Lee Hower
InvestorUnicorn founderCo-founder at LinkedIn · Partner at NextView Ventures · Board director at Pebble Finance
Boston, MA
Writes $400K – $4M checks · typically $1.6M
FoundedLinkedIn$26.2B
About
Lee Hower is a Partner at NextView Ventures, where he focuses on seed-stage investments. According to the page, this is his second time backing Ultra co-founders John and Max.
Contact· published on Lee's own website
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingConsumerDigital HealthFintechHardwareHealthtechRoboticsSaaSSocial
Beyond investing
- Education
- Completed Penn's Jerome Fisher Management & Technology program and delivered Wharton's 2000 commencement address. His profile also reports teaching-assistant work in two management courses.
- More
- Hower told Wharton that he left a financially attractive post-acquisition path at eBay for Reid Hoffman's unproven startup because startup building better matched his definition of a fulfilling life. His self-authored profile says he launched wireless and international services, managed banking and external-payments strategy, helped negotiate Providian's card partnership and $10 million equity investment, and served as payments expert in a New York attorney-general settlement. The filed Providian contract corroborates the investment and partnership, not every individual contribution. Hower says working with Reid Hoffman at PayPal directly led to his LinkedIn role; most other early teammates came from Hoffman's SocialNet network. A Grove ownership filing identifies Hower as managing member signing for NextView II, II-A, Co-Invest and their general partners. This establishes fund-governance authority, not sole deal ownership or personal beneficial ownership. Hower's profile records a 2012-2023 investment relationship. Plastiq filed Chapter 11 in May 2023 after missed interest payments on a $43 million loan and pursued a bargain sale to Priority; losses are an institutional portfolio outcome and no personal loss amount is public. Shareholder litigation challenged the Flying Eagle SPAC board/controllers' diligence, conflicts and disclosures. Hower was the earlier NextView seed investor, but reviewed sources do not identify him as a defendant, Skillz director or architect of the challenged transaction. Hower publicly reports an FIA international historic racing license and SCCA full competition license; older biography also describes him as a soccer fanatic and slow-reading bookworm. NextView says his first job operated an amusement-park log flume.
From Lee's own website — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at Pebble Finance
Intro paths
In turn, Lee can intro founders to Pebble Finance's investors below.
Pebble Finance's investors · 1
Co-founder at LinkedIn
Intro paths
In turn, Lee can intro founders to LinkedIn's investors below.
LinkedIn's investors · 4
Co-founders at LinkedIn
Experience
- NextView VenturesCo-Founder & Partnercurrent2010 — presentBoston & San Francisco
- SenecaSeed Investorcurrent2025 — present
- UltraSeed Investorcurrent2024 — present
- NavierSeed Investorcurrent2021 — present
- WHOOPInvestor & Board Observercurrent2013 — presentBoston, Massachusetts, United States
- Pebble FinanceInvestor & Board Membercurrent2022 — presentBoston, Massachusetts, United States
- ZitaraInvestor & Board Membercurrent2019 — presentSan Francisco, California, United States
- Grove Collaborative, PBCInvestor & Board Directorcurrent2015 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- ExpressableInvestor & Board Observercurrent2021 — presentAustin, Texas, United States
- SamaCareInvestor & Board Membercurrent2021 — presentSan Francisco, California, United States
- KarmaCheckInvestorcurrent2020 — present
- Skillz Inc.Investor2012 — 2023San Francisco Bay Area
- PlastiqInvestor2012 — 2023San Francisco Bay Area
- Upserve (fka Swipely)Investor & Advisor2009 — 2017Providence County, Rhode Island, United States
- GrabCAD (acq. by Stratasys)Investor & Board Observer2011 — 2014Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- MultiplyInvestor & Board Director2007 — 2010
- PJCPrincipal / Venture Partner2005 — 2010Greater Boston
- LinkedInFounding Team / Director of Corporate Development2002 — 2004San Francisco Bay Area
- PayPalDirector, Financial Services2000 — 2002San Francisco Bay Area
Skills & more
+12 more
Angel InvestingStrategic PartnershipsCloud ComputingProduct ManagementMergers & AcquisitionsGo-to-market StrategyEnterprise SoftwareCorporate DevelopmentInvestmentsVenture FinancingBusiness DevelopmentEarly-stage StartupsFrom Lee's professional profile.
Investments
Investor
DispenseExpressableFaniqForumGrabCADGrove CollaborativeHologramKarmaCheckLulaMore than 30 NextView seeds and broader firm portfolioMultiplyNavierObjective LogisticsOptimus RidePebble FinancePlastiqSenecaSittercity; Music NationSkillzUltraUltra RoboticsUpserveWHOOPZitara; SamaCare
Sources: curated public sources · the firm's website.
