The next period of New York Metropolis merchants are already making their mark inside the Massive Apple.
They arrive from big-name enterprise corporations like Female Founders Fund and Lerer Hippeau and smaller ones like Chai Ventures. They work in areas like progress, shopper, and effectively being. They canoe, hike, and play pickleball on the weekends. We chatted with a number of of the youthful merchants — assume, under 30 — who’re serving to to type the way in which ahead for enterprise capitalism in New York Metropolis.
Proper right here’s who’s on the file to this point.
(This file shall be updated periodically.)
Layla Alexander — Female Founders Fund
Background: Alexander, 25, first entered the commerce through an internship with Cleo Capital and Harlem Capital, sooner than landing at FFF as an investor in 2022.
Why this VC is notable: She’s excited regarding the care monetary system, enterprise native climate tech, and healthcare (all very buzzy — and worthwhile — sectors as of late). Her company’s portfolio consists of the astrology app Co-Star and model Winnie Harlow’s Cay Pores and pores and skin.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody working, learning, the sauna, and Pilates. She’s trying to find founders who deeply know their market, retain prospects, and have evaluation that displays their companies can scale.
Talia Askowitz — Deerfield Administration
Background: Askowitz, 26, is a principal at Deerfield Administration the place she turned the company’s youngest affiliate at merely the age of 25, in step with Forbes. She beforehand labored at AMC Nicely being as a enterprise intelligence intern and was a volunteer evaluation assistant at Mount Sinai Nicely being Strategies.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 Beneath 30 file for 2025 and, in step with the outlet, has helped deploy over $500 million in capital.
Gratifying info and pursuits: She co-authored three papers whereas at Mount Sinai Nicely being Strategies.
Lori Berenberg — Bloomberg Beta
Background: Berenberg, 29, labored in technical and product administration roles after college until she caught the eye of Bloomberg Beta. Transitioning from product administration to enterprise capital was a menace, nevertheless she says her background offers her a novel perspective whereas evaluating startups, allowing her to “bridge the opening between technical innovation and go-to-market,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: Considered one of many choices she led whereas working at MongoDB as a product supervisor is now awaiting a patent.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody needlepoint and traditional vogue. She wishes to once more companies with the potential to be higher than good. “It desires a shot on the extraordinary.”
Alex Chung — Chai Ventures
Background: Chung, 26, obtained into the enterprise commerce through her mentor, Serena Dayal, a affiliate at SoftBank Imaginative and prescient Fund, who shared tips on the fitting solution to navigate the ecosystem. “Most importantly, she imbued me with confidence,” Chung instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: She’s into women’s effectively being, determining it as an house for lots potential as a result of the sector — and its need for innovation — steps into the nationwide spotlight.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody working, racquet sports activities actions, and needlepointing.
Besart Çopa — Antler
Background: Çopa, 27, started at Antler merely this 12 months. He beforehand held an internship at a16z, then started Chestr, a web-based shopping for platform. The company closed and Copa then joined Antler. He considered founding one different startup nevertheless felt he didn’t have an idea he was captivated with, “so the second neatest factor was to help others who did.”
Why this VC is notable: He’s a founder turned principal investor at certainly one of many hottest accelerator packages spherical. “If I hadn’t chewed glass myself, I may need found it unimaginable to essentially sympathize with the journeys of the founders I help.”
Gratifying info and pursuits: He disagrees with the commerce’s seeming obsession with youthful founders. “Let youngsters be youngsters,” he acknowledged. “Fall in love. Watch the celebs. You could nonetheless assemble on the side. If in case you’ve gotten an idea you feel in your bones that it ought to exist, then go for it. In another case, you can on a regular basis start a B2B SaaS [company] later.”
His hobbies embody learning historic previous and painting. As a pre-seed investor, he has a founder-centric methodology to investing and says he’s trying to find these which might be developing focused choices for space of curiosity client points. “The additional space of curiosity, the upper!”
Ethan Daly — Shine Capital
Background: Daly, 27, started out in funding banking sooner than shifting to Shine, the place he has been for the earlier 4 years. He is now a affiliate on the company.
Why this VC is notable: He was simply these days promoted to affiliate at Shine.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Shine Capital’s portfolio consists of the collector group Flamingo and the workplace platform Notion.
George Easley — Outsiders Fund
Background: Easley, 29, started at Outsiders Fund in 2021 and is now a principal on the fund the place he helps lead investments in sectors similar to AI and robotics. He was beforehand a senior analyst at ICONIQ Capital, along with held affiliate and analyst roles at Bridgewater and Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth, respectively.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 under 30 file for 2025 and, in step with Forbes, he’s helped make investments higher than $25 million in companies similar to Breedr and Cercle.
Gratifying Particulars and Pursuits: In keeping with his LinkedIn, he studied historic previous and geography at Dartmouth, the place he carried out every tennis and desk tennis.
