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
Luke Pappas is a UK-based Partner on NEA's Technology team, with an official focus on consumer and enterprise investing across seed/early and growth stages. NEA lists him as a board member or board observer for companies including spektr, Aquabyte, DJUST, Sana, Bliq and Inkitt, and notes that he co-led NEA's investment in Synthesia. His background includes technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley and dual Stanford BS degrees in computer science and management science and engineering. His official profile also emphasizes relationship-building with founders, European startup momentum, and the importance of early-stage storytelling.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Seed/EarlyGrowth
Sector
TechnologyConsumerEnterpriseAIB2B commerceFintech infrastructureEnterprise software
Thesis
Consumer technologyEnterprise technologySeed/early-stage and growth-stage technology companiesEuropean startups
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
spektrAquabyteDJUSTSanaBliqInkittSynthesiaCleoGen.GSitetracker
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Best fit for a European or global technology company with a strong founder story in consumer, enterprise, AI, compliance, knowledge, or workflow software.
Personalization hooks
- 1Reference his stated belief that relationships are central to investing and founder partnerships.
- 2Emphasize clear early-stage storytelling if pitching a pre-product or early product vision.
- 3Mention relevance to European startup momentum if the company has a Europe angle.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
NEA profile lists a 2026 first investment in spektr, an AI-powered compliance and onboarding platform.
NEA profile lists Synthesia as a 2024 investment and says Luke co-led NEA's investment.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA)PartnerPresent
Education
- Stanford UniversityUndergraduate degree
Skills
European ventureconsumer investingenterprise softwareearly-stage investinggrowth-stage investing
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