The subsequent era of New York City traders are already making their mark within the Big Apple.
They come from big-name enterprise corporations like Female Founders Fund and Lerer Hippeau and smaller ones like Chai Ventures. They work in areas like development, client, and well being. They canoe, hike, and play pickleball on the weekends. We chatted with a number of the younger traders — suppose, below 30 — who’re serving to to form the way forward for enterprise capitalism in New York City.
Here’s who’s on the checklist up to now.
(This checklist can be up to date periodically.)
Layla Alexander — Female Founders Fund
Background: Alexander, 25, first entered the trade by way 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 in regards to the care financial system, enterprise local weather tech, and healthcare (all very buzzy — and profitable — sectors nowadays). Her agency’s portfolio consists of the astrology app Co-Star and mannequin Winnie Harlow’s Cay Skin.
Fun info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody operating, studying, the sauna, and Pilates. She’s in search of founders who deeply know their market, retain customers, and have analysis that reveals their corporations can scale.
Talia Askowitz — Deerfield Management
Background: Askowitz, 26, is a principal at Deerfield Management the place she turned the agency’s youngest accomplice at simply the age of 25, in accordance with Forbes. She beforehand labored at AMC Health as a enterprise intelligence intern and was a volunteer analysis assistant at Mount Sinai Health Systems.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 Under 30 checklist for 2025 and, in accordance with the outlet, has helped deploy over $500 million in capital.
Fun info and pursuits: She co-authored three papers whereas at Mount Sinai Health Systems.
Lori Berenberg — Bloomberg Beta
Background: Berenberg, 29, labored in technical and product administration roles after faculty till she caught the attention of Bloomberg Beta. Transitioning from product administration to enterprise capital was a threat, however she says her background offers her a novel perspective whereas evaluating startups, permitting her to “bridge the hole between technical innovation and go-to-market,” she advised TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: One of the options she led whereas working at MongoDB as a product supervisor is now awaiting a patent.
Fun info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody needlepoint and classic style. She desires to again corporations with the potential to be greater than nice. “It wants a shot on the extraordinary.”
Alex Chung — Chai Ventures
Background: Chung, 26, received into the enterprise trade by way of her mentor, Serena Dayal, a accomplice at SoftBank Vision Fund, who shared recommendations on learn how to navigate the ecosystem. “Most importantly, she imbued me with confidence,” Chung advised TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: She’s into girls’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.
Fun info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody operating, 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 procuring platform. The firm closed and Copa then joined Antler. He considered founding one other startup however felt he didn’t have an thought he was keen about, “so the second smartest 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 might have discovered it not possible to really sympathize with the journeys of the founders I help.”
Fun 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 can nonetheless construct on the aspect. If you could have an thought you’re feeling in your bones that it should exist, then go for it. Otherwise, you may 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 strategy to investing and says he’s in search of those that are constructing targeted options for area of interest person issues. “The extra area of interest, the higher!”
Ethan Daly — Shine Capital
Background: Daly, 27, began out in funding banking earlier than shifting to Shine, the place he has been for the previous 4 years. He is now a accomplice on the agency.
Why this VC is notable: He was lately promoted to accomplice at Shine.
Fun info and pursuits: Shine Capital’s portfolio consists of 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 below 30 checklist for 2025 and, in accordance with Forbes, he’s helped make investments greater than $25 million in corporations resembling Breedr and Cercle.
Fun Facts and Interests: According 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 liked studying about rising tech however stated she needed to have extra of a direct influence on the businesses she researched, so she pivoted and has since change into fairly bullish on investing in corporations on the pre-seed stage.
“I selected to change into a generalist and make investments on the earliest stage attainable, idea-stage corporations, so I may get to know the folks behind the businesses and witness their transformation from the very starting,” she advised TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: Known for her knack at selecting pre-seed corporations, like AI safety startup Edera, and for shifting quick to make the end-to-end funding course of really feel seamless.
