Shawn Carolan
PartnerConsumer, Fintech
As an early-stage investor, Shawn focuses on companies that serve the “utilitarian consumer”—the individual seeking better, faster, and cheaper ways to move through life. Because basic human needs are persistent, he looks at how people are spending their money and time to assess the value and utility of a product or service. This approach inspired Shawn to invest early in Roku, Uber, and Chime, long before they became household names.
Shawn’s technical background helps him appreciate new technologies that unlock innovation and become the foundation upon which categories are built, occasionally leading him beyond consumer into cutting-edge enterprise investments as well. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with highest honors. He then joined Chicago startup Open Port Technology as a developer. After becoming a manager of software architecture, he wrote wire protocols in C++ and obtained a patent. He left to attend Stanford GSB, and joined Menlo in 2002 after receiving his MBA. In a career that has spanned investing, technology and management consulting, he’s learned many lessons. But it was in starting and running his own startup, Handle, that he had his own founder’s journey firsthand, giving him experience with the highs and lows that are impossible to fully comprehend from the boardroom.
For fun, Shawn enjoys hiking with his family, running with his wife, Jennifer (founder of Reach Capital), CrossFit, snowboarding, and motorcycling.
Supported by: Kelsey Shackelford, kelsey@menlovc.com
As an early-stage investor, Shawn focuses on companies that serve the “utilitarian consumer”—the individual seeking better, faster, and cheaper ways to move through life. Because basic human needs are persistent, he looks at how people are spending their money and time to assess the value and utility of a product or service. This approach inspired Shawn to invest early in Roku, Uber, and Chime, long before they became household names.
Shawn’s technical background helps him appreciate new technologies that unlock innovation and become the foundation upon which categories are built, occasionally leading him beyond consumer into cutting-edge enterprise investments as well. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with highest honors. He then joined Chicago startup Open Port Technology as a developer. After becoming a manager of software architecture, he wrote wire protocols in C++ and obtained a patent. He left to attend Stanford GSB, and joined Menlo in 2002 after receiving his MBA. In a career that has spanned investing, technology and management consulting, he’s learned many lessons. But it was in starting and running his own startup, Handle, that he had his own founder’s journey firsthand, giving him experience with the highs and lows that are impossible to fully comprehend from the boardroom.
For fun, Shawn enjoys hiking with his family, running with his wife, Jennifer (founder of Reach Capital), CrossFit, snowboarding, and motorcycling.
Supported by: Kelsey Shackelford, kelsey@menlovc.com
Investments
Our PortfolioChime helps members avoid bank fees, save money automatically, and lead healthier financial lives.
Milestones
- 2012 → Founded
- 2018 → Partnered, Series C
Partner
JUMP is a dockless scooter and electric bike sharing system.
Milestones
- 2010 → Founded
- 2017 → Partnered, Series A
- 2018 → Acquired by Uber
Partner
Monarch is a money management platform that helps users create a financial plan, budget, and track their goals.
Milestones
- 2018 → Founded
- 2021 → Partnered, Series A
Partner
OpenSpace provides next-generation, 360º photo documentation for jobsites, powerful integrations, and the smartest analytics tools in the industry.
Milestones
- 2017 → Founded
- 2020 → Partnered, Series B
Partner
Roku pioneered streaming TV, connecting users to content they love, enabling content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and providing advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers.
Milestones
- 2002 → Founded
- 2008 → Partnered, Series C
- 2017 → IPO; NASDAQ: ROKU
Partner
Siri was a voice recognition company spun out of the non-profit institute SRI International. It launched its Siri virtual personal assistant app in February 2010, two months before it was acquired by Apple.
Milestones
- 2007 → Founded
- 2008 → Partnered
- 2010 → Acquired
Partner
ShipBob is a tech-enabled 3PL that offers simple, fast, and affordable e-commerce fulfillment for direct-to-consumer brands.
Milestones
- 2014 → Founded
- 2018 → Partnered, Series C
Partner
Uber innovates at the intersection of mobile technology, transportation, and logistics. Uber provides mobility-as-a-service with ride-sharing, food and package delivery, couriers, and freight transportation.
Milestones
- 2009 → Founded
- 2011 → Partnered, Series B
- 2019 → IPO; NYSE: UBER
Partner
Anycart delivers groceries and offers home cooks over 250 recipes with step-by-step cooking videos.
Milestones
- 2019 → Founded
- 2019 → Partnered, Seed
- 2022 → Acquired by Weee! Inc.
