SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2024 — f7 Ventures, a mission-driven venture capital firm dedicated to identifying and empowering founders who possess exceptional operational skills and invaluable lived experiences, proudly announces the addition of two exceptional individuals, Emma Rodgers and Kaley Sirak Harder, to their distinguished team.
“We are thrilled to welcome Emma Rodgers and Kaley Sirak Harder to f7 Ventures,” said Kelly Graziadei, Co-founder and General Partner at f7 Ventures. “Emma’s years of experience building and leading product and business operations teams, coupled with her deep understanding and approach to customer segmentation and finding product-market fit, will be hugely valuable to f7 founders. We could not be more excited for f7 founders to have the opportunity to work with her.”
“Likewise, we are thankful to SHIFT, which helps active military professionals transition to roles in tech, for introducing us to Kaley last year,” said Joanna Lee Shevelenko, Co-Founder & General Partner at f7. “We have had the pleasure of working closely with her first as an f7 Fellow to grow and elevate f7’s impact. Her years of strategy work with the Air Force and thoughtful approach to venture and the companies we work with will propel us forward in 2024 and beyond,” said Shevelenko.
Rodgers joins f7 Ventures as an Executive-in-Residence, offering consulting services to f7 and our founder community. She brings over 20 years of expertise in commercial leadership, product development, and marketing in consumer tech, commerce/payments, mobile advertising, and media at Meta/Facebook, McKinsey & Company, and Warner Bros. Rodgers’s track record of steering teams to achieve product-market fit, elevate brands, and scale businesses aligns with f7 Ventures’ commitment to propelling forward-thinking ventures.
During 11 high-growth years at Meta/Facebook, Rodgers has played instrumental roles building and scaling multiple multi-billion-dollar business lines, including Facebook’s early mobile advertising business, developer platform, SMB tools, and B2B/B2C Commerce and Payment solutions. Her leadership in propelling projects from inception to scaled success offers immense value across the f7 portfolio.
“I’m thrilled to contribute to f7 Ventures as an exec-in-residence,” said Rodgers. “The firm’s commitment to supporting bold founders in building next-generation companies aligns with my passion for building and growing some of the world’s most special brands. I look forward to teaming up with f7 to consult founders and help accelerate portfolio growth.”
Simultaneously, f7 Ventures proudly appoints Kaley Sirak Harder as Chief of Staff, leveraging her exceptional background as a military veteran and strategic leader. Sirak Harder’s eight years of service in US Air Force Special Operations, notably as a Combat Aviation Advisor, showcased her ability to scale allied countries’ military capabilities and navigate competitive landscapes with determination.
Transitioning from the military, Sirak Harder’s stint at Raft, a digital consulting firm, saw her oversee impactful projects worth $100 million and manage a team of 100 engineers, contributing significantly to the company’s substantial 30% headcount growth in 2023. Sirak Harder earned her undergraduate degree and officer commission from the US Air Force Academy and her MBA shortly thereafter. Her diverse skill set and strategic prowess perfectly complement f7 Ventures’ ethos of fostering innovation and nurturing groundbreaking ventures.
“It is an honor to serve as Chief of Staff at f7 Ventures, a firm dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation,” said Sirak Harder. “My background in military special operations and strategic leadership has equipped me to navigate challenges with resolve. I am thrilled to play a crucial part in driving f7 Ventures to unprecedented success contributing not only to its ongoing growth but also actively participating in the transformation of the venture capital landscape.”
Emma Rodgers and Kaley Sirak Harder are welcomed additions to the distinguished f7 Ventures executive team led by Kelly Graziadei & Joanna Lee Shevelenko, Co-Founders & General Partners, and including Francisca Gilmore, f7 Ventures’ Vice President of Investment and Platform. Gilmore joined f7 early in 2023 from WhatsApp where she was a Product Manager after graduating from Stanford’s Business School. Gilmore also worked at a Gates-funded non-profit in Vietnam and managed growth at a Google Ventures-backed early stage company. f7’s strategic expansion strengthens the firm’s unwavering commitment to supporting early stage founders and propelling innovation across diverse industries.
About f7 Ventures
f7 Ventures is a mission-driven pre-seed/seed venture capital firm dedicated to identifying and empowering early stage founders. Originally founded as an angel fund by seven ex-Facebook female leaders, the firm officially launched in early 2019. Today, led by General Partners Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko, f7 Ventures invests out of a $50 million institutional fund and has made 37 investments since April 2021. With a focus on operational skills and lived experiences, f7 Ventures supports founders from high-growth tech companies building the next decade defining companies. For more information, visit www.f7ventures.com
Media Contact:
Kelly Graziadei
6508623569
[email protected]
SOURCE f7 Ventures
