TechCrunch Include Office Hours are happening in SF on November 15th! Vanessa Larco, Pete Sonsini and Rick Yang of NEA will join TechCrunch to provide advice and feedback to startups.
Launched in 2014, Include is TechCrunch’s diversity program, aimed at facilitating opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech to take their startups to the next level.
The Office Hours program is part of that effort. Once monthly, TechCrunch works with VC partners to provide feedback and advice to early-stage companies. To be considered for a meeting in session with NEA in SF, fill out the application here.
Underrepresented groups in tech include, but are not limited to, Black, Latino, Native American, LGBT and female founders. Preference will be given to teams that can meet in person. Startups should at least have a functional prototype.
Let’s learn more about our co-hosts.
Pete joined NEA in 2005 and focuses on early-stage enterprise software, services and systems companies. He is the co-head of NEA’s enterprise software practice group, and serves on several boards for NEA portfolio companies. Past investments include Pentaho (acquired by Hitachi), Teracent (acquired by Google) and Xensource (acquired by Citrix Systems). Prior to NEA, Pete was Senior Director of Strategic Alliances at VMware where he struck the company’s initial OEM deals and grew annual sales through OEMs from $0 to $40 million in four years.
Rick joined NEA in 2007 and is focused on consumer and fintech investments. He also co-manages NEA’s seed practice. Rick is currently on the board of Cape, Euclid, MasterClass, mNectar, Olio Devices, Plaid and TabbedOut. In addition, he works closely with Fyusion, GoEuro, Robinhood, Soraa and Stride Health. He was historically involved with Braintree (acquired by PayPal), Gaikai (acquired by Sony) and Pure Energies (acquired by NRG). Prior to joining NEA, Rick advised on and executed a number of strategic financing initiatives for leading public and private tech companies as part of the Credit Suisse Technology Group. Rick earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, where he was also a varsity swimmer.
Vanessa brings nearly a decade of deep product expertise to NEA’s consumer and enterprise investing practices, garnered through roles at some of the world’s leading technology companies, including Box and Microsoft, and as co-founder of a mobile gaming startup. She most recently served as Box’s Director of Product Management for Mobile and Web, where she led a team supporting the company’s flagship web and mobile products. Prior to Box, she held positions at Playdom (acquired by Disney Interactive) and Microsoft, and co-founded FunLoop, a mobile entertainment platform for kids.
If you’re interested in attending Office Hours with NEA, apply here by Wednesday, November 9th at 9am PT.