Ben Lerer

New York

Bio

Professional summary

Ben Lerer is a Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau. The official team page confirms his role and indicates he has been with the firm since 2010. Lerer Hippeau presents itself as a New York team helping founders access the city's networks and says it focuses on finding founders before they are famous. Public profiles add that Lerer co-founded Thrillist and has operating experience through Group Nine Media. Recent public reporting indicates Lerer Hippeau raised a $200 million ninth flagship fund in 2025, reinforcing its continued early-stage activity.

Investment focus

Stage, sector, and overall fit

Stage

early-stageseed

Sector

New York startup ecosystemconsumer, media and internet businessesAI, fintech, enterprise and SaaS

Thesis

early-stage foundersNew York startup ecosystemconsumer, AI, fintech, enterprise and SaaSmedia and consumer internet

Notable companies

Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed

{ "name": "Thrillist", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "public source" }{ "name": "Group Nine Media", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "public source" }{ "name": "Zipline", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "official homepage portfolio update" }{ "name": "Ollie", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "official homepage portfolio update" }{ "name": "Guideline", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "official homepage portfolio update" }{ "name": "Hungryroot", "confidence": "medium", "source_basis": "official homepage portfolio update" }

How to approach

Framing and angles for outreach

Pitch framing

Best fit for an early-stage company with a strong founder story, clear market insight, and a reason New York networks or consumer/operator expertise could accelerate the business.

Personalization hooks

1Reference Lerer Hippeau's positioning around finding founders before they are famous.
2If relevant, connect the pitch to New York ecosystem leverage or consumer/media operating experience.

Recent signals

What the partner has said or done recently

Lerer Hippeau announced a $200 million ninth flagship VC fund in April 2025.
The firm homepage highlights recent activity across AI, health, enterprise, real estate, and portfolio exits.

Background

Career, education, and skills

Career history

Lerer HippeauManaging Partner & Co-Founder2010 – Present
Group Nine MediaCo-FounderUnknown – Unknown
Thrillist Media GroupCo-FounderUnknown – Unknown

Education

University of PennsylvaniaUnknown, Unknown

Skills

Seed InvestingConsumer MediaNYC EcosystemEntrepreneurship

Other partners at Lerer Hippeau

8 more profiles

View firm →

Andrea Hippeau

Partner

Lerer Hippeau

Andrea Hippeau is a Partner at Lerer Hippeau, where the official team page lists her as a Partner since 2014. Public profiles describe prior roles at The Dodo, Bark & Co., Advance Publications, and Thomson Reuters.

consumercrypto / finteche-commercemarketplaces

Eric Hippeau

Managing Partner

Lerer Hippeau

Eric Hippeau is a Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau, where the official team page lists him as part of the firm since 2010. Public sources describe prior leadership roles at The Huffington Post, Ziff-Davis, and SoftBank Capital.

advertisinganalyticseducationmediaseed & Series A

Graham Brown

Managing Partner

Lerer Hippeau

Graham Brown is a Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau. The official team page lists him as Managing Partner since 2015, and public profiles describe earlier work at SoftBank Capital, Polaris Partners, and Life Line Screening.

AIB2B SaaSenterprise software

Isabelle Phelps

Partner

Lerer Hippeau

Isabelle Phelps is a Partner at Lerer Hippeau, where the official team page lists her as Partner since 2018. Public profiles describe prior experience at Dorm Room Fund, Yahoo, and eBay Enterprise.

AIenterprise applicationsinfrastructure