Madison McIlwain

Overview

As seed partner at defy, I’m responsible for managing our seed portfolio alongside our team, actively sourcing new deals and helping our amazing entrepreneurs and companies grow. As a former associate with defy, I know first-hand how defy supports growth. I’m passionate about retail innovation, supply chain and consumer technology. As a former product manager at Gap Inc., I worked alongside a team of over forty engineers to modernize our order management system and customer communication channels. I drove numerous technology initiatives, enabling SMS communication for customers and launching our first website-wide chatbot. Previously, I worked at Rent the Runway and an AI startup to create a shoppable virtual closet. I look at business through an operations lens, with an aim to build differentiated product experiences.