Zach Brauer

Zach Brauer is the Finance Partner for GV. In that role, he supports GV’s portfolio companies across different finance-related areas. His work with companies has included acting as fractional CFO, helping develop company budgets (including new company formation and later-stage), supporting the build-out of finance functions and teams, assessing acquisition opportunities, designing board materials, and navigating fundraising. Zach also works with GV’s life science investment team to assess investments and structure deals for private and public companies.

He is also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he helps teach courses on venture capital and entrepreneurial finance and serves on the Key Advisory Board of the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship.

Before GV, Zach also founded Pivot Education, an executive education company and consultancy focused on the training and development of financial skills for venture capital firms and the startup ecosystem. In this role, Zach worked with senior leadership at accelerators, academic institutions, venture associations, angel investors, and government-backed organizations.

Zach has trained more than 1500 students across 20+ countries representing 850+ unique firms. This work includes executive coaching, helping startups prepare for and execute fundraises, and helping startups develop and improve internal processes. In addition to his work with venture firms, Zach has run seminars for accelerators, including Techstars, and MBA programs, including Chicago Booth.

Previously, Zach worked in corporate development and venture capital at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and private equity and debt investing at Northwestern Mutual Capital. Previous transaction experience includes venture capital, private equity and debt, limited partnerships, investment-grade debt, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and divestitures.

“I started teaching to pay forward the help I received from my countless mentors. Their time, effort, and counsel over the years have been invaluable, and I’m sure they’ll never know the impact they had on my life,” Zach reflects. “I am thankful every day that they saw someone needing support or an opportunity. Today I approach my work with founders with this in mind, hoping to make a transformative impact.”

Zach graduated from the University of Minnesota and lives in Minnesota with his wife and daughter.