Madison McIlwain

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.