Kathryn Weinmann

Kathryn Weinmann is a Principal at FirstMark Capital, the New York–based venture firm, which she joined in September 2024 to focus on consumer technology alongside partners Rick Heitzmann and Derek Chu. FirstMark announced her hire as it began deploying two new funds totaling $1.1 billion. Her mandate is consumer tech, an area she has argued is due for a revival even as many investors have grown cautious on the sector.

Before FirstMark, Weinmann spent several years at Norwest Venture Partners, where she rose from associate/senior associate to Vice President. At Norwest she invested across seed, early, and late-stage rounds at the intersection of consumer internet and B2B SaaS, with particular interest in fintech, marketplaces, commerce, and real estate. Notably, she spent roughly 18 months studying the future of food before sourcing Norwest's investment in UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats), a leader in cellular agriculture.

Earlier in her career, Weinmann worked in business operations at NerdWallet, focused on small business lending, and began as a management consultant at Deloitte specializing in financial services and retail loyalty. She holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. (with honors) in Spanish, financial economics, and corporate strategy from Vanderbilt University.

Beyond investing, Weinmann is a Kauffman Fellow and serves on the board of the Emerging Venture Capitalists Association (EVCA), a network of 1,000+ pre-partner VCs, where she has led the General Partner Mentorship Program. She has also spent years as co-chair of the Technology Advisory Council at Mission Asset Fund, a Bay Area nonprofit focused on financial inclusion.

• Invests in consumer technology — described in her own words as backing "the infrastructure and applications helping consumers do more with less."
• Looks for solutions that deliver "convenience, connection, and empowerment" and "frictionless products with a clear ROI, monetary or otherwise."
• Prioritizes founders who "harness urgency to create powerful consumer experiences" and who use "new technologies to address pressing societal needs."
• Priority sub-sectors: consumer health (navigation tools, providers, mental health), creator/economic empowerment (side-hustle and monetization tools), AI/productivity (NLP and generative AI for personalization), and community & connection platforms.
• Values a consumer-first mindset that balances personalization with scalability, and enjoys supporting founders through rapid go-to-market growth.
• At Norwest, demonstrated deep, thesis-driven diligence (e.g., an ~18-month study of alternative protein before investing in UPSIDE Foods).