Since forever, companies have made products for people to buy, but the evolution and reach of the internet has given rise to entirely new brands, some of which are growing at unprecedented speeds thanks to platforms like Instagram and other social media channels not to mention strong storytelling.Two of the people leading the e-commerce charge are Glossiers Emily Weiss and Forerunner Ventures founding partner and managing director Kirsten Green .
Were thrilled to announce that both of them will sit down on stage at TC Disrupt SF to discuss Glossiers continued rise and the evolution of e-commerce.Emily Weiss GlossierGlossier isnt even four years old yet, and the brand has already become a household name.
The company was launched in 2014 off the back of Weiss staggeringly successful beauty blog Into The Gloss.The premise of the brand is simple.
Glossier products are designed for women who love makeup but dont love looking garish.
Part of selling that effortlessly beautiful aesthetic centers on marketing a narrow product line, one thats focused on skin care products; a handful of lipsticks, cream cheek colors, and eyebrow mascaras; and well as a single fragrance called You that comes in both liquid and solid form.Beyond the success of the products, Weiss has become a role-model, even a superstar, to many of Glossiers young customers.
Weiss built a foundation of trust with her audience on Into The Gloss, and that has carried over to the Glossier brand.The originally direct-to-consumer company has also started an offline business with a pop-up shop in NYC, a now converted Dunkin Donuts that generates more sales revenue per square foot than the average Apple Store, according to Weiss.Glossier has attracted a number of large investments from VCs like Index Venture Partners, Thrive Capital and Forerunner Ventures, bringing its total amount raised to more than $86 million.
And sitting on the board is none other than Kirsten Green.Kirsten Green Forerunner VenturesEight years ago, Kirsten Green launched Forerunner Ventures.
Since then, shes risen to be one of the most prominent and successful investors in Silicon Valley and beyond, with a particular knack for e-commerce investments.Green has raised more than $300 million and invested in more than 50 companies.
Portfolio companies include Glossier, Outdoor Voices, Ritual, Inturn and Indigo Fair, as well as exited companies like Jet.com, Dollar Shave Club, and Bonobos.Shes a founding member of All Raise, a female mentorship collective, and has been named one of Times 100 Most influential people, in Forbes 2017 and 2018 Midas List and Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women.
And lest we forget, she was also named VC of the year at the 2017 Crunchies Awards.Greens ability to identify stellar founders and foster e-commerce brands is unparalleled across the ecosystem, and were thrilled to learn from her on the Disrupt SF stage.