Marina Girgis — Precursor VC
Background: Girgis, 29, started out on the finance side, researching info and semiconductors. She preferred learning about rising tech nevertheless acknowledged she wanted to have additional of a direct impression on the companies she researched, so she pivoted and has since develop to be pretty bullish on investing in companies on the pre-seed stage.
“I chosen to develop to be a generalist and make investments on the earliest stage attainable, idea-stage companies, so I’d get to know the people behind the companies and witness their transformation from the very beginning,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: Acknowledged for her knack at selecting pre-seed companies, like AI security startup Edera, and for shifting fast to make the end-to-end funding course of actually really feel seamless.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her exterior hobbies embody jigsaw puzzles and learning murder mysteries. One issue she need to see change inside the commerce is rigid contemplating on what kind of founders to once more. “There are no arduous and fast pointers in enterprise,” she acknowledged, together with that anyone can fail regardless of background. “It is best to be taught out of your earlier experiences as an investor, nevertheless my hope is to stay open-minded.”
Laura Hamilton — Notable Capital
Background: Hamilton, 26, has been an investor at Notable Capital since 2023. She obtained her start inside the commerce 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 method works,” she instructed TechCrunch.
Why this VC is notable: At Notable, she’s specializing in info, cloud infrastructure, developer devices, and cybersecurity. “Correct now, I’m significantly eager on agent infrastructure,” and she or he is looking for to once more additional founders with deep passion and goal.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody web internet hosting a podcast known as Confederate Path, the place she dives into the success tales of rising merchants and founders. She moreover helps run FemBuild Collective, a gaggle for female engineers and technical founders inside the Metropolis.
Emily Herrera — Sluggish Ventures
Background: Herrera, 25, is an investor at Sluggish Ventures, whose portfolio consists of provide service Postmates, women’s footwear mannequin Birdies, and the social app Citizen. She beforehand labored at Night time time Ventures and focuses on shopper investing and the creator monetary system.
Why this VC is notable: Her forward-thinking methodology to creator monetary system investing acquired right here as others had been nonetheless pondering the sector’s impression.
Gratifying info and pursuits: She has a protracted historic previous in enterprise, interning in all places from Harlem Capital to Dorm Room Fund. Fast Agency hailed her as certainly one of many “savviest creator monetary system merchants” in 2022 for her work at Night time time Ventures, which backed companies similar to influencer promoting platform Pearpop and NFT app Zora.
Bryce Johnson — Main Enterprise Companions
Background: Johnson, 25, frolicked working in software program program and product at Massive Tech. He heard Josh Wolfe from Lux Capital converse at an event one 12 months and have grow to be fixated on the idea of early-stage investing. He pivoted to administration consulting and used that group to land an analyst operate at Main.
Why this VC is notable: Considered one of many solely junior VCs at his company, he is acknowledged for being an advocate for selection inside VC.
Gratifying info and pursuits: He loves classical music and backpacked Southeast Asia closing 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. Sooner than that, he was an investor at Notion Companions.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 under 30 file in 2025 and Forbes experiences that he leads SignalFire’s NYC office, the place he focuses on the intersection of utilized AI and SaaS, serving to steer investments into companies like Tofy and Shade.
Gratifying Particulars and Pursuits: In keeping with his Linkedin, he carried out D-1 soccer on the Faculty of Michigan
Will McKelvey — Lerer Hippeau
Background: McKelvey, 29, partnered with various classmates and raised a fund to begin out backing startups whereas attending UC Berkeley. After graduation, he moved to New York and joined Lerer Hippeau.
Why this VC is notable: Launched a scholar enterprise fund at Berkeley that is nonetheless making investments.
Gratifying info and pursuits: One issue he need to change regarding the commerce is the amount of ego and conceitedness that persists, which can set off merchants to miss out on options and experience. “Many VCs have on a regular basis been the star scholar, went to the flowery schools, and obtained the flowery job, so that they misguidedly carry that perspective into this operate,” he continued. “This commerce may use a heavy dose of humility.”
His hobbies embody softball, basketball, and seaside volleyball. He wishes to know two points from the founders who pitch him. “What is the notion you’ll have that everyone else is missing, and the way in which did you unearth it?” he acknowledged. “What’s driving you to sort out the titanic effort of developing a corporation from scratch?”
Mason Murray — NEA
Background: Murray, 28, joined the company after a fast occupation in funding banking. He’s principally a generalist nevertheless focuses on software program program companies selling to corporations or buyers.
Why this VC is notable: Unprompted, three people on this file requested to make sure he was included. In keeping with NEA’s website online, he has made six investments, along with inside the e-newsletter agency beehiiv and AI video agency Tweleve Labs.
Gratifying info and pursuits: He joined the company after a fast occupation in funding banking. He’s principally a generalist nevertheless focuses on software program program companies selling to corporations or buyers.
He’s bullish on AI and wouldn’t ideas seeing additional AI founders coming to New York. “We have experience, prospects, capital, and good tutorial institutions,” he instructed TechCrunch. “I’m bullish on New York.”
