Melanie Strong is a founding partner at NEXT VENTŪRES, a venture capital firm she co-founded in 2019. See portfolio, sector focus and contact routes.
Melanie Strong is a founding partner at NEXT VENTŪRES, a venture capital firm she co-founded in 2019 with Lance Armstrong to support innovation in health and wellness. Before becoming a full-time investor, she spent 17 years at Nike, where she served as VP of Global Brand Marketing for Nike Women and GM of Nike Skateboarding. Her investment thesis targets consumer-facing ventures in sports, health, wellness, and gaming/e-sports, with a focus on seed through Series B stages in Oregon and broader consumer markets. Typical check sizes range from $100,000 to $5 million, and she often backs high-impact brands at early stages. Notable portfolio companies include Cofertility, her most recent investment, as well as Amp Human, Honey Stinger, and Break the Love, where she has served on boards. Strong emphasizes that access to a healthy, active life can transform culture and applies Nike’s brand-building lessons to help early-stage ventures define identity and meet consumer expectations.
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