# Rick Lewis

> Rick Lewis is a General Partner at U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), a storied Silicon Valley venture firm based in Menlo Park. A two-time startup founder turned investor, he joined USVP in 2004 and was promoted to General Partner in 2012. He focuses on early-stage enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and consumer services, with a track record that includes exits to Airbnb, Viacom, Microsoft, Slack, PayPal, IBM, Oracle, and Nordstrom. Lewis holds degrees from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and Harvard Business School, and is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 10).

- **Role:** General Partner at U.S. Venture Partners (USVP)
- **Organizations:** U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), Kauffman Fellows Program, Darwinium (board), Mealogic (board), Primary (board), Slang AI (board), Stensul (board), Tiny Fish (board), Act-On Software (board)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Computer Science and Engineering (summa cum laude), University of California, Davis, M.S. Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, M.B.A. with Distinction, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Promoted to General Partner at USVP in 2012, Led USVP investment in Yammer (acquired by Microsoft), Led USVP investment in HotelTonight (acquired by Airbnb)

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Software engineering roles at Sun Microsystems and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- **early career** — Consultant to Walt Disney Imagineering
- **early career** — Six years in software engineering leadership at Autodesk
- **1990s** — Co-founded Design Variations (software company)
- **1990s** — Co-founded Common Point Technologies (software company, successful exit)
- **early career** — Engagement at McKinsey & Company
- **2004** — Joined U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) as investor
- **2010** — Kauffman Fellow, Class 10, mentored by Irwin Federman
- **2012** — Promoted to General Partner at USVP
- **2022** — Helped raise USVP Fund XIII - $400M early-stage venture capital fund
- **2026** — Active board member at Darwinium, Mealogic, Primary, Slang AI, Stensul, Tiny Fish, Act-On Software

## Achievements

- Promoted to General Partner at USVP in 2012
- Led USVP investment in Yammer (acquired by Microsoft)
- Led USVP investment in HotelTonight (acquired by Airbnb)
- Led USVP investment in Pluto TV (acquired by Viacom)
- Led USVP investment in Rimeto (acquired by Slack)
- Led USVP investment in ThreatMetrix (acquired by RELX)
- Led USVP investment in Trunk Club (acquired by Nordstrom)
- Led USVP investment in Happy Returns (acquired by PayPal)
- Led USVP investment in Trusteer (acquired by IBM)
- Led USVP investment in Instantis (acquired by Oracle)
- Led USVP investment in Intermolecular (IPO, subsequently acquired by Merck)
- Led USVP investment in Victrio (acquired by Verint)
- Part of team raising USVP Fund XIII ($400M) closed December 2022
- Kauffman Fellow, Class 10
- B.S. Computer Science from UC Davis - summa cum laude
- M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard Business School
- 45+ recorded investments across enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and consumer

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — USVP portfolio company Slang AI raised Series B ($28M)
- **2025-08** — USVP portfolio company TinyFish raised Series A ($47M)
- **2022-12** — USVP closes Fund XIII, a $400M early-stage venture capital fund

## Links

- Website: https://www.usvp.com/team/rick-lewis/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickusvp
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/RickUSVP
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Venture-Partners-USVP/113779035358509

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rick-lewis
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17