Aaron Jacobson
Partner
New Enterprise Associates
Aaron Jacobson is a Partner at NEA focused on AI, cybersecurity, developer tools, and robotics. He joined NEA in 2011 and invests across seed/early and growth stages.
Bio
Professional summary
Lila Tretikov joined NEA in 2024 as Partner, Head of AI Strategy, with an official profile focus on Technology, Seed/Early, and Growth. She previously served as Deputy CTO at Microsoft, where she worked on large-scale AI transformation. Earlier roles include SVP Engie, CEO and Vice Chair Terrawatt at Engie, and CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation and Endowment. Her listed NEA portfolio includes Backflip, Ceramic, CuspAI, Foresight, Horizon3.ai, Namespace, and World Labs.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Seed/EarlyGrowth
Sector
AIEnterprise AIAI infrastructureCybersecuritySpatial intelligence
Thesis
AI strategyAI infrastructureAI for physical design and materialsPrivate-market data and AI toolingDeveloper infrastructure for AI agents
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
BackflipCeramicCuspAIForesightHorizon3.aiNamespaceWorld Labs
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Lead with how AI changes the operating model of a large market, not just with model capability; emphasize enterprise-scale deployment, data advantage, infrastructure needs, and why the founder can navigate transformation at scale.
Personalization hooks
- 1Reference her Microsoft Deputy CTO experience driving large-scale AI transformation.
- 2Connect AI infrastructure pitches to Ceramic, Namespace, or Foresight.
- 3For frontier AI, reference World Labs, CuspAI, Backflip, or her interest in AI extending human capability.
- 4Emphasize founder learning velocity, focus, and grit, which she names as founder qualities she values.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Joined NEA in 2024 as Partner, Head of AI Strategy.
Official portfolio list shows 2025 first investments in CuspAI, Foresight, Horizon3.ai, and Namespace.
NEA lists related content by her on Namespace, CuspAI, Foresight, Horizon3.ai, Ceramic, and Backflip.
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