Claire Shaw
Doing good work on things that matter. Based in New York and great at finding excuses to be in Anchorage and San Francisco.
Startup Operator
Community Builder
Founder
Open Water Swimmer
Horror Movie Enthusiast

About

I've spent my career building tech startups and political campaigns. At first blush these two might not appear to have much in common, but I've learned I'm at my best on highly-motivated and impact-oriented teams that take big swings. It turns out Silicon Valley and the campaign trail are the perfect places to find audacious people and restless environments, and my generalist skillset performs best when I get to stretch beyond what I think I can do. I've loved getting to be a part of the wins and I've been broken-hearted more than once over the losses.

I love running toward weird, audacious goals outside of work too. If I'm a little scared by it, I know I've got to do it. As a kid I wanted to swim my way to the Olympics, but when that didn't quite work out (being a top swimmer in Alaska doesn't necessarily mean you have what it takes to compete internationally), I pivoted to learning Mandarin and ended up as the translator for the US Men's and Women's Swimming teams at the 2008 Olympics. I worked like a dog and it's easily the best job I've ever had. I still swim in and now out of the pool, and in 2023 I thought swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco would be pretty spooky so I did it. GAAP accounting and surfing both throw me off my balance so I went to business school and am still surfing, badly, at Rockaway and all over the world.

Catch me Tuesday nights line dancing in the East Village, at a New York Liberty game, or at home scheming and making maniacal to-do lists. A more comprehensive list of professional experiences can be found on my LinkedIn page.