The subsequent technology of New York Metropolis buyers are already making their mark within the Massive Apple.
They arrive from big-name enterprise corporations like Feminine Founders Fund and Lerer Hippeau and smaller ones like Chai Ventures. They work in areas like development, shopper, and well being. They canoe, hike, and play pickleball on the weekends. We chatted with a number of the younger buyers — assume, beneath 30 — who’re serving to to form the way forward for enterprise capitalism in New York Metropolis.
Right here’s who’s on the checklist to date.
(This checklist shall be up to date periodically.)
Layla Alexander — Feminine Founders Fund
Background: Alexander, 25, first entered the trade by means of an internship with Cleo Capital and Harlem Capital, earlier than touchdown at FFF as an investor in 2022.
Why this VC is notable: She’s excited concerning the care financial system, enterprise local weather tech, and healthcare (all very buzzy — and profitable — sectors today). Her agency’s portfolio contains the astrology app Co-Star and mannequin Winnie Harlow’s Cay Pores and skin.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody working, studying, the sauna, and Pilates. She’s searching for founders who deeply know their market, retain customers, and have analysis that exhibits their firms can scale.
Talia Askowitz — Deerfield Administration
Background: Askowitz, 26, is a principal at Deerfield Administration the place she turned the agency’s youngest accomplice at simply the age of 25, based on Forbes. She beforehand labored at AMC Well being as a enterprise intelligence intern and was a volunteer analysis assistant at Mount Sinai Well being Programs.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 Underneath 30 checklist for 2025 and, based on the outlet, has helped deploy over $500 million in capital.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: She co-authored three papers whereas at Mount Sinai Well being Programs.
Lori Berenberg — Bloomberg Beta
Background: Berenberg, 29, labored in technical and product administration roles after school till she caught the attention of Bloomberg Beta. Transitioning from product administration to enterprise capital was a danger, however she says her background provides her a novel perspective whereas evaluating startups, permitting her to “bridge the hole between technical innovation and go-to-market,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: One of many options she led whereas working at MongoDB as a product supervisor is now awaiting a patent.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody needlepoint and classic vogue. She needs to again firms with the potential to be greater than nice. “It wants a shot on the extraordinary.”
Alex Chung — Chai Ventures
Background: Chung, 26, bought into the enterprise trade by means of her mentor, Serena Dayal, a accomplice at SoftBank Imaginative and prescient Fund, who shared tips about the right way to navigate the ecosystem. “Most significantly, she imbued me with confidence,” Chung instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: She’s into ladies’s well being, figuring out it as an space for a lot potential because the sector — and its want for innovation — steps into the nationwide highlight.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody working, racquet sports activities, and needlepointing.
Besart Çopa — Antler
Background: Çopa, 27, began at Antler simply this 12 months. He beforehand held an internship at a16z, then began Chestr, a web based purchasing platform. The corporate closed and Copa then joined Antler. He thought of founding one other startup however felt he didn’t have an concept he was obsessed with, “so the second neatest thing was to help others who did.”
Why this VC is notable: He’s a founder turned principal investor at one of many hottest accelerator packages round. “If I hadn’t chewed glass myself, I’d have discovered it inconceivable to actually sympathize with the journeys of the founders I help.”
Enjoyable info and pursuits: He disagrees with the trade’s seeming obsession with younger founders. “Let teenagers be teenagers,” he stated. “Fall in love. Watch the celebs. You possibly can nonetheless construct on the aspect. When you’ve got an concept you are feeling in your bones that it should exist, then go for it. In any other case, you’ll be able to all the time begin a B2B SaaS [company] later.”
His hobbies embody studying historical past and portray. As a pre-seed investor, he has a founder-centric method to investing and says he’s searching for those that are constructing centered options for area of interest consumer issues. “The extra area of interest, the higher!”
Ethan Daly — Shine Capital
Background: Daly, 27, began out in funding banking earlier than transferring to Shine, the place he has been for the previous 4 years. He’s now a accomplice on the agency.
Why this VC is notable: He was just lately promoted to accomplice at Shine.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Shine Capital’s portfolio contains the collector neighborhood Flamingo and the office platform Notion.
George Easley — Outsiders Fund
Background: Easley, 29, began at Outsiders Fund in 2021 and is now a principal on the fund the place he helps lead investments in sectors resembling AI and robotics. He was beforehand a senior analyst at ICONIQ Capital, in addition to held affiliate and analyst roles at Bridgewater and Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth, respectively.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 beneath 30 checklist for 2025 and, based on Forbes, he’s helped make investments greater than $25 million in firms resembling Breedr and Cercle.
Enjoyable Information and Pursuits: In response to his LinkedIn, he studied historical past and geography at Dartmouth, the place he performed each tennis and desk tennis.