In his non-public life, he’s a curiosity collector, musician, singer, and newbie prepare dinner dinner. In his expert life, he’s trying to find founders with a clear imaginative and prescient on how the world could also be completely completely different, “paired with a precise hypothesis on what it takes to get there.”
Zehra Naqvi — Headline Ventures
Background: Naqvi, 25, labored at various shopper startups sooner than formally turning into an investor for Headline closing 12 months.
Why this VC is notable: She’s acknowledged spherical metropolis for her well-liked enterprise capital e-newsletter No GPs Allowed, which supplies networking options to merchants spherical New York.
Gratifying info and pursuits: She loves being an investor and says although the market is down inside the shopper sector correct now, “historic previous has confirmed time and time as soon as extra that now might be the simplest time to double down on investing in the way in which ahead for buyers,” she instructed TechCrunch. “Be a contrarian.”
Her hobbies embody going to paintings galleries, touring, collaborating in tennis, and watching movement photos (she’s an AMC Stubs member). She’s trying to find founders inside the shopper space, in every tech and shopper packaged gadgets, between pre-seed and Sequence A.
David Ongchoco — Comma Capital
Background: Ongchoco, 28, has a background in tech, product sales, and investing, working for places like Dorm Room Fund, interning at Examine Capital, and dealing in product sales and progress 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 ranges.
Gratifying info and pursuits: He, alongside his co-founder Adarsh Bhatt, made Forbes’ 30 Beneath 30 this 12 months for his or her work in enterprise capital. Comma has backed higher than 50 companies so far, a number of of which have gone on to be acquired by companies like Stripe and Airtable.
Will Robbins — Reverse
Background: Robbins, 27, is a primary affiliate at Reverse. In keeping with his LinkedIn, he beforehand labored for diverse tech companies doing machine learning and held primary roles at startups.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Beneath 30 file for 2025, with the outlet reporting that he has helped improve 4 funds worth tens of hundreds of thousands. Investments embody the unicorn Zepto and Alloy Automation.
Gratifying Particulars and Pursuits: Forbes moreover says he helps current startup options to underrepresented youth.
Michael Shephard — Notion Companions
Background: Shephard, 29, is a principal at Notion Companions. Sooner than that, he held roles at iCapital Neighborhood and Levine Leitchman Capital Companions.
Why this VC is notable: He made the Forbes 30 Beneath 30 file for 2025 and labored his methodology up from an intern at Notion Companions to a principle. He focuses on SaaS in Europe and North America, with investments along with Kabal and Colab.
Gratifying info and pursuits: His LinkedIn says he is the founding father of the startup Lagom.io which creates homepages for browsers.
Alexandra Sukin — Bessemer Enterprise Companions
Background: Sukin, 27, obtained her start inside the commerce whereas at Harvard, the place she was involved with assorted on-campus actions like Harvard Ventures and was a founding member of the VC company Reverse 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 Utilized sciences) and enterprise companies Unito, Rewind, and Contractbook.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Her hobbies embody climbing and snowboarding, and she or he loves spending time out West, as her father’s side of the family is from Montana and Colorado. “Whereas I’m investing hundreds as of late in vertical and SMB software program program, I am moreover truly captivated with AI enabling a wave of purchaser companies,” she acknowledged.
Mark Xu — Lightspeed Enterprise Companions
Background: Xu, 24, is a affiliate at Lightspeed Enterprise Companions, whose investments, in step with his LinkedIn, embody Glean, Stripe, Wiz, and Anduril.
Why this VC is notable: Considered one of many youngest to ever be promoted to affiliate at Lightspeed Ventures.
Gratifying info and pursuits: Attended the Juilliard Faculty for the violin sooner than heading to Harvard Faculty to assessment math. Had a background in enterprise progress and funding banking sooner than turning into a member of Lightspeed Ventures.
Claire Zau — GSV Ventures
Background: Zau, 27, is probably going one of many youngest merchants ever to develop to be a affiliate at GSV, the place she helps lead AI investments, in step with Forbes. She beforehand held internships at Purple & Blue Ventures, Julius Bear, and Baring Private Equity Asia.
Why this VC is notable: She made the Forbes 30 under 30 file for 2025 with investments along with Tempo AI, Magic Faculty, and Paloma.
Gratifying info and curiosity: She has an AI e-newsletter known as “GSV: AI & Coaching” that has higher than 6,000 subscribers.
Vincent Zhu — Regular Catalyst
Background: Zhu, 25, is an early-stage investor at Regular Catalyst and, in step with his LinkedIn, loves working with founders “developing for the digitally native period.”
Why this VC is notable: He’s made a popularity for himself spherical metropolis, web internet hosting events and serving to founders get intros.
Gratifying info and pursuits: After college, he labored as an analyst at Goldman Sachs sooner than turning into a member of Regular Catalyst two years previously. The company’s portfolio consists of Stripe, Canva, and Warby Parker.
This piece was updated to reflect Mason Murray’s most modern investments.