In this episode, we interview Ariana Thacker, founding general partner of Conscience VC, a pre-seed fund investing in companies operating at the intersection of science and consumer products. With Conscience VC, Ariana has made it her mission to fund B2C companies driving scientific breakthroughs.
The first in her family to graduate from college, Ariana left UCLA with a degree in chemical engineering and spent her early career in oil and gas. Then, inspired to join the fast-paced startup sector, she joined the founding team of an academic startup, and later became an investor with Rhapsody Venture Partners, a firm focused on hard science startups.
Across her experiences, Ariana observed shifting consumer behaviors, scientific breakthroughs, and new business models. She noticed that science-driven consumer companies weren’t often the focus of VC firms. In response, Ariana launched a proof-of-concept fund for Conscience VC, and then formed her first fund in October of 2020.
In this episode of The First Close, we cover:
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Ariana’s relentless and diligent approach to building her fund
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How Ariana helps technical founders find product/market fit
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Her belief that customer discovery is among the most critical tools founders have
Listen to our interview with Conscience VC by streaming The First Close on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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