Lerer Hippeau

Graham Brown

Partner

Graham joined Lerer Hippeau from SoftBank Capital, where he focused primarily on early stage investments in mobile and Internet, with a particular interest in marketplaces. Prior to SoftBank Capital, Graham was an Associate at Polaris Partners and then helped lead digital strategy at Life Line Screening, a direct-to-consumer preventive health company backed by Polaris Partners. Graham is a graduate of Colby College and Columbia Business School.

Want to view this full profile? Sign up!

Notable Investments

K Health, Medly, Guideline, ZenBusiness, Clubhouse

Questions & Answers

Origin Story: In a couple sentences, how would you describe your path to becoming an investor?

I started in growth equity a couple years after graduating college and immediately fell in love with technology investing. I took a break to get some operating experience working for a D2C healthcare services business and have been part of the NYC venture ecosystem since 2014.

Investment Approach: What are the key factors you consider when evaluating a founding team?

I look for a deep and authentic understanding of a market opportunity, and the ability to effectively communicate the story. I find that the strongest teams have both unique insights and the passion to get me more and more excited about an opportunity the deeper I go in diligence.

What's your style and approach when it comes to working with founders post-investment? What are the characteristics of founders you've worked well with?

Transparency is critical. Given we’re investing so early, I find an open and transparent relationship helps to create both trust and valuable opportunity on both sides of the relationship.

If I'm coming to pitch to you or your firm, what's the one piece of advice you'd give me?

I think it’s always valuable to have a specific goal in mind for what you want me (or any investor) to take away from the meeting. Given the limited time for an initial pitch, it helps to keep things focused whether it’s a conversational meeting or a more formal presentation.

What do you like best about investing in NYC, and what’s your outlook on the future of NYC tech?

The diversity of thought, talent and creativity makes NYC an incredible place to live and to invest. The energy and culture that makes NYC so special isn’t going away and there is still a ton of room for growth for the NYC tech ecosystem.