# Mary Jane Elmore

> Mary Jane (MJ) Elmore is a pioneering venture capitalist who joined IVP (Institutional Venture Partners) in 1982 and became one of the first female General Partners in American venture capital history. Over a four-decade career spanning eight IVP funds, she backed transformative technology companies in software, communications, and computer-aided engineering. Now a Limited Partner and active angel investor through Broadway Angels and Sand Hill Angels, she has reinvented herself as an oil painter - applying the same mathematical precision that made her a formidable investor to abstract landscapes and architecture.

- **Role:** Limited Partner at IVP; Angel Investor at Broadway Angels and Sand Hill Angels
- **Organizations:** IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), Broadway Angels, Sand Hill Angels, Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council, Stanford Center on Longevity Advisory Council, Sacred Heart Schools Atherton (Board of Trustees), Children's Health Council (Board Member), Western Association of Venture Capitalists (former Director), Purdue University Mathematics Advisory Council
- **From:** Indiana, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Mathematics, Purdue University, M.B.A., Stanford University, Fellow (Inaugural Class), Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute
- **Known for:** One of the first female General Partners in venture capital in the United States (1983), Served as General Partner across eight IVP funds over four decades, Featured protagonist in 'Alpha Girls' by Julian Guthrie (Penguin Random House, 2019), which was adapted for television

## Career timeline

- **Early 1980s** — Early career at Intel Corporation, marketing in the Development Systems Division, helping achieve market leadership for Intel microprocessors
- **1982** — Joined Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) in Menlo Park, California
- **1983** — Became General Partner at IVP - among the first female venture capital partners in the United States
- **1983-2010s** — Served as General Partner across eight IVP funds, investing in software, communications, and computer-aided engineering companies
- **2015** — Attended Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute as a fellow in the inaugural class; discovered oil painting
- **2016** — Received Distinguished Science Alumni Award from Purdue University's College of Science
- **2019** — Featured as one of four protagonists in Julian Guthrie's 'Alpha Girls,' published by Penguin Random House; appeared on Stanford Legal podcast
- **2019-present** — Active angel investor through Broadway Angels and Sand Hill Angels; Limited Partner at IVP
- **2024** — Supported SFMOMA exhibition of Mary Lovelace O'Neal's work as arts advocate

## Achievements

- One of the first female General Partners in venture capital in the United States (1983)
- Served as General Partner across eight IVP funds over four decades
- Featured protagonist in 'Alpha Girls' by Julian Guthrie (Penguin Random House, 2019), which was adapted for television
- 2016 Distinguished Science Alumni Award, Purdue University College of Science
- Fellow in Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute inaugural class (2015)
- Backed companies including SynOptics (later 3Com), Bridge Communications, SuperMac, Aspect Communications, and others that helped shape early tech
- Active member of Broadway Angels, an elite angel investment group of female investors and executives
- Advisory council member at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Center on Longevity

## Latest updates

- **2024-03** — IVP raised its latest fund (IVP XIX) with $1.6 billion, in which Elmore participates as a Limited Partner
- **2024** — Supported SFMOMA exhibition of Mary Lovelace O'Neal's work as an arts advocate and philanthropist
- **2023-2024** — Active as angel investor through Broadway Angels and Sand Hill Angels, continuing to back early-stage companies

## Links

- Website: https://www.mjelmore.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-jane-elmore-a7525817/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mjhelmore
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjelmore/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/institutionalventurepartners

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mary-elmore
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18