Kathryn Cavanaugh

Kathryn Cavanaugh is the Founder and Managing Partner of Capstar Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm that invests in the next generation of innovative consumer companies.

She has been investing in and advising in early stage companies across healthcare, technology and consumer for the last seventeen years with roles at leading venture capital and private equity firms. Prior to founding Capstar Ventures, Kathryn was a Partner at Grace Beauty Capital, a family office in New York City, where she invested in early stage consumer companies including Rothy’s, Parachute, Primary, MM.LaFleur, Supergoop!, ThirdLove, Vengo and Pixlee. From 2011-2014, she worked for Mainsail Partners, a $750M growth equity firm in San Francisco, as their VP of Talent and a Board Director for The Bar Method, Inc., a Mainsail portfolio company.

Kathryn also served as an interim Senior Executive at The Bar Method, Inc. where she led franchise strategy, operations and sales. From 2005-2010, Kathryn worked for De Novo Ventures, a top quartile $650 million healthcare fund in Palo Alto, where she evaluated, executed, and supported over $350 million of equity investments in early to late stage healthcare companies.

Kathryn began her career as a Senior Process Engineer with Merck & Co., Inc., working in the US, Europe and Asia from 1997-2003. Kathryn has dual B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Bravo Sierra, Eterneva, St. Frank, Museum of Ice Cream and FlowerBX. Kathryn also sits on the Advisory Board for Capital Creek Partners, a multi-family office based in Austin, TX.