Partner
Arc is electrifying the world of boating, starting with high-performance watersport boats.
Milestones
- 2021 → Founded
- 2023 → Partnered, Series B
Partner
Chime helps members avoid bank fees, save money automatically, and lead healthier financial lives.
Milestones
- 2012 → Founded
- 2018 → Partnered, Series C
Partner
CinemaNow was an international over-the-top (OTT) provider of on-demand, internet streaming media.
Milestones
- 1999 → Founded
- 2004 → Partnered, Series A
- 2008 → Acquired by Sonic Solutions
Partner
Epic! is the leading digital library for kids 12 and under, where they can explore their interests and learn with instant, unlimited access to 40,000 high-quality ebooks, audiobooks, learning videos, and quizzes.
Milestones
- 2013 → Founded
- 2014 → Partnered, Series A
- 2021 → Acquired by BYJU’s
Partner
IMVU is an online metaverse and social network where users can create 3D avatars and connect and chat with other people around the world.
Milestones
- 2004 → Founded
- 2005 → Partnered, Series B
Partner
JUMP is a dockless scooter and electric bike sharing system.
Milestones
- 2010 → Founded
- 2017 → Partnered, Series A
- 2018 → Acquired by Uber
Partner
Kabata creates haptic, AI-powered smart dumbbells that allow exercisers to have an optimized strength training workout.
Milestones
- 2020 → Founded
- 2023 → Partnered, Seed
Partner
Kinetic is ushering in the next generation of mobility (EVs, AVs) with a network of highly automated service centers.
Milestones
- 2022 → Founded
- 2024 → Partnered, Series B
Partner
Monarch is a money management platform that helps users create a financial plan, budget, and track their goals.
Milestones
- 2018 → Founded
- 2021 → Partnered, Series A
Partner
OpenSpace provides next-generation, 360º photo documentation for jobsites, powerful integrations, and the smartest analytics tools in the industry.
Milestones
- 2017 → Founded
- 2020 → Partnered, Series B
Partner
Orro is an easy-to-use smart lighting system for the home.
Milestones
- 2015 → Founded
- 2016 → Partnered, Series A
Partner
PlaySpan's payments platform handled transactions for digital goods in online games, digital media, and social networks around the world.
Milestones
- 2006 → Founded
- 2007 → Partnered, Series A
- 2011 → Acquired by Visa
Partner
Roku pioneered streaming TV, connecting users to content they love, enabling content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and providing advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers.
Milestones
- 2002 → Founded
- 2008 → Partnered, Series C
- 2017 → IPO; NASDAQ: ROKU
Partner
Scan is an AR experience that senses, enhances, and transforms the physical world, merging entertainment, information, and utility.
Milestones
- 2011 → Founded
- 2011 → Partnered, Seed
- 2014 → Acquired by Snap, Inc.
Partner
ShipBob is a tech-enabled 3PL that offers simple, fast, and affordable e-commerce fulfillment for direct-to-consumer brands.
Milestones
- 2014 → Founded
- 2018 → Partnered, Series C
Partner
Siri was a voice recognition company spun out of the non-profit institute SRI International. It launched its Siri virtual personal assistant app in February 2010, two months before it was acquired by Apple.
Milestones
- 2007 → Founded
- 2008 → Partnered
- 2010 → Acquired
Partner
Telenav is a provider of consumer location-based services (LBS), enterprise LBS and automotive LBS. Telenav’s solutions provide consumers, wireless service providers, enterprises and automakers with location-specific, real-time, personalized services.
Milestones
- 1999 → Founded
- 2006 → Partnered, Series E
- 2010 → IPO; NASDAQ: TNAV
Partner
Uber innovates at the intersection of mobile technology, transportation, and logistics. Uber provides mobility-as-a-service with ride-sharing, food and package delivery, couriers, and freight transportation.
Milestones
- 2009 → Founded
- 2011 → Partnered, Series B
- 2019 → IPO; NYSE: UBER
Partner
The Unagi is the world's first luxury electric scooter for adults. It's lightweight, foldable, and just beautiful.
Milestones
- 2018 → Founded
- 2019 → Partnered, Seed
Partner
Whisper Aero makes next-generation components for drones and aircrafts, allowing them to operate more cleanly, efficiently, and quietly than ever before.
Milestones
- 2020 → Founded
- 2021 → Partnered, Seed
Partner
YuMe was a leading independent provider of digital video brand advertising solutions.
Milestones
- 2004 → Founded
- 2010 → Partnered
- 2013 → IPO; NYSE: YUME