Lindsay is an Investment Partner at Village.‍

She is an accomplished data scientist, founder, and investor. Prior to joining Village, Lindsay was a data science leader at Replit and Airbnb. She also co-founded venture-backed Ask Iggy in the geospatial data and analytics space.

She holds an AB from Bowdoin College and a PhD in Government from Georgetown University.

Q&A with Lindsay

What’s the common thread that runs through your career?

Pivots. I studied German and Sociology in college but my first real job was with a developmental psychologist. I then got a PhD (in Government) before transitioning out of academia altogether and into Tech/Data Science. Next, I founded a company and am now here. Each of these transitions make sense in retrospect but they felt like pretty hard pivots at the time, as they each pulled on different core skill sets. I like to think that this is possible because my liberal arts education set me up to do the fundamental things very well: to think and appreciate deeply, cooperate well, and be a leader.

What’s one of your superpowers?

I hope it’s my curiosity. I have always been deeply curious– about people, places, and ideas. I got into the band 10,000 Maniacs when I was in high school; their song “These are Days” was our theme song at Math and Science Camp one year. I bought a bunch of their music and would just sit in my bedroom listening to Natalie Merchant sing about all these things I had heard of, but had no real feelings about: Enola Gay, Jack Kerouac, World War I. I can even remember learning particular words because they were in her songs: “demure”, “obsolescence”,”metaphysical”! When I listened to her music and looked these things up I just felt this really amazing thing; it was like the world was opening up to me and inviting me in. I’ve never forgotten that feeling, and hope it will always guide me. 

(In an odd twist of fate, I was actually able to share these memories with Natalie recently which was really special. She told me that Peter Gabriel’s music had the same influence on her when she was young. How awesome is that?)

A book you commonly gift to people?

I have a toddler and so spend a lot of time right now reading (and re-reading) children’s books. There are so, so many beautiful ones– many of which I wish I had had as a kid. One at the top of the list is “Giraffes Can’t Dance” which is about a Giraffe named Gerald that… can’t dance– until he gets some thoughtful encouragement from a friend. With it, he shines. Another is “All the World” which is a beautiful exploration of the poetry of daily life. 

For those who can read on their own, the books I give are typically hyper- targeted. Some recent gifts include “The Invention of Nature” by Andrea Wulf which covers the extraordinary life of Alexander von Humboldt, and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. These 4 novels ostensibly chronicle the decades-long friendship between two women but are ultimately a powerful exploration of power, envy, love and pain.