Lerer Hippeau Welcomes Angel Investor and Operator Ron Zori to Fund IX as Venture Partner

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lerer Hippeau, a leading early stage venture capital firm founded and operated in New York City, announced today that it has hired Ron Zori as Venture Partner - the first in the firm’s history - for Fund IX. Fund IX, a $200M fund focused exclusively on early stage investments, also marks 15 years of Lerer Hippeau supporting early stage founders by serving as their first and most aligned institutional partner.

“Ron’s self-professed goal is to be a founder’s single most valuable partner, and he’s certainly been that to me, and to our team,” said Ido Wisenberg, CEO of Voyantis.

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Zori joins LH after a decade of operating and investing in tech companies across New York, Israel, and Europe. He’s backed over 35 companies, including Public (which he later joined to help grow from 1K-1M+ users in less than 18 months), Voyantis, Blank Street, and OpenWeb. He led revenue at Knotel, which he helped to grow from $0-370M ARR, was among a16z’s first scouts, and started his career as a professional soccer player, as well as serving in the IDF.

“We’ve known Ron for years - we’ve swapped deal flow, coinvested, and run in increasingly overlapping circles,” said Ben Lerer, Managing Partner. “Ron has the qualities that matter most to us: he intuitively knows what great talent looks like, he has a knack for quickly building trusting relationships, and he is a curious, passionate, high-motor person. He’s a self-starter with relevant experience as an operator at rapidly scaling tech companies and he has a robust and impressive angel portfolio. Founders we know and respect seek Ron out for advice and want him in their corner. At this inflection point in his own career, Ron considered starting his own fund - and he very well may do that in the future - but for now, we’re thrilled to have him join team LH and marry our networks for everyone’s benefit.”

“I am proud to be joining Lerer Hippeau at such an exciting time in the firm’s history,” said Zori. “A decade into investing (sometimes alongside LH) and operating in New York, I’m thrilled about what this partnership can offer the founders we get the opportunity to build with. LH’s unparalleled experience, platform, and connectivity in New York makes it the most powerful conduit for Israeli and European founders commercializing in the U.S. It will be the most aligned partner and platform for my network, in and out of New York.”

“I’ve known Ron in many forms - first, when he angel invested in our platform and advised us in our earliest days; then, when he joined us full time to help lead our growth, unlocking some of the most pivotal deals and partnerships for us throughout the company’s journey,” said Leif Abraham, co-founder and co-CEO of Public. “Lerer Hippeau’s a natural fit, and I’m excited for the founders that will get to partner with Ron and the Lerer Hippeau team.”

“Ron’s self-professed goal is to be a founder’s single most valuable partner, and he’s certainly been that to me, and to our team,” said Ido Wisenberg, CEO of Voyantis. “In our first year and a half of partnership, Ron helped us 5x revenue and massively boost our talent and customer pipelines.”

“Ron has been an integral partner to our business since its earliest days,” said Nadav Shoval, founder and former CEO of OpenWeb, which he recently left to start a new business with a co-founder Zori introduced him to. “Ron unlocked some of our most meaningful relationships and has been there for us every step of the way.”

Lerer Hippeau will deploy Fund IX with a singular focus on “finding the best founders before they’re famous” – specializing in helping founders build from zero to one, and staying in their corners for the long haul. Though Lerer Hippeau remains well known for its success in early consumer investments, the firm has always invested across the enterprise and consumer landscapes.

Lerer Hippeau’s team comprises 20 early stage specialists across investment and operational roles.

About Lerer Hippeau

Lerer Hippeau is an early stage venture capital firm founded and operated in New York City. Since 2010, we have invested in entrepreneurs with great ideas who aren’t afraid to do hard things. Our portfolio includes more than 400 leading enterprise and consumer businesses including Guideline, Blockdaemon, K Health, Palmetto, ZenBusiness, Zipline, Crexi, Prose, Hungryroot, and Warby Parker. We’re experienced operators who invest early and stay in our founders’ corners as they build iconic companies. Learn more at lererhippeau.com.