After leaving Birchbox last year, Barna is diving into the VC world. She explains why and offers a look at what she’s up to.
After leaving Birchbox last year, Barna is diving into the VC world. She explains why and offers a look at what she’s up to.
Last August, Birchbox co-CEO Hayley Barna decided to walk away from the influential beauty-subscription-box startup that she cofounded in 2010 (she remains on the company’s board). “What we created with Birchbox was truly unique at the time,” she explains. “I loved it, but it turned out the beauty industry is not my lifelong passion. It’s [exploring] innovative business models.” So, in February, Barna signed on as a partner at First Round Capital, the seed-stage VC firm that has invested in companies such as Uber, Warby Parker, and, not coincidentally, Birchbox. (Meanwhile, Barna’s former company has been struggling, enduring two big rounds of layoffs earlier this year and receiving a $15 million injection of funds from current investors in August, reportedly due to cash-flow issues.)
