Ventures GP - ex-founder with a nose for consumer goods, following Bonobos’ playbook.

44. Sarah Drinkwater: Ex-Googler who built London’s startup community (Campus London) now funding feel-good consumer ideas at Common Magic.

45. Sasha Trower: Solo GP at Circle & Co backing pre‑seed and seed consumer tech on both sides of the Atlantic – early investor in Runna & Workflow.

46. Scott Birnbaum: Red Sea Ventures GP - early NYC investor behind buzzworthy brands (from Compass to food startups).

47. Severin Zugmeier: NR Ventures partner - merges Vienna’s creative scene with capital, backing new media experiments.

48. Shaad Khan: SevenStory GP - probably the most networked micro fund GP in SF, community beasts.

49. Tamar Vidra: Twelve Below associate - deep dives into consumer thesis, leads rounds with conviction and focus.

50. Terri Burns: Type Capital founder - ex-Google Ventures prodigy bringing fresh perspective as one of VC’s youngest GPs.

51. Tim Holladay: Spacestation investments - teams up with YouTube stars to fuel the creator economy rocketship.

52. Turner Novak : Banana Capital founder - Twitter meme king turned savvy investor with an eye for viral consumer startups.

VCs (lead):

1. Andrew Chen: Ex-Uber growth lead (took Uber from 15M to 100M users) - now a16z partner funding viral consumer apps.

2. Andrew Marks: TQ Ventures GP - taps cultural icons’ capital (like Scooter Braun) for consumer bets.

3. Anne Lee Skates: Ex-a16z consumer partner, now built Parable, backing consumer tech - early to spots trends in social and gaming communities.

4. Amber Atherton: Patron GP, former founder acquired by Discord, she’s the queen of internet communities, published the best book about it.

5. Arielle Zuckerberg: Longjourney VC partner with deep Silicon Valley consumer tech roots. Always up for a crazy bet.

6. Aubrie Pagano: Alpaca VC GP - ex-founder bringing hands-on brand-building savvy to early consumer startups.

7. Ben Lerer: Lerer Hippeau co-founder - Thrillist founder who’s built and backed iconic consumer brands. Writes $50k checks at pre-seed.

8. Blake Robbins: Hidden Ventures GP - young VC with gaming and creator economy cred (invested in esports hits). Great podcast.

9. Bradley Horowitz : Ex-Google VP turned seed investor - helped build Google+, now backing the next gen of consumer tech meets happiness.

10. Charles Hudson : Precursor Ventures founder - pre-seed pioneer who’s funded dozens of consumer founders early.

11. Christopher Harper: Torch Capital partner - brand-focused seed investor with a knack for spotting consumer trends.

12. Connor Ling: Neo principal - part of Ali Partovi’s network nurturing young prodigy founders in consumer tech.

13. David Brillembourg : Runs Dune Ventures - former entrepreneur turned VC hungry for the next big consumer play.

14. David Tisch: BoxGroup co-founder who seeded Warby Parker, Vine

15. Eze Vidra: Reimagine Ventures founder - ex-Google Ventures exec investing in gaming, media & Israeli startups.

16. Hubert Thieblot : Founders, Inc. creator - seasoned founder (sold Curse gaming to Twitch) now fostering a new builder hub.

17. Ishan Sinha: Point72 consumer investor - connects Wall Street scale with startup hustle in consumer deals.

18. Jaren Glover : Robinhood early engineer turned investor bridging tech and culture in new fintech and social startups.

19. Jason Chapman : Konvoy co-founder with $260m fund backing Axie Infinity and 40+ gaming startups - plugs founders into global game dev ecosystem.

20. Katie Stanton : Moxxie Ventures founder - ex-Twitter exec championing consumer startups and women founders.

21. Marshall Sandman: Animal Capital GP - partners with TikTok stars to fund Gen Z consumer startups (culture meets capital).

22. Nico Wittenborn: Adjacent’s founder - quietly backing design-driven consumer products before they break out.

23. Niko Bonatsos: General Catalyst GP - led Snap Series A, looking for young technical founders building for themselves

24. Nikhil Basu Trivedi : Footwork GP - ex-Shasta Ventures prodigy with big wins in consumer marketplaces and social.

25. Rex Woodbury: Daybreak Ventures GP and Gen Z whisperer sharing insights on digital culture and social trends.

26. Sam Kirschner : Village Global partner - taps a network of tech luminaries (Zuck, Bezos) and definitely leads rounds without hard feelings.

27. Sasha Kaletsky: Creator Ventures GP - ex-founder who knows the influencer game and content monetization. Pre-seed backer of 11Labs.

28. Tony Conrad: True Ventures co-founder - serial founder (Sphere, about.me) turned early-stage VC.

29. Warren Shaeffer : Pear VC partner - founder-turned-VC mentoring consumer upstarts (co-founded audio startup Knowable).