Blog

Gen Z: Opportunities for Innovation

by Danielle Lay and Hunter WorlandMar 20, 2023

Series Introduction

Gen Z – born into the era of the mobile internet, social networks, and digitally native commerce – is coming of age in an increasingly complex world and challenging convention with fresh perspectives and new emerging norms.

As investors, we watch for intersections where cultural shifts meet technology, moments when trends and societal evolutions collide to create opportunities. As Gen Z becomes the driving force in pop culture, at work and in commerce, we wanted to explore the unique perspective and needs of Gen Z users and share what we find distinctive about this generation of digital natives.

In this Gen Z series, we throw out the typical VC market map and instead dive into an exploration of fundamental domains of Gen Z consumer life: commerce, financial health, careers, social life, etc. We'll be sharing our takes through this series, and we are excited to spark conversation with builders focused on Gen Z.

If you're a founder or team building for the Gen Z future, we welcome your perspectives, and we'd love to hear from you!

Please reach us at: abordetsky@nea.com, dlay@nea.com, hworland@nea.com

In this series:

    Topics
    Trends

    The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be investment advice, or recommendation, or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by NEA or any other NEA entity. New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, nothing in this post should be interpreted to suggest that the SEC has endorsed or approved the contents of this post. NEA has no obligation to update, modify, or amend the contents of this post nor to notify readers in the event that any information, opinion, forecast or estimate changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate or outdated. In addition, certain information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources and has not been independently verified by NEA. The companies featured in this post are for illustrative purposes only, have been selected in order to provide an example of the types of investments made by NEA that fit the theme of this post and are not representative of all NEA portfolio companies. The company founders or executives or any other individuals featured or quoted in this post are not compensated, directly or indirectly, by NEA but may be founders or executives of portfolio companies NEA has invested in through funds managed by NEA and its affiliates. Any statements made by founders, investors, portfolio companies, or others in the post or on other third-party websites referencing this post are their own, and are not intended to be an endorsement of the investment advisory services offered by NEA.

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    About the Authors

    Danielle Lay

    Danielle is a Bay Area-based Partner on the Technology Investing Team, which she joined in 2017. She invests from seed to growth in generational companies across AI applications and physical AI. Her investments include Physical Intelligence, Databento, Beehiiv, Patreon, Workera.ai, among others. Prior to joining NEA, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BA in Economics, Business Institutions and Chinese from Northwestern University.
    Danielle is a Bay Area-based Partner on the Technology Investing Team, which she joined in 2017. She invests from seed to growth in generational companies across AI applications and physical AI. Her investments include Physical Intelligence, Databento, Beehiiv, Patreon, Workera.ai, among others. Prior to joining NEA, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BA in Economics, Business Institutions and Chinese from Northwestern University.

    Hunter Worland

    Hunter's investment focus is applications and infrastructure for the digital economy particularly in fintech, commerce, and consumer. He works closely with companies like NG Cash, Slash, and Kindred. Prior to joining NEA in 2021, Hunter was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in New York, where he worked with media and financial services clients. Hunter graduated from Harvard University with a degree in history and government, as well as a certificate in Latin American studies and a Hoopes Prize. He still enjoys historical archival research.
    Hunter's investment focus is applications and infrastructure for the digital economy particularly in fintech, commerce, and consumer. He works closely with companies like NG Cash, Slash, and Kindred. Prior to joining NEA in 2021, Hunter was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in New York, where he worked with media and financial services clients. Hunter graduated from Harvard University with a degree in history and government, as well as a certificate in Latin American studies and a Hoopes Prize. He still enjoys historical archival research.
    Gen Z: Opportunities for Innovation