Madison McIlwain
Partner, defy.vc
Partner, defy.vc
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As seed partner at defy, Madison is responsible for managing defy’s seed practice. She is passionate about retail innovation, supply chain, and consumer technology. As a former product manager at Gap Inc., Madison worked alongside a team of over forty engineers to modernize Gap’s order management system and customer communication channels. Madison drove numerous technology initiatives, enabling SMS communication for customers and launching Gap’s first website-wide chatbot.
Previously, Madison worked at Rent the Runway and an AI startup to create a shoppable virtual closet. She looks at business through an operations lens, with an aim to build differentiated product experiences. Madison is a firm believer that everyone deserves the opportunity to be in the room where it happens. With this goal in mind, she co-hosts The Room Podcast with a Defy CEO to highlight unique founder and funder stories to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Madison earned a B.A. in history from Dartmouth College with a minor in human-centered design from the engineering school. She trusts the process of applying human-factor psychology and engineering principles to iteratively design better products and experiences and takes this approach to finding and working with entrepreneurs. |