Mar Hershenson
Founding Managing Partner·Pear VC
Bio
Professional summary
Mar Hershenson is a Founding Managing Partner at Pear VC. Her official Pear profile describes a technical background that includes a Stanford Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, analog semiconductor design work, 14 patents, and more than 13 years of founder experience across mobile/ecommerce, enterprise software, and semiconductors. She has also taught at Stanford, serves on boards and advisory groups in education and engineering, and co-founded or supported initiatives including Equity Summit and All Raise. Pear lists her interests as AI, B2B, and consumer.
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 technical depth, founder insight, and a crisp view of how the company will win across team, market, and execution.
Partneralization hooks
- 1Stanford engineering and entrepreneurship teaching
- 2Technical founder experience across semiconductors and enterprise software
- 3Hiking and nature
- 4FC Barcelona
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official profile states Forbes Midas List recognition in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- Pear VCCo-Founder & Founding Managing Partner
- Stanford UniversityLecturer / Consulting Professor
- Revel TouchCo-Founder
- Sabio LabsCo-Founder
- Barcelona (startup)Co-Founder
- Magma Design AutomationVP Product
Education
- Stanford UniversityPh.D., Electrical Engineering
Skills
Languages
Other partners at Pear VC
12 more profiles
Ajay Kamat
Partner
Pear VC
Ajay Kamat is a Partner at Pear VC and former founder of Wedding Party, which was acquired by Instacart.
Annie Ta
Partner & Head of Founder Ecosystem
Pear VC
Pear VC Partner and Head of Founder Ecosystem focused on early-stage founders.
Arash Afrakhteh
Partner
Pear VC
Arash Afrakhteh is a Partner at Pear VC focused on enterprise and B2B startups, with a technical infrastructure background.
Ayush Gupta
Early-Stage Fellow
Pear VC
Pear VC Early-Stage Fellow and UIUC Venture Capital Association president.
Eddie Eltoukhy
Partner
Pear VC
Partner at Pear VC focused on innovative life sciences investments, with a scientific and business background spanning MIT biological engineering, Stanford GSB, biotech R&D, corporate development, and venture investing.
Harris Stolzenberg
Partner
Pear VC
Boston-based Pear Partner backing early-stage founders across sectors.
Kathleen Estreich
Partner
Pear VC
Pear Partner backing B2B startups, with MKT1 and startup marketing leadership experience.
Khalil Fuller
Partner & Head of Dorm
Pear VC
Pear Partner and Head of Dorm supporting student founders from idea to startup launch.
Pejman Nozad
Co-Founder and Founding Managing Partner
Pear VC
Pejman Nozad is the Co-Founder and Founding Managing Partner of Pear VC and a seed investor in major technology companies.
Pepe Agell
Partner
Pear VC
Pear Partner in Barcelona helping B2B founders with GTM, sales, and growth.
Shravan Reddy
Partner
Pear VC
Pear Partner focused on PearX, early-stage AI, B2B software, and fintech.
Warren Shaeffer
Partner
Pear VC
Pear Partner investing in consumer startups and PearX companies.