In an industry known for backchannels and boys’ clubs, Claire Biernacki took the long way: grinding, learning, leading—then leveling up. Join BBG Ventures Founding Partner Nisha Dua for a no-BS conversation with Claire about what it actually takes to rise in VC without shortcuts. We’ll talk real career progression, internal promotions that matter, and what the next generation of venture leaders looks like—because firms that grow their own talent are the ones to watch.
Nisha Dua, Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Nisha Dua is Co-Founder and Managing Partner and Co-Founder at BBG Ventures, an early stage fund that backs underestimated founders building for the polycultural future of America. BBGV looks for transformative companies in big categories that require new thinking for a new America - healthcare, future of work & education, financial security, climate & energy resiliency and consumer. BBGV’s investments include Spring Health (mental health), Hopskipdrive (care economy infrastructure), Canela TV (underserved audiences in media), Starface (Gen Z), TopLinePro (underserved SMB workers), Supercircle (circular economy) and Fiveable (democratizing education). At BBGV Nisha is a generalist but has recently spent deep time in healthcare, edtech and climate. She coined the term, and authored her firm's research on the Polycultural Future of America.
Nisha previously spent over a decade working in media, tech, strategy and law. She was the General Manager of AOL’s first millennial site, Cambio; and the founder of BUILT BY GIRLS, a software platform which connected over 20,000 young women with professionals in technology across the country. Prior to that Nisha was Chief of Staff for the AOL Brand Group, running strategy, operations and special projects across 13 brands and thousands of employees. She cut her teeth as a management consultant for Bain & Company working on a diverse range of industries from CPG to financial services to digital and as an M&A lawyer at Australian law firm Blake Dawson.
Nisha has been named a VCJ Women of Influence in Private Markets; Entrepreneur Magazine Top 100 Powerful Women in Business and Corporate Venture Rising Star (2018). Her work backing overlooked founders has been profiled by Forbes, Entrepreneur, Glamour and Wall Street Journal. Nisha earned her Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Claire Biernacki, Partner
Claire is a Partner at BBG Ventures, where she focuses primarily on healthcare and vertical AI. She joined BBGV as the first investment team member in Fund I while completing her MBA at Columbia Business School. During her time at Columbia, Claire worked at Lerer Hippeau and gained operating experience at early-stage startups including Studs and Koio. She also served as Co-President of the Columbia Venture Club. Prior to business school, she was on the investment teams at Pomona Capital and Cult Capital, after starting her career in investment banking at Bank of America. Claire earned her BS in Business and BA in French from UNC-Chapel Hill. She also enjoys running, going to ballet performances and teaching yoga in her free time.
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