Lerer Hippeau
Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010, deploying $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies across enterprise and consumer sectors. The firm sources deals through deep NYC founder networks and recently intensified an AI-native investment thesis across its 15 sector focus areas.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lerer Hippeau does
Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010 by Managing Partners Ben Lerer and Eric Hippeau, with Graham Brown joining as Managing Partner in 2015. The firm operates as a generalist pre-seed and seed specialist, investing equally across enterprise and consumer sectors spanning 15 categories including AI/ML, Commerce, Data & Security, Healthcare, FinTech/DeFi/Blockchain, PropTech, Hardware & Robotics, and Wellness & Longevity. Since inception, Lerer Hippeau has deployed $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies, with notable historical investments including Warby Parker, Venmo, BuzzFeed, Glossier, Oscar, Casper, and Zipline, and recent exits including Ollie (acquired by Agrolimen for $680M in February 2026) and Guideline (acquired by Gusto).
The firm is organized as a private partnership with approximately 17 team members across investment, operations, and finance functions, all operating from a single New York headquarters at 100 Crosby, Suite 201 in SoHo. Revenue is generated through traditional venture capital economics — management fees on committed capital across multiple fund vintages plus carried interest on profitable exits — though specific fund sizes and LP composition are not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is community-led and relationship-driven: Managing Partners source deals through the firm's deep NYC founder network and amplify brand visibility through media appearances on CNBC, TBPN, and Inc., supplemented by an external jobs portal (jobs.lererhippeau.com) that supports portfolio hiring.
Lerer Hippeau's product offering is effectively a unified investment service rather than a multi-product platform. The firm does not develop proprietary technology, exposes no APIs or developer tooling, and uses only standard operational infrastructure (MailChimp for email). Its strategic positioning centers on the tagline 'Finding founders before they're famous,' reinforced by a 2026-2030 NVCA Board of Directors appointment and inclusion in AlleyWatch's Q1 2026 ranking of most active NYC venture capital firms. The 2025-2026 deal cadence shows a deliberate pivot toward AI-native portfolio construction, with seven or more AI seed rounds led or co-led during the period.
Lerer Hippeau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lerer Hippeau
- Legal name
- Lerer Hippeau Ventures
- Website
- http://www.lererhippeau.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010, deploying $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies across enterprise and consumer sectors. The firm sources deals through deep NYC founder networks and recently intensified an AI-native investment thesis across its 15 sector focus areas.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lerer Hippeau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Lerer Hippeau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lerer Hippeau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Venture capital fund management: As a venture capital firm, Lerer Hippeau generates revenue through traditional VC economics: management fees on committed capital across its funds and carried interest (carry) on profitable exits from portfolio investments. The firm has invested $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies since 2010.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lerer Hippeau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and seed capital into early-stage startups across both enterprise and consumer sectors. Since 2010, the firm has deployed $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies spanning 15 sectors, including AI/ML, Commerce, Healthcare, FinTech, Media, PropTech, and Hardware & Robotics. The firm generates returns through traditional VC economics: management fees on committed fund capital and carried interest on profitable portfolio exits.
Product overview
Lerer Hippeau is a New York–based venture capital firm (founded 2010) rather than a SaaS or consumer product company, so its offering is a unified investment service — pre-seed and seed venture capital — accompanied by a portfolio support platform and a connected jobs board (jobs.lererhippeau.com). The core "product" is the firm's investment and portfolio support services, which are delivered through a single brand rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, while the Jobs Board is a supporting platform that links portfolio companies to candidate talent. The firm has invested $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies since 2010, spanning sectors such as AI/ML, Commerce, Data & Security, Defense, Education, Energy Transition & Climate, FinTech/DeFi/Blockchain, Food & Beverage, Future of Work & Productivity, Hardware & Robotics, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, PropTech, Supply Chain & Logistics, and Wellness & Longevity, and maintains a public website that serves as portfolio, team, and content hub.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Investment Services Generalist pre-seed and seed venture capital investment services for early-stage startup founders and companies. Capital is deployed across 15 sectors including AI/ML, Commerce, Data & Security, Healthcare, FinTech, Media & Entertainment, PropTech, and Hardware & Robotics, with $1.5B invested across 486 portfolio companies since 2010.