Fun info and pursuits: Her outdoors 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 exhausting and quick guidelines in enterprise,” she stated, including that anybody can fail no matter background. “You ought to study 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 received 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 advised TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: At Notable, she’s specializing in information, cloud infrastructure, developer instruments, and cybersecurity. “Right now, I’m particularly keen on agent infrastructure,” and she or he is seeking to again extra founders with deep ardour and goal.
Fun info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody internet hosting a podcast referred to as Partner Path, the place she dives into the success tales of rising traders and founders. She additionally helps run FemBuild Collective, a neighborhood for feminine engineers and technical founders within the City.
Emily Herrera — Slow Ventures
Background: Herrera, 25, is an investor at Slow Ventures, whose portfolio consists of supply service Postmates, girls’s footwear model Birdies, and the social app Citizen. She beforehand labored at Night Ventures and makes a speciality of client investing and the creator financial system.
Why this VC is notable: Her forward-thinking strategy to creator financial system investing got here as others have been nonetheless pondering the sector’s influence.
Fun info and pursuits: She has an extended historical past in enterprise, interning in every single place from Harlem Capital to Dorm Room Fund. Fast Company hailed her as one of many “savviest creator financial system traders” in 2022 for her work at Night Ventures, which backed corporations resembling influencer advertising platform Pearpop and NFT app Zora.
Bryce Johnson — Primary Venture Partners
Background: Johnson, 25, hung out working in software program and product at Big Tech. He heard Josh Wolfe from Lux Capital converse 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 Primary.
Why this VC is notable: One of the one junior VCs at his agency, he’s identified for being an advocate for variety inside VC.
Fun info and pursuits: He loves classical music and backpacked Southeast Asia final summer time. For work, his focus is in healthcare, client, SMB tech, and vertical SaaS.
Bradford Jones — SignalFire
Background: Bradford, 28, is a principal at SignalFire. Before that, he was an investor at Insight Partners.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 below 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 corporations like Tofy and Shade.
Fun Facts and Interests: According to his Linkedin, he performed D-1 soccer on the University of Michigan
Will McKelvey — Lerer Hippeau
Background: McKelvey, 29, partnered with a couple of classmates and raised a fund to begin 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.
Fun info and pursuits: One factor he want to change in regards to the trade is the quantity of ego and conceitedness that persists, which might trigger traders to overlook out on alternatives and expertise. “Many VCs have all the time been the star pupil, went to the flamboyant faculties, and received the flamboyant 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 desires to know two issues from the founders who pitch him. “What is the perception you could have that everybody else is lacking, and the way did you unearth it?” he stated. “What is driving you to tackle the titanic effort of constructing an organization from scratch?”
Mason Murray — NEA
Background: Murray, 28, joined the agency after a quick profession in funding banking. He’s largely a generalist however focuses on software program corporations promoting to companies or customers.
Why this VC is notable: Unprompted, three folks on this checklist requested to ensure he was included. According to NEA’s web site, he has made six investments, together with within the publication firm beehiiv and AI video firm Tweleve Labs.
Fun info and pursuits: He joined the agency after a quick profession in funding banking. He’s largely a generalist however focuses on software program corporations promoting to companies or customers.
He’s bullish on AI and wouldn’t thoughts seeing extra AI founders coming to New York. “We have expertise, prospects, capital, and nice educational establishments,” he advised TechCrunch. “I’m bullish on New York.”
In his private life, he’s a interest collector, musician, singer, and newbie prepare dinner. In his skilled life, he’s in search of founders with a transparent imaginative and prescient on how the world will be totally different, “paired with a exact speculation on what it takes to get there.”
Zehra Naqvi — Headline Ventures
Background: Naqvi, 25, labored at a couple of client startups earlier than formally changing into an investor for Headline final 12 months.
Why this VC is notable: She’s identified round city for her in style enterprise capital publication No GPs Allowed, which gives networking alternatives to traders round New York.