Marina Girgis — Precursor VC
Background: Girgis, 29, began out on the finance aspect, researching information and semiconductors. She cherished studying about rising tech however stated she wished to have extra of a direct impression on the businesses she researched, so she pivoted and has since develop into fairly bullish on investing in firms on the pre-seed stage.
“I selected to develop into a generalist and make investments on the earliest stage attainable, idea-stage firms, so I may get to know the folks behind the businesses and witness their transformation from the very starting,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: Recognized for her knack at selecting pre-seed firms, like AI safety startup Edera, and for transferring quick to make the end-to-end funding course of really feel seamless.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her exterior hobbies embody jigsaw puzzles and studying homicide mysteries. One factor she want to see change within the trade is inflexible pondering on what kind of founders to again. “There aren’t any onerous and quick guidelines in enterprise,” she stated, including that anybody can fail no matter background. “You must be taught out of your previous experiences as an investor, however my hope is to remain open-minded.”
Laura Hamilton — Notable Capital
Background: Hamilton, 26, has been an investor at Notable Capital since 2023. She bought her begin within the trade by sending many chilly emails and making chilly calls to alumni. She landed her first VC job by making use of chilly on LinkedIn, “proving the hustle technique works,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: At Notable, she’s specializing in information, cloud infrastructure, developer instruments, and cybersecurity. “Proper now, I’m particularly involved in agent infrastructure,” and she or he is trying to again extra founders with deep ardour and goal.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody internet hosting a podcast referred to as Accomplice Path, the place she dives into the success tales of rising buyers and founders. She additionally helps run FemBuild Collective, a neighborhood for feminine engineers and technical founders within the Metropolis.
Emily Herrera — Sluggish Ventures
Background: Herrera, 25, is an investor at Sluggish Ventures, whose portfolio contains supply service Postmates, ladies’s footwear model Birdies, and the social app Citizen. She beforehand labored at Evening Ventures and focuses on shopper investing and the creator financial system.
Why this VC is notable: Her forward-thinking method to creator financial system investing got here as others had been nonetheless pondering the sector’s impression.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: She has an extended historical past in enterprise, interning all over the place from Harlem Capital to Dorm Room Fund. Quick Firm hailed her as one of many “savviest creator financial system buyers” in 2022 for her work at Evening Ventures, which backed firms resembling influencer advertising platform Pearpop and NFT app Zora.
Bryce Johnson — Main Enterprise Companions
Background: Johnson, 25, frolicked working in software program and product at Massive Tech. He heard Josh Wolfe from Lux Capital communicate at an occasion one 12 months and have become fixated on the concept of early-stage investing. He pivoted to administration consulting and used that community to land an analyst position at Main.
Why this VC is notable: One of many solely junior VCs at his agency, he’s identified for being an advocate for variety inside VC.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: He loves classical music and backpacked Southeast Asia final summer season. For work, his focus is in healthcare, shopper, SMB tech, and vertical SaaS.
Bradford Jones — SignalFire
Background: Bradford, 28, is a principal at SignalFire. Earlier than that, he was an investor at Perception Companions.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 beneath 30 checklist in 2025 and Forbes reviews that he leads SignalFire’s NYC workplace, the place he focuses on the intersection of utilized AI and SaaS, serving to lead investments into firms like Tofy and Shade.
Enjoyable Information and Pursuits: In response to his Linkedin, he performed D-1 soccer on the College of Michigan
Will McKelvey — Lerer Hippeau
Background: McKelvey, 29, partnered with a number of classmates and raised a fund to start out backing startups whereas attending UC Berkeley. After commencement, he moved to New York and joined Lerer Hippeau.
Why this VC is notable: Launched a pupil enterprise fund at Berkeley that’s nonetheless making investments.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: One factor he want to change concerning the trade is the quantity of ego and vanity that persists, which may trigger buyers to overlook out on alternatives and expertise. “Many VCs have all the time been the star pupil, went to the flowery faculties, and bought the flowery job, so that they misguidedly carry that angle into this position,” he continued. “This trade may use a heavy dose of humility.”
His hobbies embody softball, basketball, and seashore volleyball. He needs to know two issues from the founders who pitch him. “What’s the perception you’ve that everybody else is lacking, and the way did you unearth it?” he stated. “What’s driving you to tackle the titanic effort of constructing an organization from scratch?”
Mason Murray — NEA
Background: Murray, 28, joined the agency after a short profession in funding banking. He’s principally a generalist however focuses on software program firms promoting to companies or shoppers.
Why this VC is notable: Unprompted, three folks on this checklist requested to verify he was included. In response to NEA’s web site, he has made six investments, together with within the publication firm beehiiv and AI video firm Tweleve Labs.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: He joined the agency after a short profession in funding banking. He’s principally a generalist however focuses on software program firms promoting to companies or shoppers.
He’s bullish on AI and wouldn’t thoughts seeing extra AI founders coming to New York. “Now we have expertise, clients, capital, and nice educational establishments,” he instructed TechCrunch. “I’m bullish on New York.”
