# Nicole Quinn

> Nicole Quinn is a Managing Partner at Connect Ventures and former General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, where she spent a decade building one of Silicon Valley's most distinctive consumer investing portfolios. A former British 100-meter sprinter who traded the track for Wall Street, Quinn worked on the Facebook and Groupon IPOs at Morgan Stanley before pivoting to venture capital. Known as the 'Celebrity Whisperer,' she's backed Lady Gaga's Haus Labs, Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, and companies like Calm, Cameo, and Rothy's. With a mathematics degree from York University and an MBA from Stanford, Quinn combines analytical rigor with an athlete's competitive drive and a certified coach's empathy for founders navigating the long game of company building.

- **Role:** Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Connect Ventures
- **Organizations:** Connect Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Morgan Stanley, Nutmeg, Stanford Business School, York University
- **From:** England, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** BSc in Mathematics and Economics, York University (England), MBA, Stanford Business School
- **Known for:** Competed internationally as British 100-meter sprinter for England, Worked on high-profile IPOs at Morgan Stanley including Facebook, Groupon, Prada, and Pandora, Led successful investments in unicorns including Calm (meditation app), Goop (wellness brand), and Character AI

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Co-founded online pharmacy concept with father who owned pharmacy chains across France, Romania, Germany, and UK
- **Early 2000s** — Competed as British 100-meter sprinter at international level for England
- **2000s-2010s** — Spent eight years at Morgan Stanley in equities, covering eCommerce, consumer tech, and luxury brands
- **2011-2012** — Worked on IPOs for Facebook, Groupon, Prada, and Pandora at Morgan Stanley
- **Mid-2010s** — Joined Nutmeg, London-based fintech startup, focusing on branding and marketing
- **2016** — Joined Lightspeed Venture Partners as Partner, focusing on consumer and fintech investments
- **2018** — Led $50M Series C investment in Goop (March 2018)
- **2019** — Led $27M Series B investment in Calm and invested in Lady Gaga's Haus Labs
- **2020** — Led $24M Series A for Lunchclub and $75M Series C for Calm (December)
- **2016-2026** — Co-led Lightspeed's Consumer team for 10 years, serving on boards of beehiiv, Calm, Cameo, Character AI, Goop, Haus Labs, Multiverse, and others
- **January 2026** — Named Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Connect Ventures alongside Michael Blank, backed by CAA and New Enterprise Associates

## Achievements

- Competed internationally as British 100-meter sprinter for England
- Worked on high-profile IPOs at Morgan Stanley including Facebook, Groupon, Prada, and Pandora
- Led successful investments in unicorns including Calm (meditation app), Goop (wellness brand), and Character AI
- Built reputation as 'Celebrity Whisperer' investor, backing Lady Gaga's Haus Labs, Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, and Sophia Amoruso's Girlboss
- Co-led Lightspeed Venture Partners' Consumer team, one of Silicon Valley's premier consumer investment practices
- Served as board member for 10+ high-growth consumer companies including Calm, Cameo, beehiiv, Multiverse, Lightyear, Daybreak
- Certified professional coach, bringing coaching methodology to board work
- Successfully raised hundreds of millions across portfolio: $50M for Goop (2018), $27M for Calm (2019), $75M for Calm (2020), $24M for Lunchclub (2020)
- Co-founded Connect Ventures in 2026, backed by CAA and New Enterprise Associates, focusing on tech-enabled consumer businesses
- Championed female founders and diversity in venture capital throughout career

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Named Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Connect Ventures alongside Michael Blank, with backing from CAA and New Enterprise Associates
- **2026-01** — Connect Ventures announced as standalone VC firm focusing on Seed and Series A investments in tech-enabled consumer businesses
- **2026-05** — Speaking at London Tech Week 2026
- **2025-12** — Reported Hungryroot's 2025 financial results: 55% revenue growth to $700M, highest EBITDA profitability year
- **2026-01** — Concluded 10-year tenure at Lightspeed Venture Partners, where she co-led the Consumer team

## Links

- Website: https://www.connectventures.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-quinn-a5435114
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nik_quinn

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicole-quinn
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05