As Vice President of Marketing at Lightspeed, Rachel helps drive the firm’s global marketing and communications efforts. She also advises its 500+ portfolio companies on everything from narrative development and media strategy to issues and crisis management. Prior to Lightspeed, Rachel spent over a decade consulting startups and established technology companies alike on their PR. From managing major product launches for Google, YouTube and LEGO, to providing ongoing strategy and counsel to startups like Pebble, Rylo and Mayfield Robotics, Rachel’s passion for helping technology companies build their brands and acquire devoted users is what attracted her to Lightspeed and the world of Venture Capital. It’s also what landed her on the PR industry’s Innovation 50 list.

An east coast native, Rachel was born a competitive athlete and learned early on that you can’t be successful without a cohesive team. “If a group of people aren’t fiercely committed to each other, their leaders and collective goals, they cannot win,” said Rachel. While studying Communications and Political Science at The University of Pennsylvania, she was also captain of the women’s lacrosse team and helped lead the team to a #1 National ranking, two Final Four appearances, and a National Championship game. In her final season, she was named First-Team All-American, Unanimous First-Team All-Ivy, and led the team in goals, assists and points. She remains an active player today, having co-founded The Olympic Club’s first women’s lacrosse team.