- Lerer Hippeau Jobs Board Companion jobs platform surfaced in the primary navigation menu that helps portfolio companies recruit talent and serves as a founder/career inbound funnel.
Quantifiable outcome
- 486 portfolio companies funded since 2010
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Lerer Hippeau
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Lerer Hippeau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lerer Hippeau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- National Venture Capital Association (NVCA)coreLerer Hippeau holds a seat on the NVCA Board of Directors for a four-year term from 2026-2030, appointed alongside directors from General Catalyst, Meritech Capital Partners, and other VC firms. The appointment reflects industry leadership recognition and provides influence over U.S. venture capital advocacy.
- MaveroncoreLerer Hippeau co-invested with Maveron in WeatherPromise's $12.8M Series A; both firms participated in the same round as financial partners, demonstrating a co-investment relationship pattern across consumer-focused startups.
- MailChimpcoreMailChimp is the firm's third-party email service provider, as disclosed in the Terms of Use: 'We use MailChimp, Inc. as a third party service provider for communication services.'
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lerer Hippeau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Notation Capital: NYC-based pre-seed and seed VC firm with a similar early-stage thesis and NYC network orientation, often co-investing at the seed stage with funds like Lerer Hippeau.
- BoxGroup: NYC-based seed/pre-seed VC firm investing across consumer and enterprise, with a similar generalist pre-seed thesis and portfolio scale comparable to Lerer Hippeau. Co-invests frequently in NYC startups.
- Collaborative Fund: NYC-based seed-stage VC firm focused on mission-driven and consumer-oriented startups, with comparable portfolio breadth and early-stage generalist approach.
- First Round Capital: Seed-stage focused VC firm with a strong track record of category-defining early-stage investments, similar generalist early-stage thesis to Lerer Hippeau, with comparable check sizes and stage focus.
- Betaworks: NYC-based seed-stage startup studio and venture firm investing in early-stage consumer and media companies, with comparable NYC network advantages and seed-stage thesis.
- Lowercase Capital: NYC-based seed-stage VC firm with a generalist early-stage thesis, co-investor in DigitalGenius alongside Lerer Hippeau, indicating direct portfolio overlap.
- Primary Venture Partners: NYC-based seed and Series A VC firm investing across consumer, enterprise, and FinTech. Co-invested alongside Lerer Hippeau in Teleskope, indicating direct portfolio overlap and similar NYC stage focus.
- Founder Collective: Seed-stage VC firm founded by serial entrepreneurs, with a similar early-stage generalist approach and notable portfolio companies that overlap with Lerer Hippeau's NYC network.
- Flybridge Capital: NYC and Boston-based seed and early-stage VC firm investing across consumer, enterprise, and FinTech, with similar stage focus and NYC operating presence.
Broad incumbents
- Union Square Ventures: NYC-based VC firm with a longer history and broader stage focus (seed through growth), investing in similar thematic areas. USV's network and NYC positioning create significant overlap with Lerer Hippeau's sourcing ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lerer Hippeau social profiles
Digital presenceLerer Hippeau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lerer Hippeau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lerer Hippeau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lerer Hippeau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments774 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lerer Hippeau
What does Lerer Hippeau do?
Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and seed capital into early-stage startups across both enterprise and consumer sectors. Since 2010, the firm has deployed $1.5B across 486 portfolio companies spanning 15 sectors, including AI/ML, Commerce, Healthcare, FinTech, Media, PropTech, and Hardware & Robotics. The firm generates returns through traditional VC economics: management fees on committed fund capital and carried interest on profitable portfolio exits.
Is Lerer Hippeau a public or private company?
Lerer Hippeau is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Lerer Hippeau founded?
Lerer Hippeau was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lerer Hippeau based?
Lerer Hippeau is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lerer Hippeau make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture capital fund management.
Who are Lerer Hippeau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Notation Capital, BoxGroup, Collaborative Fund, First Round Capital, Betaworks, Lowercase Capital, Primary Venture Partners, Founder Collective and Flybridge Capital. Union Square Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Lerer Hippeau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lerer Hippeau.
What industry is Lerer Hippeau in?
Lerer Hippeau's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.