Natalie Massenet

Interests

Impact

$1bn

Venture Firm AUM

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Venture Investments

Sectors operated in

£350m

Exit value

3,000+

People employed

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3,000+

People employed

£350m

Exit value

Sectors operated in

Unicorns backed from seed

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Venture exits

Life Story

Born & Raised

Natalie was born on 13 May 1965 in Los Angeles. Her parents, a Californian journalist and a British model who worked with Chanel, had met in one of the oldest coffee houses in Paris, Café de Flore. She was raised between Los Angeles and Paris, with a short stint in Madrid when her father was a fo...

Born & Raised

1965

1983

1996

1997

2000

2004

2007

2009

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2021

2024

World Map

Q&A

How did you commit to making Net-a-Porter happen?

I was like, “I don’t want to be that sad person, drinking martinis, 80 years old going, ‘You know, at the dawn of the internet, that was me. I knew it, people would buy clothes onlin...

How do you embrace change?

As long as I can remember I have always been thinking about magic in life and how things can be transformed. The early move from Paris to LA really taught me that you can keep moving...

What is the secret sauce for successful products?

If you dream about doing something that a consumer may one day buy, you have to create something that you love first of all, that you believe in, that you're proud of, and that that ...

Why did you create a whole new brand and website for men?

Men needed their own destination and a brand created entirely for them. And and people said, 'Why are you recreating a website and doing a separate brand?' You have to talk to your t...

Was getting brands onboard a challenge?

They were used to fashion magazines singing their praises, and Net-a-Porter was built like a fashion magazine that was shoppable. So I used the iconography, the magic that was built ...

Which competitor did you worry most about?

Part of our DNA is this sense that our consumer has so much choice and so we always need to improve ourselves. So I know it's pretty cliche to say it but we see ourselves as our bigg...

Gallery

Someone and Natalie Massenet FF London 2014

2 Natalie Massenet MBE welcomes guests to the Fashion Forum (Shaun James Cox, BFC)

Press

Luxus Plus

The Wertheimers and Bettencourt Meyers acquire a stake in The Row

16th September 2024

The Business of Fashion

The Row’s $1 Billion Deal, Explained

13th September 2024

European CEO

Net-A-Porter’s Massenet quits ahead of merger

9th September 2024

Cultured Mag

Neil Patrick Harris, Molly Sims, Paul Wesley, and More Enjoy an Unforg

22nd July 2024

natalie-massenet-derek-blasberg-and-marie-chantal-of-greece-1721676398872

Wwd

Aston Martin Expands Female Representation in Boardroom

9th July 2021

Robbreport

Natalie Massenet Speaks with Muse by Robb Report

21st March 2021

Fashionweekdaily

Daily News: Natalie Massenet Joins NuORDER, Manolo's New Collaborator,

10th March 2021

Wwd

Natalie Massenet Joins Everlane's Board of Directors

1st February 2021

Voguebusiness

What Natalie Massenet is investing in next | Vogue Business

15th December 2020

imaginary-ventures-voguebus-imaginary-ventures-dec-20-story

www.entrepreneur.com

She Was One of My Business Idols,' Says This Fashion Entrepreneur Abou

27th September 2018

Fashionista

Natalie Massenet Confirms Her Venture Capital Fund Is Officially a Thi

17th April 2018

Techcrunch

Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet just launched a venture firm | T

17th April 2018

Businessoffashion

For Natalie Massenet, Change Brings Opportunity | BoF

16th February 2018

Wmagazine

Do As Natalie Does

22nd January 2016

Wwd

Natalie Massenet Registers New Company in U.K.

5th November 2015

www.theguardian.com

Net-a-Porter founder quits in surprise move ahead of takeover | Natali

2nd September 2015

Standard

Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet: 'Judge me on what I do, not wha

13th May 2015

Standard

Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet and the rise of a Net-a-fortune

1st April 2015

Standard

London Fashion Week: Natalie Massenet opens the five day showcase with

20th February 2015

032C

Net-A-Porter’s NATALIE MASSENET: “I wanted to call my website ‘What’s

13th August 2014

www.theguardian.com

Natalie Massenet: style leader who means business | Natalie Massenet |

22nd September 2013

www.theguardian.com

One-click wonder: the rise of Net-a-porter | Fashion | The Guardian

11th July 2010

Media

Career Milestones

Co-founder & Managing Partner

Imaginary Ventures

A leading venture capital firm investing in innovative brands at the intersection of retail, technology, and lifestyle, including Glossier, SKIMS, Good American, Reformation, and many more.

2018 – Present

Founder

Net-a-Porter

A magazine in website format where users could 'click' to buy while trying to source product online for a fashion shoot.

2000 – 2015

Assistant

Tatler

A British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics.

1996 – 1998

Fashion Writer & Stylist

Women's Wear Daily

A fashion-industry trade journal that provides information and intelligence on changing trends and breaking news in the men's and women's fashion, beauty, and retail industries.

1993 – 1996

Assistant