Sarah Leary
InvestorVenture Partner at Unusual Ventures
San Francisco Bay Area
Writes $100K β $500K checks Β· typically $250K
About
Sarah Leary co-founded Nextdoor and grew it to tens of millions of users and $100M+ revenue; she specializes in hyperlocal, geography-based virality, density and trust for community and location-based products.
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningConsumerCybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFintechMarketplacesSocial
Experience
- NextdoorCo-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Business Operations (CMO/CBO)current2024 β presentSan Francisco, California, United States
- Unusual VenturesVenture Partnercurrent2020 β presentMenlo Park, California, United States
- Spindrift Beverage Co, Inc.Member, Board of Directors2022 β 2025
- Harvard UniversityEntrepreneur In Residence2020 β 2025Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- NextdoorCo-Founder and Board Observer2019 β 2021
- NextdoorCo-Founder and Vice President, Marketing, International, and Operations2016 β 2019San Francisco Bay Area
- NextdoorCo-Founder and Vice President, Product and Marketing2010 β 2016San Francisco Bay Area
- FanbaseCo-Founder and Vice President, Product and Marketing2008 β 2010
- Benchmark CapitalEntrepreneur in Residence2007 β 2008
- eBay (formerly Shopping.com)Vice President, Product and Marketing for Shopping.com2003 β 2006
- Epinions (an eBay Company)Vice President, Marketing and Product Management1999 β 2003Brisbane, CA
- Greylock PartnersAssociate1998 β 1999Boston, MA
- MicrosoftProduct Manager1992 β 1997Redmond, WA
Education
- Harvard UniversityAB, Economics
- Harvard Business SchoolMBA
Skills & more
+12 more
Business StrategyLeadershipMarketing StrategyTeam LeadershipVenture CapitalStrategic PlanningProduct MarketingTeam BuildingManagementStrategyAngel InvestingCross-functional Team LeadershipFrom Sarah's professional profile.
Same school
Also attended Harvard University1,171
+ 1,165 more
Also attended Harvard Business School1,777
+ 1,771 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Nextdoor9
+ 3 more
Also worked at Harvard University194
+ 188 more
Also worked at Benchmark Capital40
+ 34 more
Also worked at eBay (formerly Shopping.com)132
+ 126 more
Deals Β· 2
Alto SolutionsBoard seat
via Unusual Ventures Β· filed Jan 2022 Β· $39.9M raise
Contra.Work Inc.Board seat
via Unusual Ventures Β· filed Feb 2021 Β· $14.2M raise
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Colleagues at Unusual Ventures
Network1
Investors connected to Sarah in public investor directories β a warm-intro map.




























