Aileen Lee

U.S. venture capital angel investor and co-founder

Aileen Lee is a prominent venture capitalist and the founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California. With over two decades of experience in the industry, she has played a significant role in supporting early-stage startups, particularly in the enterprise and consumer sectors.

Education and Early Career

Aileen Lee was born in 1970 and grew up in Millburn, New Jersey. She graduated from Millburn High School in 1988 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1992. After a brief stint as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley, she pursued an MBA from Harvard Business School, graduating in 1997.1 2

Professional Background

Lee began her venture capital career at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) in 1999, where she worked for over a decade. At KPCB, she was involved with numerous successful companies from their Series A rounds through to their IPOs, including Bloom Energy and Rent the Runway. She also served as the founding CEO of RMG Networks, a KPCB-backed digital media company. In 2012, she left KPCB to establish Cowboy Ventures, which has since become one of the first female-led venture capital firms.1 2

Contributions and Recognition

Aileen Lee is credited with coining the term "unicorn" in a 2013 TechCrunch article, which refers to privately held startups valued at over $1 billion. This term has since become a staple in the venture capital lexicon. She has been recognized as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People and has appeared on Forbes' Midas List multiple times, highlighting her impact in the venture capital space.1 2 3

In addition to her investment work, Lee is a co-founder of All Raise, a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing the number of female investors in venture capital. She is also involved in various philanthropic efforts and serves on the board of the Castilleja School.1 2

Personal Life

Aileen Lee is married and has three children. She enjoys activities such as cooking, watching tennis, and spending time with her family. Her diverse interests and commitment to promoting equality in the tech industry reflect her multifaceted personality and dedication to her work and family.1 2

Highlights

Dec 12 · twitter

woohoo, congrats @joinhomebase! Well deserved recognition to a significant co that has been more under-the-radar (until recently)... serving over 100k SMBs across the country every day and growing! 🎉🍾

Sep 30 · twitter

Where are we looking to invest at Cowboy Ventures in new seed stage (and pre-seed) software companies?

Vert industry-focused SaaS, w a vision for how co-pilots, agents will be used over time (esp for 'unsexy', old-school or overlooked industries)
software that productizes, automates svces currently largely powered by humans
AI for regulated industries, esp fintech. Esp on the lookout for better fraud detection for the age of AI
modern alternatives to aged incumbent sw w low cust sat
tech-driven HC solutions for the aging population
new category creators where current TAM might seem limited but could grow big