Startup Vet Kristina Simmons Raises $20 Million Fund with the Help of a Spotify Playlist

Kristina Simmons, the founder of Overwater Ventures, a $20 million early-stage fund, has gained attention for sending a Spotify playlist to potential investors ahead of meetings. The playlist consists of 17 tracks from artists such as Kid Cudi, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding, and Jack Johnson’s cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. Simmons says that she tries to do things differently to stand out, which has helped her to close Overwater’s first fund. Simmons previously worked at Khosla Ventures and also held positions at Lululemon, Juicero, and Andreessen Horowitz. Simmons started Overwater in 2021 after seeing an opportunity in the VC market for a boutique investor with consumer expertise. Overwater focuses on investing in pre-seed through seed-plus stages and looks to take positions of about 5% to 15% in companies, with its first fund having made ten investments to date. The fund’s portfolio includes Overture, Gameto, and Overstory.