Born and raised in Northern California, Avery comes from a family with deep roots in agriculture and cattle ranching. Her upbringing instilled in her a lifelong appreciation for hard work, responsibility, and perseverance. Watching her grandparents run their cattle ranch and tend to the animals, regardless of holidays or harsh weather, gave her an early example of entrepreneurship and the dedication required to build something of lasting value.
She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a degree in Economics with a minor in Art History. During college, she managed the gift shop at the UCSB art museum, an experience that served as her first foray into running a business. From budgeting and inventory selection to pricing, volunteer management, and even preparing her first tax return, she developed hands-on operational and financial skills. Reporting to the museum’s board of trustees at age 20 proved both formative and clarifying, ultimately steering her toward a career in finance rather than art history.
She began her professional journey in public accounting at Arthur Andersen, where she learned that no task is too small and that excellence at every level matters. A major turning point came in her early thirties when she relocated to Amsterdam to work for a Dutch company in an entirely unfamiliar industry. The experience reinforced her belief in the power of adaptability, curiosity, and fundamental strengths and showed her that with the right foundation, one can learn quickly and thrive in new environments.
Avery discovered her true calling upon joining a venture capital firm, where she found herself at the center of the “flywheel,” connecting the flow of capital, relationships, opportunities, and outcomes. In this role, she thrives as an air traffic controller by bringing in capital from investors, deploying it thoughtfully to founders building transformative companies, and translating results back to LPs in a way that fuels long-term partnership and trust.
Her connection to Founders Circle Capital dates back to 2013, when she worked at Shasta Ventures and shared an office with the FCC team. She vividly recalls noticing that FCC’s Monday meetings included the entire team, a small but powerful signal that everyone had a seat at the table. More than a decade later, when an opportunity to join FCC emerged, she knew immediately it was the right next step.
Outside of work, she is happiest outdoors. She loves running, swimming, skiing, reading, and traveling and feels especially fortunate that her family shares these passions, making adventure a defining part of their life together.