Founder fit — who Lee backs
Strongest fit is a resilient, customer-obsessed founder with unusual domain understanding, high trust, a credible reason the market can now change and willingness to make fast decisions under uncertainty. Hower appears especially useful where product, finance, analytics, operations, partnerships or hardware complexity intersect. Repeat founders and long-built relationships matter, as shown by Forum and Ultra, while Lula shows he can decline one model yet back the same founders after a compelling pivot.
Likely weak fits include later-stage-only rounds; niche products without relevance to a large consumer or business population; founders who substitute polished updates for hard strategic discussion; teams that cannot build trust or decide quickly; corporate strategic capital with restrictive acquisition or information rights; capital-intensive plans whose expected outcomes do not fit fund economics; and strong founders pursuing a market in which NextView lacks conviction. These are synthesized from Hower's public writing, not a formal exclusion list.
How to pitch
Explain the human problem, why it affects a large everyday population, why now, and why this team understands the customer better than alternatives. Demonstrate both product depth and a credible market/financing path; hardware founders should address field deployment, data loops, manufacturing and capital needs. Be direct about what remains unknown and show fast learning. For the board, propose a lean structure, circulate detailed materials early, identify one or two issues requiring debate and state the CEO's point of view. Confirm whether Hower is personally sponsoring the deal, which NextView vehicle invests, check size, ownership, follow-on reserves and expected director/observer tenure. Current firm-wide initial checks are $250,000-$4 million, not a guaranteed Hower-specific offer.
Stages: pre-seed, seed, select follow-on support, historical angel activity, historical Point Judith early stage · Sectors: software and AI, hardware and deeper technology, fintech and payments, insurance infrastructure, robotics and autonomy, wearables and health technology, digital health and care access, industrial and developer communities, IoT and connectivity, batteries and climate-enabling systems, consumer marketplaces and habitual products, B2B software serving mass populations
Editorial inference from Lee's portfolio, writing and public record — not a published mandate.
Investment themes
12 documented themes from Lee's essays, talks and portfolio, grouped by what they say about founders.
▶More themes9
Win before traction2017
NextView remains concentrated on pre-seed and seed before meaningful traction, whether a company raises hundreds of thousands or several million dollars.
For founders: Pitch insight, team and market conviction rather than pretending to have later-stage proof.
Redesign everyday life2017
The Everyday Economy frames mass-market consumer and business-user problems, including products used habitually or shaping daily life even when purchased infrequently.
For founders: Connect the product to a broad, recurring human or business behavior rather than a narrow luxury niche.
Team quality is necessary but market conviction remains required2021
Hower admired Lula's founders in 2018 but passed on ridesharing; he invested after their API-insurance pivot created a market he could underwrite.
For founders: A strong team still must show a compelling market and why-now; a thoughtful pass can preserve a future relationship.
Seed access and selection can dominate small valuation differences2010
Hower argues valuation always matters, but in power-law seed portfolios sourcing, selecting and winning high-outcome companies can matter more than negotiating a modest entry-price difference.
For founders: Defend a reasonable price with outcome logic, but do not confuse this with indifference to dilution or fund returns.
Fund strategy must match the outcome pond2026
Small/mid-cap and megafund venture managers pursue different required outcomes; fund size, ownership, company scope, downstream financing and LP promise should align.
For founders: Ask whether the company's capital needs and plausible exit fit NextView's fund economics rather than assuming every VC seeks the same destination.
Debate priorities, not updates2012
Productive meetings distribute reporting in advance, devote most live time to one or two major issues and require the CEO to arrive with a point of view.
For founders: Send readable materials early and frame decisions, alternatives and management's recommendation.
Treat corporate venture capital cautiously at seed2017
Strategic capital can bring value but restrictive rights, ownership constraints and shifting corporate priorities can impair partnerships or exits; Hower sees later-stage companies as often better suited.
For founders: Audit ROFRs, information rights, exclusivity, competitor effects and strategic durability before accepting a corporate check.
Define what success means before investing2013
Angel investors may seek return, learning, network or a VC career; Hower advises candidly defining motivation because startup checks provide weak diversification and success criteria differ.
For founders: Understand whether an individual backer seeks economics, access, learning or future career positioning—and whether that matches the company's needs.
Study innovation cycles and venture history2017
Hower's 20VC discussion stresses historical context for recognizing cycles rather than extrapolating only the current market.
For founders: Show which enabling change is genuinely new and which prior cycle offers useful lessons.
▶Founders & company building2
Trust enables fast seed decisions2020
At the earliest stage, sparse data makes founder judgment and mutual trust central; Hower's interview emphasizes making good decisions quickly and using instinct without abandoning diligence.
For founders: Build credibility through candor, domain command and rapid learning rather than excessive process theater.
