Next Coast Ventures has added Jason Dorsey to its team as a Venture Partner. He will focus on helping Next Coast Ventures and its portfolio companies with consumer trends, brand building and customer acquisition.
“Jason and his firm’s research have a comprehensive, birds-eye view on big trends in the marketplace and how the world is changing,” says Michael Smerklo, co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures. “Jason’s expertise on the Millennial and Gen Z generations – what we call ‘digital natives’ – will give our firm and our portfolio companies the most cutting-edge tools to understand and quantify the ever-changing nature of consumer behaviour – and how to leverage those insights.”
Dorsey is the president and co-founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics where he leads Millennial and Gen Z research, speaking, and strategy to uncover the hidden, generational drivers that solve tough business challenges. He’s helped reposition global brands to win Millennial customers, advised on billion-dollar acquisitions, and taken clients from last to first in employee retention. Last year, the centre worked with 180 clients on four continents in industries ranging from automotive, healthcare, and retail to advertising and technology. Dorsey wrote his first bestselling book at age 18 and currently serves on the board of directors at Ultimate Software (NASDAQ: ULTI) and continues to advise numerous CEOs and corporate boards.
“This is a unique opportunity to work with both great entrepreneurs and Next Coast’s leadership. I believe my experience working with brands in almost every sector, coupled with my firm’s extensive research on generational behaviour, will be a great asset to Next Coast Ventures,” says Dorsey. “I am eager to work with their portfolio companies on branding, sales and go-to-market strategies – and I’m also excited to work with the entire NCV team on refining their investment focus and helping evaluate big trends that impact their investment decisions.”
