Narie Foster
Founder of Feast & Foster
Brooklyn, New York
Overview
Work Experience
Founder
2021 - Current
Creating experiences at the intersections of entertainment, personal development, hospitality, and/or human connection. Writer, producer, and performer of solo show '1 in a Chameleon' premiered to sold-out audiences at Edinburgh Fringe 2024 (Summerhall) following previews at Adelaide Fringe 2024 (Holden Street Theatres). '1 in a Chameleon' is a life-affirming, thought-provoking comedy investigating the natural tension between wanting to fit in and wanting to be authentically ourselves. "Crisp comic timing. A refreshing and affirmative show about finding your place in the world." (The Scotsman) "Beautifully written. Raw and honest. Naturally hilarious. A moving journey to self-acceptance." (InReview) "Comedic, heartfelt, and intelligent. Entirely enthralling. Revelatory. A beautiful comedy of words and existential questioning from a unique talent." (Theatre Travels) "Unashamedly authentic. You will leave feeling inspired." (On The Record)
Program Leader
2020
Facilitating intensive personal development workshops. Teaching the theory and practice of building emotional intelligence, mental resilience, self-awareness, and leadership.
Venture Partner
2022 - 2024
Helped make venture capital more humanistic. Married operating expertise with deep knowledge of human nature to support portfolio companies and the internal JAZZ team with interpersonal and hospitality-oriented initiatives. As JAZZ’s in-house coach, maximized human potential on a micro level to enable JAZZ investments to do so on a macro level. (In other words, I got to be Wendy from Billions.) JAZZ invests in companies that unlock human potential. We seek breakthroughs at the convergence of technology, science, and humanity — improving how we live, work, and experience the world. JAZZ targets early and growth stage companies in enterprise, wellness, healthcare, and consumer markets. We are a team of experienced operators, technologists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who work together to make a positive difference.
JAZZ Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on technologies that extend the boundaries of human performance.
Co-Founder & Advisor
2017 - 2023
Cheerleading via Board meetings, miscellaneous conversations, and always wearing at least one M.M. item.
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
2012 - 2017
Co-founded the direct-to-consumer fashion brand for professional women and helped grow the company to $75M in revenue, 200 team members, and Series B funding. Led the build-out of e-commerce, customer experience, fulfillment operations, software engineering, product management, people operations, and company culture. In 2016, selected as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Retail & E-Commerce, and in 2017, M.M.LaFleur was #43 on Inc.'s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America. Proudest micro-contributions include: - Composing the company values - Designing the “Nothing Above You, Nothing Below You” outer space themed conference room - Bento Box packaging for the extremely detail-oriented - The bestselling Foster pant (had nothing to do with this, but proud nonetheless)
MM.LaFleur is a fast-growing professional womenswear company.
Advisor
2018 - 2022
Coral is an app designed to help you cultivate your sexuality and transform your relationship with sex, through a personalized mix of informative science, relevant stories, and practical exercises. Contributing experts include Dr. Ian Kerner, Dr. Lori Brotto, and Dr. Emily Nagoski. https://getcoral.app/
Coral is an app designed to help cultivate the sexuality and transform relationship with sex.
Raised $2,466,997.00 from Freestyle Capital, Plug and Play, Alpha Edison and Tom Williams.
Advisor
2020 - 2022
Cardon makes award-winning cactus-based skincare products focused on the men's market, using the latest innovations in Korean Beauty. https://cardonskin.com/
Cardon is a cactus-based personal care brand for men providing premium K-grooming products at an accessible price.
Advisor
2018 - 2021
Rec Room is an apparel brand that uses soft, technical fabrics to make casual, versatile styles. Acquired by an aggregator-operator group. Everywhere wear. https://rec-room.com/
Direct-to-consumer brand combining the best parts of your favorite activewear with the elevated design of the rest of your closet.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
2019 - 2020
Primary dedicated advisor for two cohorts in the MIT NYC Startup Studio within MIT's delta v accelerator. Coached teams through early-stage phases culminating in Demo Day pitches.
delta v is MIT’s premier venture accelerator, that prepares entrepreneurs to hit escape velocity and launch into the real world.
Head of Operations and Finance
2011 - 2012
Second employee at a startup sports and entertainment marketing agency founded by a former NBA executive. Set up and ran everything related to finance, legal, HR, facilities, and IT, and managed client accounts including Live Nation, KaBOOM!, and the NFL Players Association.
Associate Consultant
2009 - 2011