Monthly people move spotlight: Lauri Moore joins Bessemer Venture Partners
Photo Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios; Photo: Laura Hamilton/Lulu Jane Photography
Lauri Moore was named partner in July at Bessemer Venture Partner's Silicon Valley office.
Why it matters: Moore will focus on "builder tools" — early-stage data science and related infrastructure opportunities that serve designers and developers.
- "It's been fun to see how data science has suddenly become cool now that we call it AI," Moore said. "It's a very powerful rebrand."
Flashback: Moore was previously an investor at Foundation Capital, and before joining the venture capital scene, founded a company in the video-interviewing space.
- She comes to Bessemer following the departure of partner Ethan Kurzweil who left to form an early-stage investment firm with Andreessen Horowitz and Index Ventures vets.
📈 Trend spot: Moore said she's watching early-stage companies that are creating solutions for long-standing problems. She wants to see tools that are deeply embedded in daily life and work.
- "Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be," Moore said. "That's the biggest issue I see at the earliest stages of new technology. I'm looking for real, enduring, differentiated value over time."
- "It's been a very active summer, and a lot of investors are sitting on funds that are yet to be deployed," Moore said.
🗣 What she's saying: "We're at an interesting moment where a lot of enterprises have special budgets to experiment with AI. If an early-stage investor uses AI as branding to get themselves those dollars, I say more power to them," Moore said. "And let's chat because I like that scrappiness."
📍How she got here: She started her career as a researcher-turned-data scientist, and approaches venture as an exercise in finding the right companies and products to solve problems plaguing that space.
- "It's kind of like arranging the perfect first date," Moore said. "Can we put you two together and see if we can make magic happen?"
🍽 Content plate: Her household has been obsessed with watching the Olympics, and she's specifically been enjoying the swimming events.
🧠 Best advice: "If you can be candid and compassionate in equal measure, you'll save yourself and the people around you a lot of time and drama."
