Brian O'Malley

Who they are

Brian O'Malley is Managing Partner at Forerunner Ventures — came up through Battery Ventures and Accel before joining Forerunner in 2018 when it had just closed a $360M fund, and is publicly known for his thesis on the 'empowerment economy' of consumer brands.

Person

Brian joined Forerunner Ventures in 2018, the same year the firm closed a $360M fund — tripling the size of its prior vehicle — making it one of the most significant consumer-focused VC raises of that moment. He came up through Battery Ventures and then Accel, where he was a partner, giving him a full decade-plus of pattern recognition across early-stage consumer and commerce investing before the Forerunner move. The portfolio he works with reads like a who's-who of the direct-to-consumer wave: Away, Dollar Shave Club, HotelTonight, and Serena & Lily. He's articulate about his framework in public — he appeared on the Acquired podcast in 2022 to discuss consumer investing, and on The Consumer VC to lay out what he calls the 'empowerment economy,' a thesis about brands that give consumers agency and identity. Possibly — he also takes keynote speaking engagements through AEI Speakers Bureau, suggesting he's comfortable on stage and sees public communication as part of the role. The through-line across Battery, Accel, and Forerunner is a consistent bet on consumer behavior shifts and the brands that ride them.

Network

No direct edges are available in the claims. His working network can be inferred from the Forerunner Ventures portfolio — he's embedded with founders at Away, Dollar Shave Club, HotelTonight, and Serena & Lily — and his prior partnerships at Accel and Battery Ventures would have built a broad network across early-stage consumer investing circles.

How they likely show up

  • Moved from Battery Ventures → Accel → Forerunner Ventures, each a progressively sharper consumer-investing focus → likely someone who iterates toward conviction rather than spreading bets across sectors.
  • Joined Forerunner in 2018 at an established, multi-hundred-million-dollar fund rather than at seed stage → comfortable operating with institutional infrastructure and LP relationships, not just scrappy early-stage chaos.
  • Articulated the 'empowerment economy' thesis publicly across multiple podcast appearances in 2022 → has a defined investing framework and is willing to defend it in public, suggesting he engages best when there's a real intellectual debate on the table.
  • Active on podcasts (Acquired, The Consumer VC, Apple Podcasts appearances) rather than a writer → prefers conversation and spoken debate over long-form essays; likely engages better verbally than over email.
  • Possibly — keynote speaking through AEI Speakers Bureau → comfortable with stage presence and high-level narrative-setting, not just deal mechanics.

Conversation tips

  • → Reference the 'empowerment economy' framing by name — he laid it out specifically on The Consumer VC podcast and will respond well if you've engaged with the actual thesis, not just the label.
  • → Ask about the Acquired episode or one of the portfolio companies by name (Away, Dollar Shave Club) — shows you've done the work and gives him a concrete hook to riff on.
  • → He's a podcast-first communicator, so open with a question rather than a monologue — he'll likely engage better in dialogue than listening to a pitch.
  • → Don't treat him as a generalist VC; he has a specific consumer lens built over two firms before Forerunner — acknowledge the depth of that track record if you want to earn credibility quickly.

Toolbox

Openers

  • Open on the 'empowerment economy' thesis from his 2022 Consumer VC podcast appearance — he laid out a specific framework about consumers seeking agency and identity through brands, and asking whether that thesis has evolved since is a sharp entry point.
  • Reference his Acquired podcast episode on consumer investing in 2022 — that show attracts a technically sophisticated audience and he agreed to go deep on frameworks, signaling he's comfortable with rigorous back-and-forth.
  • Mention the Forerunner portfolio arc — Away, Dollar Shave Club, HotelTonight — and ask how he reads the DTC wave in retrospect; he's had a front-row seat to both the peak and the correction.

Discovery questions

  1. Your 'empowerment economy' framing was public in 2022 — how has that thesis held up as DTC unit economics got harder and consumer sentiment shifted?
  2. You moved from Accel to Forerunner in 2018 when the fund had just tripled in size — what does a consumer-focused fund at that scale do differently than the earlier, leaner version?
  3. Looking at portfolio companies like Away and Dollar Shave Club, what's your read on where AI-native services actually change the consumer brand playbook versus where it's mostly noise?

Avoid

Don't pitch a B2B SaaS company or a sector-agnostic opportunity — he has spent his entire career focused on consumer investing and the empowerment economy thesis, so a mismatch in focus will signal you haven't done the homework.

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Sources

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on June 5, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →