Before Cycling, Kristen grew up in Alaska, graduated from Harvard, and worked as a Venture Capitalist

Born and Raised in Homer, Alaska

I am from Homer, Alaska, a quaint fishing village that is also the halibut fishing capital of the world. In Alaska, I cultivated my passion for the outdoors and for adventure. We spent our summers hiking, fishing, making homemade rasberry jam, and competing at local swim meets.

I learned the value of hard work as a kid working in my parents’ hotel and restaurant. I worked hard in school because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cleaning toilets and checking in guests :).

My amazing parents still live in Alaska and have supported my athletic endeavors since childhood, along with my four siblings: Katie, Andrew, William, and Nicholas.

Education

I graduated from Harvard in 2016 with a B.A. in computer science. I was a varsity rower for 2.5 years in college and placed 2nd at the Junior World rowing Championship in 2010.

For high school, I attended Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, where I was a honor roll student, varsity runner, swimmer, and rower for all four years.

Investment Associate

After graduation, I worked as an investment associate at Threshold Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. My role involved sourcing new investments, conducting due diligence on prospective investments, attending board meetings, and working with our current portfolio. I loved my job because I was supporting entrepreneurs who were risking everything to pursue their big ideas and dreams that could change the world.

In addition to investing, I am passionate about gender equality and supporting more women in technology, entrepreneurship, and investing. As an investor, I hosted free office hours for female entrepreneurs and was a cohort captain for All Raise, a community of female Venture Capitalists

Learning to Ride

I attended a free, introductory women’s clinic for cycling in New York City in 2016, and I immediately fell in love with the sport. In mid-2018, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and in 2020, I began racing for the Professional UCI Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank (which has since become the WWT team EF-Education-Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank).

I primarily road race, though I have explored other disciplines including gravel, track, and Zwift. I represented the United States at 3 World Championships: 2020 (Zwift E-worlds), 2021 (Road Race) and 2022 (Road Race and Time Trial).

She Quit Venture Capital for Pro Cycling. She Has No Regrets.

Kristen Faulkner left her life in Silicon Valley for the unpredictable world of professional cycling. After a major victory in Spain, she’s hoping to realize a childhood dream at the Olympics.

By Jason Gay - The Wall Street Journal May 2, 2024 5:30 am ET