Liz Wessel
Partner·First Round Capital
Bio
Professional summary
Liz Wessel is a Partner in First Round Capital's San Francisco office. She previously co-founded and led WayUp, raised venture capital for the company, and guided it through acquisition. She later worked with more than 110 early-stage startups as a Visiting Group Partner at Y Combinator, focusing on enterprise sales, B2B marketing, storytelling, and fundraising. First Round also notes her angel investing across companies including Ramp, ScaleAI, Ro, Artera, FreeWill, and Snackpass.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Sector
Thesis
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Lead with founder-led intensity, category insight, and a clear GTM/fundraising narrative for an early-stage company transforming a legacy workflow or market.
Partneralization hooks
- 1Reference her WayUp founder experience and hands-on YC coaching background.
- 2Frame the company as either transforming an old-school industry or enabled by a new technology shift.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official First Round profile lists current investments including Reducto, Gumloop, David AI, M7 Health, Solidroad, and Scotch.
First Round says she joined in 2023 as a Partner in the San Francisco office.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- First Round CapitalPartner
- WayUpCo-Founder & CEOPre-First Round
Education
- University of PennsylvaniaDegree
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