Former GV partner Terry Burns is embarking on a new chapter in his career by launching his own venture firm called Type Capital.
It will focus on early-stage startups and cut pre-seed and seed-sized checks, Fortune reported. Burns told Fortune that the company is still in its early stages and has not yet invested in any companies. She confirmed to TechCrunch that a new company has been launched, but declined to provide details about the plans or the size of the fund.
The launch of Type Capital marks a significant milestone as Terry Burns joins a select group of Black women with their own venture companies. Black women who have co-founded or independently founded their own companies include Jewel Burks Solomon of Collab Capital, Sarah Kunst of Cleo Capital, and Monique Woodard of Cake Ventures.
This achievement further highlights Mr. Burns' impressive journey in the venture industry, which began when he joined GV in 2017. In 2020, at the age of 26, she made history as the firm's youngest and first Black female partner.
Burns started his career at Twitter as an associate product manager, then became a Kaufman Fellow and studied computer science at New York University. In 2021, she became the youngest member of the university’s Board of Governors.
During her tenure at GV, Terri Burns played a pivotal role in many of the firm's successful investments. In particular, she led an investment in social app HAGS, which was later acquired by her Snapchat. Later, her involvement in the popular Partiful, which raised over $20 million from investors including A16Z, further cemented her status as a tastemaker for savvy consumers. She is an angel investor and co-founder of an angel investment collective that has invested in at least 11 companies, including Clubhouse.
Burns is interested in Gen Z founders, digital consumer companies, developer tools, and of course, artificial intelligence. She thinks, like many seed-stage companies, she wants to be the first to check in. Too often, she says, investors miss out on good deals while following the hype and waiting for signals from other investors that the company is worth it. She told Fortune that she wants to find promising founders and tap into her extensive network to help them find follow-on opportunities.