Lawrence Lenihan

Lawrence Lenihan
Born	United States
Education	B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Duke University (1987); MBA, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)	Business innovator, venture capitalist, adjunct professor
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Co-founder of Resonance and FirstMark Capital

Lawrence Lenihan is an American business innovator and co-founder of Resonance, a platform revolutionizing the fashion sector. Resonance shifts away from the conventional "design, make, sell" framework to a "design, sell, make" model driven by artificial intelligence via its exclusive operating system, CreateONE. This technology empowers brands to function without the need for inventory, minimum orders, or excess waste.

Prior to launching Resonance, Lenihan established FirstMark Capital, a leading venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology startups, and held senior positions at IBM. Additionally, he has served as an adjunct faculty member at NYU's Stern School of Business.

Resonance

Established in 2015 by Lenihan alongside Christian Gheorghe, Resonance strives to integrate sustainability with profitability within the fashion industry. Its platform enables designers to create, market across multiple channels, and produce globally without the usual limitations. Under Lenihan’s guidance, Resonance has contributed to lowering textile waste, supporting small-scale designers, and enhancing transparency and operational efficiency in fashion.

Lenihan’s role at Resonance marks a pivotal transformation in how fashion production scales and adapts.

Education

Lenihan received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Duke University in 1987 and completed his MBA at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

His professional journey began at IBM, where he worked as a sales associate for six years and co-developed one of IBM’s earliest transactional interactive multimedia kiosks. He then spent three years at Broadview Associates as a senior member of the mergers and acquisitions team and principal. In 1996, he co-founded Pequot Ventures under Pequot Capital Management before leading its transition into FirstMark Capital, which he managed until his exit in December 2015.

Lenihan chaired the NYC Ventures Fellows Program and provided counsel to Mayor Bloomberg’s Council on Technology and Innovation. He has also served as a judge for Ernst & Young’s National Entrepreneur of the Year Award and led its Venture Capital Award selection committee. His board memberships include Body Labs, TraceLink, and Digital Currency Group.

Fashion industry

In 2009, Lenihan co-established Norisol Ferrari, a women’s apparel brand named after his partner, where he holds the position of board chair. He also acquired Crouch & Fitzgerald, a company founded in 1839. In July 2015, Lenihan co-founded Resonance Companies LLC with Christian Gheorghe and currently chairs its board. Resonance is a venture operating firm that invests in and develops early-stage fashion labels. Its initial investments featured Tucker by Gaby Basora and JC-RT. Lenihan has contributed to the NYC Economic Development Fashion 2020 Advisory Board and acted as a judge for competitions organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Teaching

Lenihan has taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He has reinvested his teaching earnings into student startups, including backing the founders of Hublished. He co-founded and serves on the board of the NYU Stern Fashion Lab, chaired Duke University Pratt School of Engineering’s Devil Venture Fund, and participated on the advisory board for Wharton’s Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.