Back durable teams more than once2026
Ultra is Hower's second investment in the same co-founders, while Forum reflects relationships maintained across prior company-building years.
For founders: Longitudinal trust and demonstrated execution can compound, but the new market still needs independent conviction.
▶Governance & network states1
Create the board at seed, then declutter2020
NextView generally takes seed director/observer roles but Hower advocates setting an expected 1-3-year investor-director tenure and moving to observer or one-on-one support as boards mature.
For founders: Establish governance cadence early and discuss seat transitions before later investors make the board crowded.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Lee HowerFounder + Investor Interview: Lee Hower x Ultra Co-founders
NextView Ventures · nextview.vc
Lee Hower: Making Good Decisions Fast, Going With Your Gut and Why Trust at the Early Stages Is Vital
The Consumer VC / Apple Podcasts · podcasts.apple.com
20VC with Lee Hower
The Twenty Minute VC · thetwentyminutevc.com
Where Are LinkedIn's Early Employees Now
Business Insider · businessinsider.com
Living up to Youthful Idealism
Wharton Magazine · magazine.wharton.upenn.edu
Lee Hower moving on to 'stealth project'
Providence Business News · pbn.com
Writing
Essay distinguishing mega-, mid- and small-cap venture strategies, outcome requirements and LP diligence.
Transparent account of passing on an initial model and backing the founders after their API-insurance pivot.
First-person sourcing and exit history for a NextView seed company.
Framework for angel motivations, return expectations, diversification and VC-career goals.
Practical guidance on advance materials, discussion priorities and CEO point of view.
First-person account of LinkedIn's founding, product launch and difficult $4.7 million Sequoia-led Series A process.
Colleagues at NextView Ventures
Network4
Investors connected to Lee in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Lee Hower?
- He is the Penn M&T graduate who operated in early PayPal, joined LinkedIn's founding team, invested at Point Judith Capital and co-founded seed firm NextView Ventures in 2010.
- Was Lee Hower a LinkedIn co-founder?
- Yes, NextView and Hower call him a co-founder. His detailed profile and contemporaneous retrospective more precisely call him part of the founding team and director of corporate development; he is not presented as sole or primary founder.
- What did Hower do at PayPal?
- He first managed wireless and international products, then financial-services strategy and partnerships, including the Providian card/equity relationship, and remained through the 2002 IPO and eBay sale.
- What did he do at LinkedIn?
- From December 2002 to November 2004 he reported to Reid Hoffman, ran analytics and early finance/legal/operations, and worked on fundraising including Sequoia's $4.7 million Series A.
- What was his Point Judith record?
- He directly claims leading Multiply and FanIQ and earlier reported involvement with Sittercity and Music Nation. Those are Point Judith activities, not NextView or personal investments.
- When and with whom did he found NextView?
- He began the project in 2010 and co-founded NextView Ventures with Rob Go and David Beisel.
- What does Lee Hower invest in now?
- He says NextView invests across software and AI while he spends substantial time on hardware/deeper technology and fintech. Institutional strategy is pre-seed and seed companies addressing mass-market human problems.
- Which NextView investments are directly attributable to him?
- His own profile names WHOOP, Seneca, Ultra, Grove, Skillz, Upserve and GrabCAD among 30-plus deals he led. Official authored announcements additionally support Expressable, Lula, Pebble, Forum and others with varying levels of leadership evidence.
- Did Hower lead every NextView portfolio investment?
- No. NextView is an equal partnership, and firm-wide names such as Attentive, thredUp, Sunrise, TaskRabbit and Parsec are not assigned to Hower without direct deal evidence.
- What is NextView's current check size?
- The firm says initial investments range from $250,000 to $4 million with follow-on reserves. That is a firm range, not a guaranteed Hower-specific check.
- What does Hower look for in founders?
- Public interviews and deal writing point to resilient, customer-obsessed, domain-credible founders who build trust, decide quickly and pair team quality with a market Hower can underwrite.
- What is his seed-board philosophy?
- Create governance cadence early, focus meetings on major decisions, require a CEO point of view and proactively expect the investor director to step back after roughly one to three years as the board grows.
- What failed or troubled investments are public?
- Plastiq filed Chapter 11 in 2023. Skillz and Grove became public through SPAC transactions and later traded far below initial levels. The Skillz shareholder case targeted the SPAC sponsor and board, not Hower in reviewed sources.
- What are his notable exits?
- Directly supported outcomes include Multiply and FanIQ sales at Point Judith; GrabCAD and Upserve acquisitions; Skillz and Grove public listings; and Optimus Ride's team/assets moving to Magna. Transaction values are not personal proceeds.
Same school
Also attended University of Pennsylvania801
+ 795 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Seneca1
Also worked at Ultra4
Also worked at WHOOP15
+ 9 more
Also worked at Upserve (fka Swipely)7
+ 1 more