Fun info and pursuits: She loves being an investor and says despite the fact that the market is down within the client 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 customers,” she advised TechCrunch. “Be a contrarian.”
Her hobbies embody going to artwork galleries, touring, taking part in tennis, and watching motion pictures (she’s an AMC Stubs member). She’s in search of founders within the client area, in each tech and client packaged items, between pre-seed and Series 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 Learn 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 phases.
Fun info and pursuits: He, alongside his co-founder Adarsh Bhatt, made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 this 12 months for his or her work in enterprise capital. Comma has backed greater than 50 corporations up to now, a few of which have gone on to be acquired by corporations like Stripe and Airtable.
Will Robbins — Contrary
Background: Robbins, 27, is a common accomplice at Contrary. According to his LinkedIn, he beforehand labored for varied tech corporations doing machine studying and held common roles at startups.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Under 30 checklist for 2025, with the outlet reporting that he has helped increase 4 funds price hundreds of thousands. Investments embody the unicorn Zepto and Alloy Automation.
Fun Facts and Interests: Forbes additionally says he helps present startup alternatives to underrepresented youth.
Michael Shepard — Insight Partners
Background: Shepherd, 29, is a principal at Insight Partners. Before that, he held roles at iCapital Network and Levine Leitchman Capital Partners.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Under 30 checklist for 2025 and labored his method up from an intern at Insight Partners to a accomplice. He focuses on SaaS in Europe and North America, with investments together with Kabal and Colab.
Fun info and pursuits: His LinkedIn says he’s the founding father of the startup Lagom.io which creates homepages for browsers.
Alexandra Sukin — Bessemer Venture Partners
Background: Sukin, 27, received 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 Contrary Capital. After graduating, she joined Bessemer.
Why this VC is notable: She’s a vp at Bessemer, and her investments embody the fintech Truebill (acquired by Rocket Technologies) and enterprise corporations Unito, Rewind, and Contractbook.
Fun info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody mountaineering and snowboarding, and she or he loves spending day trip West, as her father’s aspect of the household is from Montana and Colorado. “While I’m investing so much nowadays in vertical and SMB software program, I’m additionally actually enthusiastic about AI enabling a wave of client corporations,” she stated.
Mark Xu — Lightspeed Venture Partners
Background: Xu, 24, is a accomplice at Lightspeed Venture Partners, whose investments, in accordance with his LinkedIn, embody Glean, Stripe, Wiz, and Anduril.
Why this VC is notable: One of the youngest to ever be promoted to accomplice at Lightspeed Ventures.
Fun info and pursuits: Attended the Juilliard School for the violin earlier than heading to Harvard University to review math. Had a background in enterprise improvement and funding banking earlier than becoming a member of Lightspeed Ventures.
Claire Zau — GSV Ventures
Background: Zau, 27, is without doubt one of the youngest traders ever to change into a accomplice at GSV, the place she helps lead AI investments, in accordance with Forbes. She beforehand held internships at Red & Blue Ventures, Julius Bear, and Baring Private Equity Asia.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 below 30 checklist for 2025 with investments together with Pace AI, Magic School, and Paloma.
Fun info and curiosity: She has an AI publication referred to as “GSV: AI & Education” that has greater than 6,000 subscribers.
Vincent Zhu — General Catalyst
Background: Zhu, 25, is an early-stage investor at General Catalyst and, in accordance with his LinkedIn, loves working with founders “constructing for the digitally native era.”
Why this VC is notable: He’s made a reputation for himself round city, internet hosting occasions and serving to founders get intros.
Fun info and pursuits: After faculty, he labored as an analyst at Goldman Sachs earlier than becoming a member of General Catalyst two years in the past. The agency’s portfolio consists of Stripe, Canva, and Warby Parker.
This piece was up to date to replicate Mason Murray’s most up-to-date investments.
