Naomi Goez

Principal

2024 - Current

Senior Investment Associate

2023 - 2024

Forum Ventures is a leading early-stage fund for B2B SaaS startups based in New York, San Francisco, and Toronto. Founded in 2014, we’re on a mission to make the B2B SaaS journey easier, more accessible and successful for early-stage founders. We’re a small team of B2B SaaS experts, operators, and founders with a passion for helping founders succeed on their journeys, especially those that are traditionally underrepresented. To date we've made 250+ pre-seed and seed investments. Those companies have gone on to raise $600M+ in follow on funding We focus on early-stage (pre-seed, seed) B2B SaaS in any vertical. We typically invest in companies that sell to SMBs, Mid-Market, or Enterprise businesses with an MVP built out and a large market. Although we're industry agnostic, our team is getting excited about founders building in healthcare, applied AI, e-comm enablement, vertical SaaS and supply chain.

Member

2023

MBA Investment Associate

2022 - 2023

StartU Campus Scout

2021 - 2023

StartU's mission is to find, feature, and promote the next revolutionary student-led startups before anyone else discovers them. Our team of 40 Campus Scouts actively sources startups across 9 universities nationwide - including Booth, Columbia, and Wharton. We cover campus pitch events, interview founders for exclusive in-depth articles, and help VCs quickly scan the student startup ecosystem to easily connect with emerging entrepreneurs. Through StartU, we help entrepreneurs by giving them the early press and exposure they need to succeed. Our featured startups have raised capital from firms including Accel, Lightspeed, Norwest, NEA, and Cowboy Ventures, and have raised over $1.1B in venture funding to date.

Investment Associate

2021 - 2022

Sustainability and Supply Chain Lead @ Pre Seed

2021 - 2021

- Supported founder through the pre-seed raise. - Created go to market development and production calendars contributing to a strategic launch plan. - Worked with the Founder and a community engagement group on go to market messaging and customer segmentation based on data collected from target groups of 13-18 year olds. - Collaborated with Founder and Creative Director on raw material sourcing strategies, informing initial textile selection.

Supply Chain, Associate Production Manager

2020 - 2021

Joe's Jeans, Hudson Jeans, Favorite Daughter - Coordinated cross-divisional teams, supervising all denim production in Western Hemisphere (63% of West Coast brands' production volume, ~$55.25M wholesale business) through WIP tracking, sales data driven PO prioritization, and preproduction planning, achieving monthly risk reduction of +5%. - Modeled cost analyses of 500+ SKUs per season to evaluate business performance and develop pricing strategy based on target margin and distribution channel. - Oversaw sustainability initiatives through close partnerships with in-house teams and third-party vendors; evaluated suppliers re: sustainability initiatives and metrics, supplementing raw material sourcing and analysis processes. - Negotiated final production prices for Western Hemisphere manufacturing, successfully navigating through fabric price increases, varying order quantities, and fluctuating freight charges. - Developed relationships with textile waste collectors and recyclers to ensure extended lifecycle of discarded garments and fabric scraps and promoted creation of a conscious office lifestyle.

Product Specialist Reporting to VP

2019 - 2020

Joe's Jeans, BCBG - Oversaw production of BCBG denim in China, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia. - Partnered with Merchandising, Design, and Raw Material Purchasing during the prototyping and sampling stages, to develop product to fit into target pricing requirements and maintain profit margin per SKU. - Created the Be Green committee for West Coast operations; Eliminated single-use plastic and Styrofoam in office purchasing. - Responsible for cost negotiation for Western Hemisphere manufacturing, comprising 63% of total production. - Led sustainability research supporting the development of Earth Conscious collections and brand communications. - Onboarded the first Pakistan factory brand partner and trained the vendor on all processes and communication methods.

Production Coordinator Reporting to VP

2017 - 2019

- Led costing for 250+ SKUs per season; advised on country of origin, applicable trade agreements and lead-times, prioritizing product quality and desired profit margin. - Partnered with Supply Chain and Logistics to identify cost prohibitive practices on the factory floor and implement strategic changes to packaging of all Off-Price merchandise.

Production Assistant Reporting to VP

2017 - 2017

- Built a seasonal Work in Progress analysis of 100+ SKUs, maintaining close communication with vendors to monitor on time pre-production processes. - Partnered with IT and Change Management teams on ERP conversation project from Full Circle to SAP

Product Development Assistant

2016 - 2017

Sustainable Fashion Influencer and Advocate

2018 - 2021

- Using Instagram as the main platform for advocacy, @CallMeNaomiG has grown by 150% in 10 months. - Created and curated content that intends to educate consumers and fashion industry professionals alike on sustainable and ethical fashion choices. - Collaborated with sustainable brands to promote awareness of current industry practices' damaging nature, and drive consumer demand for a change.

Sustainability in the Product Lifecycle Instructor

2019 - 2019

Created a comprehensive curriculum and taught the mandatory Sustainability in the Product Lifecycle course for the The Business of Denim, Advanced AA degree program.