Formerly known as Google Ventures, GV is a large venture capital firm that has invested in major companies such as Slack, Uber, and GitLab. Now the company is welcoming Principal Terri Burns as its newest investing partner. Burns is making history as the first Black woman partner at the company and the youngest, at just 26-years-old.
Burns got her start at Twitter as an associate product manager, eventually getting hired at GV, where she’s worked for the last three years. Because of her age, Burns has a knack for recognizing new ventures to capture Gen Z’s attention. Her latest investment in HAGS, an app that started as a digital yearbook and is now expanding into a broader social site for high school-aged youth, is just another example of that.
In an industry dominated by white males, Burns is an anomaly. As of February 2020, the number of women leaders in the VC world was at just 13%, a mere 4% increase from 3 years ago. In 2019, there was only one Black woman named partner at any VC company, and between 2010 and 2015, Black people have made up just 0.67% of the industry workforce.
Dave Munichiello, a general partner at GV, spoke about the importence of Burns’ promotion, saying, “Her investments display her interest in companies that are built by and for Gen Z, particularly as this generation comes of age in a remarkably uncertain time.”
As of now, Burns is focused on consumer businesses, expanding to include investments in the future of work and fintech. She’s not giving many details about her next move, and she plans to keep it that way.
“[It’s] broad…but that is by design,” said Burns.
Keep rising, Terri! Congratulations!
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