# Curtis Lee

> Curtis Lee is a New York-based entrepreneur, product executive and investor who co-founded Luxe with Craig Martin and Pinwheel with Kurt Lin and Anish Basu. Volvo Cars acquired Luxe’s platform, technology and key staff in 2017. Lee later led payments and Azure product teams at Microsoft, announcing his departure in September 2026 to focus on building products.

- **Role:** Co-founder of Pinwheel; entrepreneur and investor
- **Organizations:** Luxe, Pinwheel, Microsoft (former), Volvo Cars (former), Primary Venture Partners (former venture partner), Groupon (former), Zynga (former), Google (former), YouTube (former), Summit Partners (former), Advanced Technology Ventures (former), Lightspeed Venture Partners (former entrepreneur in residence)
- **Education:** BA in Economics, University of California, Berkeley, MBA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led Luxe, whose platform, technology and key staff were acquired by Volvo Cars in 2017., Co-founded payroll connectivity company Pinwheel in 2018., Led Global Payments and Cash and subsequently product for Azure Experiences at Microsoft.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked in investing at Summit Partners and Advanced Technology Ventures and in product roles at Google, YouTube, Zynga and Groupon.
- **2013** — Co-founded Luxe with former Zynga colleague Craig Martin.
- **2014** — Luxe publicly launched in October, following a beta period.
- **2015** — Luxe began converting independent-contractor valets into employees.
- **2017** — Volvo Cars acquired Luxe assets on September 8; Lee became VP of Digital at Volvo Cars.
- **2018** — Co-founded Pinwheel with Anish Basu and Kurt Lin.
- **2019** — Joined Primary Venture Partners as a venture partner in New York.
- **2021** — Pinwheel raised a $20 million Series A; Lee published essays on success and systems.
- **2022** — Pinwheel raised a $50 million Series B.
- **2024** — Spoke at The Korea Society on February 28 while VP of Global Payments and Cash at Microsoft.
- **2026** — Announced departure from Microsoft on September 8, describing his payments and subsequent Azure Experiences leadership and plans to focus on building products.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led Luxe, whose platform, technology and key staff were acquired by Volvo Cars in 2017.
- Co-founded payroll connectivity company Pinwheel in 2018.
- Led Global Payments and Cash and subsequently product for Azure Experiences at Microsoft.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Announced his departure from Microsoft to focus on building products; described prior leadership of Global Payments and Cash and product for Azure Experiences.
- **2024-02** — Discussed his entrepreneurial career with CeFaan Kim at The Korea Society on February 28.

## Links

- Website: https://www.curtislee.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisylee
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/curtislee

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/curtis-lee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24