Blog

Gen Z: Opportunities for Innovation

by Ann Bordetsky, 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

About the Authors

Ann Bordetsky

Ann is a Partner at NEA, where she focuses on early-stage investing in consumer technology and AI application software and marketplaces. Prior to NEA, Ann was Chief Operating Officer of Rival (acquired by Live Nation) and held business leadership roles at Uber and Twitter during their growth phase. As an operator, she has seen Silicon Valley startups through each phase of the company-building lifecycle, from first launch to IPO. Ann holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS from UC Berkeley.
Ann is a Partner at NEA, where she focuses on early-stage investing in consumer technology and AI application software and marketplaces. Prior to NEA, Ann was Chief Operating Officer of Rival (acquired by Live Nation) and held business leadership roles at Uber and Twitter during their growth phase. As an operator, she has seen Silicon Valley startups through each phase of the company-building lifecycle, from first launch to IPO. Ann holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS from UC Berkeley.

Danielle Lay

Danielle joined NEA in 2017. As a Partner based in New York, she is focused on consumer, social, and commerce infrastructure companies. She is an active investor and/or serves on the board of Burrow, Fizz, Goody, Patreon, and Prime, among other companies. She is also a member of NEA’s Asia investing team. Prior to joining NEA, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs covering fintech. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in economics, business institutions, and Chinese.
Danielle joined NEA in 2017. As a Partner based in New York, she is focused on consumer, social, and commerce infrastructure companies. She is an active investor and/or serves on the board of Burrow, Fizz, Goody, Patreon, and Prime, among other companies. She is also a member of NEA’s Asia investing team. Prior to joining NEA, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs covering fintech. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in economics, business institutions, and Chinese.

Hunter Worland

Hunter is focused on consumer and enterprise technology investing—working closely with companies like Kindred, Fabric8Labs, Rocket.Chat, Juvo, Stash, and LXA. Prior to joining NEA in 2021, Hunter was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in New York, where he worked with media, financial services, and medical technology 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.
Hunter is focused on consumer and enterprise technology investing—working closely with companies like Kindred, Fabric8Labs, Rocket.Chat, Juvo, Stash, and LXA. Prior to joining NEA in 2021, Hunter was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in New York, where he worked with media, financial services, and medical technology 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.