# Jess Lee

> Jess Lee is a Partner at Sequoia Capital - the firm's first female investing partner in the US in its 44-year history. Before that, she was co-founder and CEO of Polyvore, the social fashion platform she helped grow to 20+ million monthly users before selling to Yahoo for ~$230 million in 2015. A Stanford CS grad who once paid tuition by selling manga art on eBay, Lee brings a rare blend of deep product instinct (forged at Google Maps), community-building obsession, and operator credibility to early-stage investing. She also co-founded All Raise, the nonprofit dedicated to getting more women into venture capital and founding roles.

- **Role:** Partner at Sequoia Capital
- **Organizations:** Sequoia Capital, All Raise, Polyvore (acquired by Yahoo), Ironclad, Maven Clinic, Wonolo, Mos, The Wing, Faire
- **From:** Hong Kong
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Hong Kong International School, B.S. Computer Science, Stanford University
- **Known for:** First female investing partner in Sequoia Capital's US history (44-year milestone, 2016), Co-founder and CEO of Polyvore, sold to Yahoo! for ~$230 million in 2015, Grew Polyvore to 20+ million monthly active users

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Born in Hong Kong
- **1999** — Graduated Hong Kong International School at age 17; enrolled at Stanford University
- **1999-2003** — Paid for college by selling manga-style artwork on eBay while earning B.S. in Computer Science at Stanford
- **2004** — Joined Google's Associate Product Manager (APM) program, mentored by Marissa Mayer
- **2004-2006** — Product Manager on Froogle (Google Shopping)
- **2006-2008** — Product Manager for Google Maps; shipped 'My Maps' feature and draggable driving directions
- **2007** — Discovered Polyvore as a power user; spent 2-3 hours per night on the platform
- **2008** — Sent a detailed two-page email to Polyvore founder Pasha Sadri critiquing the product and requesting a rotation tool; was hired as first PM
- **2010** — Elevated to Honorary Co-Founder of Polyvore
- **2011** — Polyvore turned profitable in June
- **2012** — Promoted to CEO of Polyvore; Pasha Sadri became CTO; board member Peter Fenton compared her leadership potential to Jack Dorsey
- **2015** — Polyvore sold to Yahoo! for approximately $230 million in July
- **2015-2016** — Served as VP of Product, Lifestyle at Yahoo! following the Polyvore acquisition
- **2016** — Joined Sequoia Capital as Partner on November 7, becoming the firm's first female investing partner in the US in its 44-year history
- **2018** — Co-founded All Raise, a nonprofit to increase gender diversity in VC and founding
- **2019** — Joined board of Ironclad (contract lifecycle management)
- **2023** — Sequoia's Arc program (early-stage accelerator where Lee plays a central role) expanded to 3 classes per year; Sequoia raised $195M Fund V seed fund

## Achievements

- First female investing partner in Sequoia Capital's US history (44-year milestone, 2016)
- Co-founder and CEO of Polyvore, sold to Yahoo! for ~$230 million in 2015
- Grew Polyvore to 20+ million monthly active users
- Negotiated Polyvore's first advertising deal with Piperlime
- Co-founded All Raise, moving the needle on women in venture capital from ~6% to higher representation
- Led Google Maps features including My Maps and draggable driving directions
- 42+ investments at Sequoia Capital; board member at Ironclad, Maven Clinic, Wonolo, Mos, and others
- Recognized by Gold House as a prominent AAPI tech leader
- Participated in Sequoia's Arc accelerator program shaping the next generation of founders

## Latest updates

- **2023-01** — Sequoia's Arc program expanded to 3 classes per year; Sequoia raised a $195M Fund V covering US, Europe, and Latin America
- **2022-06** — Sequoia Capital restructured into three independent entities (US/Europe, China, India/Southeast Asia) - Lee continues as partner in the US/Europe entity
- **2019-01** — Joined board of Ironclad, the contract lifecycle management company

## Links

- Website: http://www.jessyoko.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesskah
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jesskah
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesskah/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jess-lee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29