Kira M.
Brand and Communications Leader, Over a Decade of VC & Startup Roles
Studied at University of California, Santa Barbara
Works at Forerunner
Available Wednesday at 4:00 PM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Kira’s Marketing Qualifications
Experience level: Vice President
I have led Brand and Communications programs at a wide range of companies, from some of the most well-known venture capital firms (Forerunner and Social Capital), to small scrappy startups that saw notable acquisitions (Modern Fertility was acquired by Ro for $225M after ~4 years of operation as a ~25 person team). I have worked on everything from strategic positioning, executive thought leadership, social media strategy and brand partnerships, to crisis communications, media relations, and overall brand building. In my current role leading Communications and Marketing at Forerunner, I regularly consult with our portfolio companies on marketing strategy, brand, and PR — giving me extensive coaching experience across early and growth stage startups in most of the major tech industries.
Kira can help with:
Interview Prep
Skill Building
LinkedIn Review
Resume Review
Freelancing
Marketing Strategy
About Kira
I'm a communications leader who combines brand strategy, content, advocacy, and public relations, stemming from my belief that communications efforts today should look as diverse and modern as all the ways that people consume information and form opinions. I am currently the VP of Communications and Marketing at Forerunner, a SF-based venture capital firm focused on consumer businesses, where I support both the firm and partners with marketing strategies and the various portfolio companies with dedicated brand and PR counsel and hands-on engagements. With nearly $3 billion in assets under management, Forerunner is an early investor in Chime, Faire, OURA, Hims&Hers, Glossier, Fora, Warby Parker, and many more. Prior to joining Forerunner, I led communications and brand for Modern Fertility. I joined at the seed stage as employee 10 and built the communications program from the ground and through multiple stages of growth, establishing the company as the leader within the burgeoning women's health industry. Modern Fertility was ultimately acquired for $225M acquisition by Ro, a multi-billion dollar healthcare company where I worked for a year following the merger to help them build their women's health division. Before Modern Fertility, I led communications and marketing at the venture capital Social Capital, where I helped build the firm's brand through its partners and unique approach to different investment vehicles and incubation strategies, alongside supporting the portfolio companies with everything from high-level communications guidances to leading company launches. I got my start in the communications world as a PR firm, LaunchSquad, where I led accounts across a wide range of industries and companies stages, including public enterprise software companies, emerging ecommerce startups, and everything in-between. After 10+ years in the startup world leading corporate, consumer, crisis, and internal communications through multiple market twists and turns, I like to think I have a very high pain tolerance for the endless complexities inherent to the communications function. :) And after 10+ years in comms, the adrenaline of landing a big PR/brand win has yet to wear off!
Why do I coach?
I entered the communications and brand world without any existing "network" or mentors, and perhaps surprisingly, those who ended up having the most formative impact on my career started out as seemingly random strangers or distant connections. Everyone needs career direction and support, and increasingly, it seems to come from serendipitous or unassuming places. I think ambition and hustle are invaluable professional qualities that make all the difference, and anyone willing to seek out coach demonstrates clear self-direction. I would be honored to dedicate my time to helping people get to where they want to be and reach their potential. Work is such a big part of life and we all deserve to feel fulfilled, engaged, and challenged in the right ways by how we spend our (many) hours).
Work Experience
VP Communications
Forerunner
November 2022 - Present
Forerunner is a venture capital firm dedicated to the modern consumer and the ambitious teams reshaping categories. Founded in 2012, Forerunner has invested in industry-defining companies such as Faire, Chime, Glossier, Hims&Hers, OURA, The Farmer’s Dog, Ritual, and more. Forerunner is also one of the only women-led venture capital firms to raise over $2.3 billion in assets under management and invest in hundreds of companies.
Consultant and Advisor
Self Employed
July 2022 - December 2022
I've advised, consulted and invested across a range of companies in healthtech, fintech, and venture, including: • Summer Health, the first truly asynchronous, text message based approach to pediatric care • Harmonic AI, the Bloomberg Terminal for private capital markets • Wander, the vertically-integrated travel experience with top quality rentals in inspiring locations • Givers, the first fintech/consumer health platform putting money back in the pockets of caregivers • Springbank Collective, an early-stage investment firm focused on the infrastructure for supporting the economic resilience of women and working families • Cofertility, a new human-centered approach to fertility care and third party reproduction • Journey Clinical, a platform for psychotherapists to provide safe, effective ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to patients
Director of Brand and Communications
Modern Fertility
February 2019 - July 2022
I joined Modern Fertility at the seed stage as employee #9, and built the communications program from the ground up through the company’s $225M acquisition in 2021. I led strategy and execution of the entire communications function, including narrative development, corporate comms, internal comms, consumer comms, media strategy and relations, CEO and CCO platforms, and more. My role also expanded to brand strategy, where I led advocacy, creator + brand partnerships, and creative campaigns, including Modern Fertility's inaugural brand campaign with some of the top women pro athletes.
Director of Brand and Communications, Modern Fertility
Ro
2021 - 2022
Head of communications & marketing
Social Capital
January 2018 - December 2018
I led communications and brand for Social Capital, whose mission is to advance humanity by solving the world's hardest problems. I was particularly focused on Capital-as-a-Service, where I expanded my role from traditional communications to help lead marketing, partnerships, business development and overall growth. I was also heavily involved with Discover, Social Capital's incubation/investment arm for deep tech startups solving hard societal challenges, as well as ongoing venture and exec comms.
Education
University of California, Santa Barbara
Bachelors Degree, International Relations
2006 - 2010