How a former hedge fund analyst transitioned into a job as a partner in venture capital focused on AI
Mar 05, 2025 - businessinsider.com
Kristin McDonald has been promoted to partner at Eniac Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm. Her career path began in climate advocacy, transitioned through a rigorous hedge fund training program at Point72, and led to venture capital. At Eniac, McDonald focuses on investing in early-stage startups, particularly in AI applications, vertical AI, and enterprise software. She has backed companies like legal tech startup Tradespace and AI sales agent Attention. McDonald emphasizes the importance of supporting founders over strictly adhering to investment theses, leveraging her empathy and financial analysis skills honed in previous roles.
McDonald is particularly excited about the potential of vertical AI startups to revolutionize industries like healthcare, insurance, and law, which have been slow to digitize. She believes that the first team to successfully integrate AI into these legacy systems could dominate the industry. McDonald views AI as a significant tech paradigm shift, offering a unique opportunity to experiment and scale rapidly, bypassing traditional sales processes. Her investment strategy reflects a focus on industries ripe for disruption and the transformative potential of AI.
Key takeaways:
Kristin McDonald has been promoted to partner at Eniac Ventures, where she focuses on AI and vertical AI startups.
McDonald's career path includes experience in NGOs and a hedge fund, which she leverages in her venture capital role.
She emphasizes the importance of founders over theses when investing in early-stage companies.
McDonald is particularly interested in AI startups that can revolutionize slow-to-digitize industries like healthcare, insurance, and law.
