Maria joined Madrona in 2021. She focuses on sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities across Madrona’s investment themes and supports the growth and strategy of current portfolio companies. Maria partners with B2B SaaS and consumer founders and is particularly interested in e-commerce infrastructure, marketplaces, AI/ML, and the future of work. Across each of these spaces, she takes a design-thinking and user-focused approach. She believes in the power of young entrepreneurs and changemaking technology to elevate people’s lives through greater productivity and new experiences.
On the enterprise side, Maria looks for products that provide a user experience that unlocks efficiency and productivity while leveraging data in new ways. For consumer, she believes in products that connect technology with culture and fundamentally change how we live, work, or play. She pays close attention to generational shifts like Gen Z behavior and the rise of side hustles.
Journey to Madrona
Maria started her career in the Gap Inc. Rotational Management Program, where she rotated through multiple business functions, collaborating closely with the e-commerce, supply chain, and data science teams. Prior to joining Madrona, she founded a blog and co-founded a syndicate group that invested in early-stage consumer and e-commerce companies. Maria has lived in Chicago, NYC, and London.
Lessons learned
Building a startup is incredibly hard. There will be endless tough decisions, but hard experiences provide growth opportunities. Facing tough decisions and working through them will lead to the best personal and company growth opportunities that improve team and company functionality in the long term.
When she’s not in the office…
Maria can be found skiing, at workout classes, hiking, or painting in her free time.
Noteworthy
Maria graduated with honors in entrepreneurship from Washington University in St. Louis with three majors: marketing, entrepreneurship, and design. Maria founded a media company in college, The Power Thread, which highlighted and shared stories from underrepresented small business owners and entrepreneurs. Maria was also a competitive figure skater for 12 years and competed as a member of Team USA from 2012 to 2014 at national and international competitions.
