Jennifer Fonstad

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Jennifer Fonstad
Headshot of Jennifer Fonstad
Alma materGeorgetown University, Harvard Business School
OccupationVenture Capital Investor, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Owl Capital Group
Websiteowlcapital.com

Jennifer Fonstad is an American venture capital investor and entrepreneur. She co-founded and leads the Owl Capital Group, a venture firm based in Silicon Valley.[1] Fonstad has been a leading technology, healthcare, and energy investor for almost 25 years with 17 years as a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ).[2] She is also co-founder of angel investing network Broadway Angels.[3][4][5] Fonstad has been recognized as a top 100 tech investor on Forbes’ Midas List twice[6][7] and was named 2016 Venture Capitalist of the Year by Deloitte.[8] She is also a Founding Member of All Raise.[9]

Education[]

Fonstad earned a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.[10] While a student at Harvard, Fonstad co-founded the New Venture Competition, an annual competition for HBS student entrepreneurs.[11]

Career[]

Fonstad began her career at Bain & Company after spending a year teaching high school math in sub-Saharan Africa.[12] She joined venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson as a Kauffman Fellow in 1997 and became a partner in 1998.[13] Fonstad spent 17 years with DFJ, helping to grow the firm from $150MM to $3.5Billion under management.[14] Through her career Fonstad has participated in many successful investments including Athenahealth,[15] Tesla, Solarcity,[16] the Real Real, Chime Bank, Hotmail, Netzero, Box, Redfin, and others.[17]

In 2010, Fonstad and Sonja Hoel Perkins were among the founders of Broadway Angels, an angel investing network of senior women from the fields of technology and venture investing.[14][18] In 2019 Fonstad co-founded Owl Capital Group. Her current investments include Vida Health, Ohmconnect, Grokker, Stem.io, Roofstock, WelcomeTech, and Owlet.[19]

Board member and advisor[]

Fonstad serves on the Board of Directors of several private companies. She also serves on the Board of the Mastercard Foundation, a $35B AUM foundation based in Toronto, Canada.[20] She is a Founding Member of All-Raise, a Managing Member of Broadway Angels, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[21][22][23]

Recognition and awards[]

  • One of “The 50 Most Powerful Moms” by Working Mother (2017)[24]
  • “Venture Capitalist of the Year” by Deloitte at the Technology Fast 500 (2016)[8]
  • Portraits of Power, Marie Claire (2016)[25]
  • Forbes Midas List (2008, 2009)[6][7]

Speaker and commentator[]

At the Catalyst Conference 2017, she spoke at the Fireside Chat.[26]

Fonstad is a frequent media contributor on issues pertaining to women in tech, cyber-security, the future of healthcare and the venture capital industry. Her commentary appears in Fortune,[27][28] Fast Company,[29] Entrepreneur,[30] Re/code,[31] Yahoo Finance,[32] Forbes,[33] Bloomberg,[34] and CNBC.[35]

References[]

  1. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Two Silicon Valley Investors Venture Out on Their Own". Fortune. Time, Inc.
  3. ^ "Broadway Angels". Broadway Angels. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  4. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad Bio". Broadway Angels. Broadway Angels.
  5. ^ Yesil, Magdalena. "Coming out as a woman in venture capital: opinion". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. ^ a b "The Midas List 2008". Forbes.
  7. ^ a b "The Midas List 2009". Forbes.[dead link]
  8. ^ a b "The Broadsheet". Fortune. Time, Inc.
  9. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad - Founding Member at All Raise". THE ORG. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  10. ^ "Executive Profile Jennifer Scott Fonstad". Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P.
  11. ^ "Harvard Business School's annual contest for entrepreneurs is a case study unto itself". Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC.
  12. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad Bio". Aspect Ventures. Aspect Ventures.
  13. ^ "Fellows Directory". Kauffman Fellows. Kauffman Fellows.
  14. ^ a b "Bridging The Funding Gap: An Interview With The Women Behind Aspect Ventures". Forbes.
  15. ^ "Athenahealth Funding". AngelList.
  16. ^ "Form S-1". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  17. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad AngelList Profile". AngelList.
  18. ^ Yesil, Magdalena (July 22, 2016). "Coming out as a woman in venture capital: opinion". USA Today. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Owl Capital Group Companies". owlcapital.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  20. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad". Mastercard Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  21. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad - Founding Member at All Raise". THE ORG. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  22. ^ "Jennifer Fonstad Bio". Broadway Angels. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  23. ^ "Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations.
  24. ^ "50 Most Powerful Moms". Working Mother. Working Mother.
  25. ^ "Portraits of Power". Marie Claire. Hearst Communications, Inc.
  26. ^ "Catalyst Conference Speakers". Girls in Tech. Girls in Tech.
  27. ^ "What James Comey's Firing Means For the Future of Cyber Attacks". Fortune. Time Inc.
  28. ^ "Here's How Snap's Wall Street Debut Could Spark An IPO Boom". Fortune. Time Inc.
  29. ^ "Business Leaders Share Their Biggest Concerns About The Future Of Business". Fast Company. Fast Company, Inc.
  30. ^ "To Impress This VC, Deliver on What You Promise". Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
  31. ^ "After Ellen Pao, Now What?". Recode. Vox Media, Inc.
  32. ^ "What Trump Doesn't Get About Silicon Valley's H1-B Visas". Yahoo! Finance. Oath Inc.
  33. ^ "Women Investors' Best Advice For Startup Success In The Uncertain Trump Era". Forbes.
  34. ^ "Free Speech Versus Abuse: Social Media Scrutinized". Bloomberg. Bloomberg, L.P.
  35. ^ "Crashing the tech boys club". CNBC. CNBC, LLC.

External links[]

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