Theresia Gouw
Theresia Gouw | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Brown University, Stanford Graduate School of Business |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder and Managing Partner, Acrew Capital |
| Website | acrewcapital |
Theresia Gouw is an entrepreneur and venture capital investor in the technology sector. She worked at Bain & Company, Release Software and Accel Partners before co-founding Aspect Ventures, a female-led venture capital firm, in 2014.[1] According to Forbes, Gouw is the richest female venture capitalist, with a net worth of approximately $500 million, primarily due to her involvement with Accel's early investment in Facebook.[2][3]
Early years and education
[edit]Gouw's family fled Indonesia when she was three to escape the persecution of the country’s ethnic Chinese minority under the Suharto dictatorship. A dentist and a nurse in Jakarta, her parents settled outside Buffalo, New York, working as a dishwasher and a waitress before her father re-earned his dental certification in the United States.[4]
Gouw earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Brown University, graduating magna cum laude,[5] and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.[6]
Career
[edit]
Early career
[edit]Gouw began her career at Bain & Company. She left Bain to become a founding member of Release Software, a startup founded by business school classmates,[1] where she served as Vice President of Business Development & Sales.
After Release Software, Gouw joined Accel Partners, eventually becoming Managing Partner.
Aspect Ventures
[edit]In 2014, Gouw co-founded Aspect Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm, with fellow venture capital investor Jennifer Fonstad.[7] Gouw and Fonstad worked together early in their careers at Bain & Company and at Release Software.[1]
During the first year, Aspect Ventures made several Series A and seed investments funded by the co-founders' personal capital. Aspect secured $150 million for its debut fund,[8] which included outside capital from Limited Partners,[9] and followed it with a second fund of $181 million in early 2018.[10][11] It had 116 rounds of investments in 67 companies and had 13 exists.[12]
The firm made investments in companies including Exabeam[13] and The Muse.[14]
The founders decided to split in 2019 over clashing management styles.[10] Both founders ve started new venture capital firms. Fonstad started a new firm called Owl Capital[10] and Gouw along with some other Aspect Venture staff started aCrew Capital.[15][16]
2019 - present
[edit]In 2019, Gouw co-founded Acrew Capital with Lauren Kolodny, Vishal Lugani, Asad Khaliq and Mark Kraynak.[17] Acrew's first fund was a ~$250MM fund. They've since announced a new initiative called Acrew Diversify Capital Fund (DCF) to diversify the boards and cap tables of market leading, late stage companies.[18]
Board member and advisor
[edit]She serves as Treasurer on the Brown University Corporation Board.[5] She serves as vice-chair of the board of DonorsChoose,[19] and is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council.[20] She also serves on the board of trustees of the Castilleja School.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Bridging The Funding Gap: An Interview With The Women Behind Aspect Ventures". Forbes.
- ^ Au-Yeung, Angel. "How Theresia Gouw Became America's Richest Female Venture Capitalist". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ "Theresia Gouw". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ "2019 Great Immigrants Recipient".
- ^ a b "Theresia Gouw". Brown University.
- ^ "Stanford GSB Alumni Association: Theresia Gouw". Stanford Graduate School of Business. Standord GSB.
- ^ "Accel's Theresia Gouw And DFJ's Jennifer Fonstad Partner To Launch Mobile-Focused VC Firm Aspect Ventures". TechCrunch. AOL, Inc. 5 February 2014.
- ^ Boorstin, Julia (2015-05-14). "Aspect Ventures, a woman-led VC, raises $150 million fund". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ "VCs Jennifer Fonstad, Theresia Gouw raise $150M for Aspect Ventures' first fund". Silicon Valley Business Journal. American City Business Journals.
- ^ a b c Konrad, Alex (January 23, 2018). "Aspect Ventures Raises $181 Million Second Fund From Investors Including Melinda Gates". Forbes.
- ^ Loizos, Connie (2019-09-17). "Aspect Ventures, founded by Theresia Gouw and Jennifer Fonstad, is splitting up". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ "Aspect Ventures — 116 Investments, 13 Exits, 67 Portfolio companies". Unicorn Nest. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ "Exabeam Raises $10 Million For Network-Tracking Security Software". TechCrunch. AOL, Inc. 10 June 2014.
- ^ "Millennial Career Site The Muse Raises More Cash". Fortune. Time, Inc.
- ^ "Cisco-Backed Acrew Capital Has $680 Million in New Venture Funds". Bloomberg.com. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ Loizos, Connie (2019-12-18). "Theresia Gouw's 'multigenerational' new firm, Acrew, just closed a $250 million debut fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ Team, The Acrew (2019-12-18). "How our crew became Acrew". Medium. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- ^ Costa, Cameron (2021-02-04). "A new Silicon Valley idea to make the next Facebook or Google more diverse". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- ^ "Meet the Team: Theresia Gouw". DonorsChoose.org.
- ^ "Stanford GSB Advisory Council". Stanford Graduate School of Business. Stanford GSB.
- ^ "Castilleja School Board of Trustees". Castilleja School.