# Mike Vernal

> Mike Vernal is a General Partner at Conviction Partners, an AI-native venture firm led by Sarah Guo. Before that he spent seven years as a Partner at Sequoia Capital, where he backed companies like Rippling, Clay, Notion, and Statsig. His investor instincts were forged at Facebook, where he spent eight years rising to VP of Product and Engineering - co-creating Facebook Login and the Graph API, managing the platform's pivotal mobile transition, and helping invent the modern 'growth team' playbook. A Harvard computer scientist turned operator turned investor, Vernal is known for his 'Market Curve' framework, his early-morning discipline, and a blunt skepticism about data moats.

- **Role:** General Partner at Conviction Partners
- **Organizations:** Conviction Partners, Sequoia Capital, Facebook / Meta, Microsoft
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** A.B. and S.M. in Computer Science (magna cum laude), Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-created Facebook Login and the Graph API - foundational infrastructure used by billions, Led Facebook Platform's transition from desktop to mobile (2009-2013), Helped pioneer the 'growth team' model at Facebook

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Graduated Harvard magna cum laude with dual A.B./S.M. in Computer Science
- **2002-2008** — Product Manager and Software Design Engineer at Microsoft, working on Windows Communication Foundation (Indigo)
- **2008** — Joined Facebook as Director of Engineering
- **2009-2013** — Led Facebook Platform team through the critical mobile transition; co-created Facebook Login and the Graph API
- **2012-2016** — Rose to VP of Product and Engineering at Facebook; led Search, Commerce, Profile, Local, and Developer groups; pioneered Facebook Mobile App Ads and Audience Network
- **2016** — Left Facebook following paternity leave reflection; joined Sequoia Capital as Partner
- **2016-2023** — Partner at Sequoia Capital; invested in Rippling, Clay, Notion, Statsig, Verkada, Citizen, Rockset, and others
- **2020** — Published 'The Market Curve' - his signature investing framework essay
- **2023** — Departed Sequoia Capital; took deliberate sabbatical for personal renewal
- **2025** — Joined Conviction Partners as General Partner alongside $230M Fund II close

## Achievements

- Co-created Facebook Login and the Graph API - foundational infrastructure used by billions
- Led Facebook Platform's transition from desktop to mobile (2009-2013)
- Helped pioneer the 'growth team' model at Facebook
- Created Facebook Mobile App Ads and the Audience Network
- Backed Rippling (now valued at billions) as lead investor at Sequoia
- Early investor in Notion, Clay, Statsig, and Verkada
- Published 'The Market Curve' framework, widely cited by founders and investors
- Joined Conviction Partners GP alongside $230M Fund II close (2025)
- Portfolio company OpenEvidence raised $210M in 2025; Listen Labs named to Forbes AI 50 2026

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Portfolio company Listen Labs named to Forbes AI 50 2026
- **2025-10** — Portfolio company OpenEvidence raised $210M round led by GV and Kleiner Perkins
- **2025-06** — Appeared at AI Fireside Chat at Pilot HQ, San Francisco discussing AI investment landscape
- **2025-01** — Joined Conviction Partners as General Partner; firm closed $230M Fund II

## Links

- Website: https://www.conviction.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernal
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mvernal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MV

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