Jake Saper

“Live with conviction.”

Jake still can’t believe he gets to do this for a living. Raised in Austin by parents who were serial co-founders, he got bit by the startup bug early. He thinks of serving entrepreneurs as his highest calling. His first venture focused on selling rocks door to door from his Radio Flyer wagon. Not one to shy away from a tough market, he moved on (20 years later) to help launch and grow a startup developing large solar power plants in India, Africa, and the Middle East. He’s developed a deep well of entrepreneurial empathy from being told no (and occasionally yes!) from investors and bureaucrats across the globe.

Jake’s first job for which someone paid him was in management consulting, where he honed his deep, nerdy love of frameworks. He’s brought that passion for entrepreneurship and strategic thinking to venture. He got his start in venture at Kleiner Perkins, after which he joined Emergence, where he became a Kauffman Fellow.

He’s passionate about using machine learning to help people do their jobs better and co-developed the firm’s Coaching Networks thesis. He serves on the boards of Textio, Guru, Ironclad, DroneDeploy, and Vymo.

Jake earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale and his MBA from Stanford, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Jake also earned an MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford. Jake is a singer and very mediocre guitar player, constantly in search of people to jam with.

Jake’s wife Dannie Herzberg is the best go-to-market leader (and person) he knows. Jake’s north star is to help build enduring, values-driven companies that he and Dannie would be proud for their daughter Sadie to work at some day.