Eric Hippeau

Eric Hippeau is a prominent venture capitalist and a partner at Lerer Hippeau Ventures, based in New York City. Born on August 16, 1951, in Paris, France, he was educated at the Lycée Français de Londres and attended the Sorbonne University in Paris.1

Hippeau's career began in the publishing industry with Ziff-Davis, where he joined in 1989 as the publisher of PC Magazine. He became president in 1991 and chairman and CEO in 1993. After SoftBank acquired Ziff-Davis in 1995, Hippeau continued as CEO until 2000. He then joined SoftBank Capital as a managing partner, where he played a significant role in establishing international private equity funds and was involved in investments in companies like Yahoo!, Geocities, and CNET.1

He was also the CEO of The Huffington Post, joining the company in 2009 after having invested in it through SoftBank Capital.1 In 2011, Hippeau became a partner at Lerer Hippeau Ventures, a venture capital firm known for its seed-first, New York-focused investment strategy.23 He is also a co-founder of NowThis Media and serves on the boards of several companies, including BuzzFeed and RebelMouse.13

Eric Hippeau is known for his extensive experience in the tech and media industries, emphasizing the importance of big ideas, timing, and the entrepreneur's background in successful pitches.2 He resides in New York City with his wife, Barbara, and has four children and two grandchildren.1