In his private life, he’s a passion collector, musician, singer, and newbie prepare dinner. In his skilled life, he’s searching for founders with a transparent imaginative and prescient on how the world might be completely different, “paired with a exact speculation on what it takes to get there.”
Zehra Naqvi — Headline Ventures
Background: Naqvi, 25, labored at a number of shopper startups earlier than formally turning into an investor for Headline final 12 months.
Why this VC is notable: She’s identified round city for her fashionable enterprise capital publication No GPs Allowed, which gives networking alternatives to buyers round New York.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: She loves being an investor and says though the market is down within the shopper sector proper now, “historical past has confirmed time and time once more that now’s the perfect time to double down on investing in the way forward for shoppers,” she instructed TechCrunch. “Be a contrarian.”
Her hobbies embody going to artwork galleries, touring, taking part in tennis, and watching films (she’s an AMC Stubs member). She’s searching for founders within the shopper area, in each tech and shopper packaged items, between pre-seed and Collection A.
David Ongchoco — Comma Capital
Background: Ongchoco, 28, has a background in tech, gross sales, and investing, working for locations like Dorm Room Fund, interning at Study Capital, and dealing in gross sales and development at Amplitude and Rutter.
Why this VC is notable: Ongchoco is a co-founder of Comma Capital, which invests on the pre-seed and seed levels.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: He, alongside his co-founder Adarsh Bhatt, made Forbes’ 30 Underneath 30 this 12 months for his or her work in enterprise capital. Comma has backed greater than 50 firms to this point, a few of which have gone on to be acquired by firms like Stripe and Airtable.
Will Robbins — Opposite
Background: Robbins, 27, is a common accomplice at Opposite. In response to his LinkedIn, he beforehand labored for varied tech firms doing machine studying and held common roles at startups.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Underneath 30 checklist for 2025, with the outlet reporting that he has helped elevate 4 funds value thousands and thousands. Investments embody the unicorn Zepto and Alloy Automation.
Enjoyable Information and Pursuits: Forbes additionally says he helps present startup alternatives to underrepresented youth.
Michael Shepard — Perception Companions
Background: Shepherd, 29, is a principal at Perception Companions. Earlier than that, he held roles at iCapital Community and Levine Leitchman Capital Companions.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Underneath 30 checklist for 2025 and labored his method up from an intern at Perception Companions to a accomplice. He focuses on SaaS in Europe and North America, with investments together with Kabal and Colab.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: His LinkedIn says he’s the founding father of the startup Lagom.io which creates homepages for browsers.
Alexandra Sukin — Bessemer Enterprise Companions
Background: Sukin, 27, bought her begin within the trade whereas at Harvard, the place she was concerned with varied on-campus actions like Harvard Ventures and was a founding member of the VC agency Opposite Capital. After graduating, she joined Bessemer.
Why this VC is notable: She’s a vice chairman at Bessemer, and her investments embody the fintech Truebill (acquired by Rocket Applied sciences) and enterprise firms Unito, Rewind, and Contractbook.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody climbing and snowboarding, and she or he loves spending trip West, as her father’s aspect of the household is from Montana and Colorado. “Whereas I’m investing so much today in vertical and SMB software program, I’m additionally actually enthusiastic about AI enabling a wave of shopper firms,” she stated.
Mark Xu — Lightspeed Enterprise Companions
Background: Xu, 24, is a accomplice at Lightspeed Enterprise Companions, whose investments, based on his LinkedIn, embody Glean, Stripe, Wiz, and Anduril.
Why this VC is notable: One of many youngest to ever be promoted to accomplice at Lightspeed Ventures.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: Attended the Juilliard College for the violin earlier than heading to Harvard College to review math. Had a background in enterprise growth and funding banking earlier than becoming a member of Lightspeed Ventures.
Claire Zau — GSV Ventures
Background: Zau, 27, is likely one of the youngest buyers ever to develop into a accomplice at GSV, the place she helps lead AI investments, based on Forbes. She beforehand held internships at Crimson & Blue Ventures, Julius Bear, and Baring Personal Fairness Asia.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 beneath 30 checklist for 2025 with investments together with Tempo AI, Magic College, and Paloma.
Enjoyable info and curiosity: She has an AI publication referred to as “GSV: AI & Training” that has greater than 6,000 subscribers.
Vincent Zhu — Normal Catalyst
Background: Zhu, 25, is an early-stage investor at Normal Catalyst and, based on his LinkedIn, loves working with founders “constructing for the digitally native technology.”
Why this VC is notable: He’s made a reputation for himself round city, internet hosting occasions and serving to founders get intros.
Enjoyable info and pursuits: After school, he labored as an analyst at Goldman Sachs earlier than becoming a member of Normal Catalyst two years in the past. The agency’s portfolio contains Stripe, Canva, and Warby Parker.
This piece was up to date to replicate Mason Murray’s most up-to-date investments.
