# Theresia Gouw

> Theresia Gouw is a Chinese-Indonesian immigrant who became America's first female billionaire venture capitalist. A Brown-trained engineer turned Stanford MBA, she rose to become the first female investing partner at Accel Partners, where she helped back Facebook at a $98 million valuation in 2005. She co-founded Aspect Ventures and then Acrew Capital, managing ~$1.7 billion with a firm where 85% of employees are women or BIPOC. Beyond VC, she holds minority ownership stakes in the Buffalo Bills, Bay FC, and Golden State Warriors, and is Lead Investor and Executive Chair of an incoming Major League Volleyball franchise in Northern California.

- **Role:** Co-founder and General Partner at Acrew Capital
- **Organizations:** Acrew Capital, Brown University Corporation, DonorsChoose.org, All Raise, Buffalo Bills (minority owner), Bay FC (minority owner), Golden State Warriors (minority owner), p1440, Major League Volleyball NorCal (Lead Investor & Executive Chair)
- **From:** Jakarta, Indonesia
- **Nationality:** American (Indonesian-born, Chinese-Indonesian heritage)
- **Education:** ScB in Engineering, Brown University, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** America's first female billionaire venture capitalist (Forbes, 2025), First female investing partner at Accel Partners (2003), Forbes Midas List - named 9 times

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Graduated Brown University magna cum laude with ScB in Engineering
- **1990-1994** — Product Manager at Silicon Graphics; management consultant at Bain & Company
- **1996** — Co-founded Release Software (SaaS - digital rights management and licensing), serving as Founding VP of Business Development & Sales
- **1999** — Joined Accel Partners as investment associate
- **2003** — Became first female investing partner at Accel Partners
- **2005** — Led Accel's landmark $12.7M investment in Facebook at $98M valuation alongside Jim Breyer
- **2012** — Facebook IPO - Accel's stake valued at billions; Gouw held ~8 million shares
- **2013** — Left Accel Partners after 15 years as Managing General Partner; took sabbatical
- **2014** — Co-founded Aspect Ventures with Jennifer Fonstad, focusing on cybersecurity, enterprise software, and digital health
- **2019** — Aspect Ventures dissolved; Gouw co-founded Acrew Capital with four partners, closing $250M debut fund
- **2021** — Launched Acrew Diversify Capital Fund to expand diverse LP access to tech company cap tables
- **2024** — Joined minority ownership consortium for the Buffalo Bills (NFL)
- **2024** — Acrew Capital raised additional ~$700M, bringing AUM to ~$1.7B
- **2025** — Forbes declared her America's first female billionaire venture capitalist
- **2025** — Named Lead Investor and Executive Chair of Major League Volleyball NorCal franchise (debut 2027)

## Achievements

- America's first female billionaire venture capitalist (Forbes, 2025)
- First female investing partner at Accel Partners (2003)
- Forbes Midas List - named 9 times
- Led $12.7M Facebook investment at $98M valuation in 2005
- Co-founded All Raise nonprofit to advance women and minority founders/funders in tech
- Co-founded Acrew Capital with $1.7B AUM
- Carnegie Corporation of New York 2019 Great Immigrants Award
- TIME Magazine's 40 Most Influential Minds in Tech (2013)
- Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women (multiple years)
- Brown University Corporation Fellow and Treasurer
- Minority ownership in Buffalo Bills, Bay FC, and Golden State Warriors
- Donated $1M to Fisk University (HBCU) for venture fund access
- Co-teaches VC course at Stanford GSB

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Speaking at Sportico's Invest West event, Presidio Golf Course, San Francisco
- **2025-12** — Named Lead Investor and Executive Chair of Major League Volleyball NorCal franchise, debuting 2027 season covering San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento
- **2025-06** — Forbes declared Theresia Gouw America's first female billionaire venture capitalist, estimating net worth at ~$1.2 billion
- **2024-00** — Acrew Capital raised additional ~$700M, bringing total AUM to approximately $1.5-1.7 billion
- **2024-00** — Joined minority ownership consortium for the Buffalo Bills (NFL), joining other tech/finance executives

## Links

- Website: https://acrewcapital.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresiagouw
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/tgr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresiagouw/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/theresia-gouw
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05