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Madison McIlwain

Partner, Seed at Defy Partners

San Francisco, California, United States

Writes $100K – $10M checks

30 Under 30 2024 · Media

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About

Madison McIlwain combines VC-family pattern recognition with hands-on retail, e-commerce and product experience, and leverages founder conversations from the Forbes-recognized The Room Podcast she co-founded for empathy-driven sourcing and diligence.

Invests in

AI & Machine LearningConsumerEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS

Experience

  1. VercelStartups GTM Leadcurrent2026 — presentSan Francisco, CA
  2. VercelStartups and VC Ecosystem Lead2025 — 2026San Francisco, CA
  3. The Room PodcastCo-Host & Foundercurrent2020 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
  4. LVMHDigital Innovation2024New York, United States
  5. defy.vcPartner, Seed2020 — 2023San Francisco Bay Area
  6. Gap Inc.Technical Product Manager - Returns Optimization & Order Management2018 — 2020San Francisco Bay Area
  7. EightResearch and Data Management Intern2017New York, NY
  8. Dartmouth CollegeEndowment Intern (Hanover Office)2016 — 2017Hanover, NH
  9. Rent The RunwayIntern2017Greater New York City Area
  10. Golden Bell PartnersCollege Ambassador2015 — 2016
  11. Roundtable Investment Partners & Carleon Capital PartnersInvestment Team Intern2015New York, New York

Skills & more

Product Management4Design Thinking3Agile Methodologies2Supply Chain OptimizationOrder Management

From Madison's professional profile.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Madison McIlwain?
Madison McIlwain combines VC-family pattern recognition with hands-on retail, e-commerce and product experience, and leverages founder conversations from the Forbes-recognized The Room Podcast she co-founded for empathy-driven sourcing and diligence.
What does Madison McIlwain invest in?
Madison McIlwain invests in AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Enterprise Software, Fintech, SaaS.
What check size does Madison McIlwain write?
Madison McIlwain typically writes checks of $100K – $10M.
Where did Madison McIlwain go to school?
Madison McIlwain studied at Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration - MBA); Dartmouth College (Bachelor's degree, Major: History); Holy Names Academy.

Same school

Shared employers