Kris Bjornerud

Kris Bjornerud is an experienced executive and venture capitalist, having co-founded and built companies from scratch and invested in over 100 startups many of which have seen successful 8 and 9 figure exits. As a consultant and certified Executive Coach, Kris works closely with CEO’s to help them grow and scale their business. Prior to Kris' life as a consultant and executive coach, Kris was the Co-founder and COO/CFO of OpenNest Holdings, a holding company that operates, invests in, and accelerates consumer brands in the U.S. There he oversaw corporate operations including legal, accounting, finance, hiring, fundraising, and corporate development. Kris is also a co-owner of Trailblazers, a curated community of executives, investors, and leaders in the cannabis industry. Prior to OpenNest Holdings, Kris was a Managing Partner at Wavemaker Partners, a venture capital firm with offices in Los Angeles and Singapore and over $600 million in assets under management. Prior to Wavemaker, Kris was a Managing Partner and led operations at Amplify.LA, one of the top performing venture capital firms and startup accelerators in the U.S. Over a six-year period, he and his partners incubated approximately 65 technology companies that have seen numerous acquisitions and collectively raised over $1 billion in institutional capital from top tier venture capital firms. In addition to sourcing and managing investments, Kris worked closely with portfolio CEO’s on various aspects of their business. Prior to Amplify, Kris was a senior associate at CrossCut Ventures where he was integral in sourcing numerous investments in their second fund. Kris was a member of the Technology Advisory Board for Delta Airlines from 2015-2020, advising the airline on their technology products and customer experience. He received a B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech and his MBA from the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California.