Kara Nortman

Nortman earned an AB in Politics from Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private university and Ivy League member in Princeton, New Jersey. Chartered on October 22, 1746 as the College of New Jersey, it moved to Princeton in 1756 and adopted its present name in 1896. Undergraduate education leads to A.B. and B.S.E. degrees and emphasizes small-group discussion, independent research and residential college life. Graduate education spans the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. As of October 2026, Christopher L. Eisgruber was president. Its 2026–27 operating budget was $3.407 billion, including $342 million for undergraduate aid.Open the full entry and an MBA from Stanford University.⁠[1]

From July 1997 to August 1999, Nortman was an analyst at Morgan StanleyMorgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is an American global financial services firm that grew from an investment banking partnership into a publicly traded financial group spanning investment banking, securities trading, wealth management, and investment management.Open the full entry Capital Partners; from September 1999 to August 2006 she was a senior associate at the venture capital firm Battery Ventures, during which time she also interned at MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft is a technology company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, with businesses spanning Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure, enterprise software, artificial intelligence, gaming and devices.Open the full entry.⁠[2][1]

In September 2006, Nortman joined IAC, where over close to seven years she co-headed the M&A group and later served as SVP and General Manager of Urbanspoon and Citysearch. She also served on the board of Hatch Labs, IAC’s mobile technology incubator, where she was involved in incubating Tinder in its seed round.⁠[1][1][2]

From February 2013 to October 2014, Nortman was CEO of the party services startup P.S. XO (Moonfrye).⁠[2][3]

In November 2014, Los Angeles-based Upfront Ventures announced that Nortman had joined the firm as a partner. In 2017, she became a founding member of All Raise, a nonprofit working to increase diversity in the venture capital industry.⁠[3][1][2]

Beginning in August 2019, Nortman worked to build a women’s professional soccer team in Los Angeles. On July 21, 2020, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) awarded a Los Angeles expansion team to a founding group led by her, Natalie PortmanNatalie PortmanNatalie Portman is an actress, director, and producer who made her film debut in Léon: The Professional in 1994 and won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 83rd Academy Awards for Black Swan. She graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a degree in psychology, co-founded the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Angel City FC in 2020 with Kara Nortman, Julie Uhrman, and others, and founded the production company MountainA with Sophie Mas in 2021.Open the full entry, Julie UhrmanJulie UhrmanJulie Uhrman is an American entrepreneur and a co-founder of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Angel City FC, where she served as President and Chief Executive Officer; since April 2026 she has served as Principal Advisor to team ownership while remaining on the board. She founded the Android game console company Ouya in 2012 and later led Lionsgate’s streaming business and served as President of Media at Playboy Enterprises.Open the full entry, and Alexis Ohanian; the team was later named Angel City FC. She also advised the Women’s National Soccer Team Players Association in its fight for equal pay.⁠[2][4][1]

In October 2020, Nortman was promoted to co-managing partner of Upfront Ventures. In July 2022, she stepped back from investing duties and became a board partner; she spent a total of eight years at Upfront.⁠[5][6][1]

On March 27, 2023, Nortman and former Causeway partner Jasmine Robinson launched Monarch Collective to invest in professional women’s sports teams and adjacent businesses, with plans to raise $100 million. She serves as the platform’s managing partner.⁠[7][1]

In March 2025, Monarch Collective raised an additional $100 million, bringing the fund to $250 million.⁠[8]

In November 2025, Monarch Collective announced the acquisition of a 38% stake in the German women’s soccer club FC Viktoria Berlin, becoming the first foreign investor to acquire a stake in a German women’s soccer team. At the time, it also held stakes in three National Women’s Soccer League clubs, including San Diego Wave and Boston Legacy FCBoston Legacy FCBoston Legacy FC is a women's professional soccer club representing the Boston area in the NWSL. Awarded an expansion franchise in 2023, it began playing in 2026, with home matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket.Open the full entry.⁠[9][9]

In spring 2026, Monarch Collective made its first investment in the WNBA, joining the ownership group of the Cleveland expansion franchise.⁠[8]

Monarch Collective: Official website: https://monarchcoll.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

X: Public account: https://x.com/karanortman (opens in a new window).⁠[10]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karanortman/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]