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I've spent the past 30 years working at and investing in technology companies that help…
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John Lilly shared thisI'm delighted to share that I'm joining the board of NextLadder Ventures. My whole career I've spent time working on how to make technology useful & usable for everyone -- companies like Mozilla, Figma, Instagram and others -- and of course Code for America. NextLadder is pushing on that angle to help Americans navigate some of life's toughest moments. They’re pioneering Navigation Technology – tech-enabled tools created to help people navigate challenges like managing debt, accessing public benefits, or finding workforce support. Those systems were never built for the people using them, and I think thoughtful AI-powered tools can finally change that. I'm really excited to get a chance to work with Ryan Rippel and the whole team on this -- it's crucial work for today's America.John Lilly shared thisWe're adding two new voices to our Board of Directors: John Lilly and Swati M. Both have spent their careers backing the people and technology that expand what's possible. John is the former CEO of Mozilla and an early investor and operator behind Figma, Duolingo, Dropbox, and Instagram. Swati is co-founder of Incite.org, where she's helped launch more than 100 ventures at the intersection of technology, economic opportunity, and climate. Their guidance and perspectives will be critical to NextLadder's work to catalyze a market for Navigation Technology — people-centered tools that empower families to overcome barriers to economic mobility and reclaim their path to economic security, dignity, and empowerment.
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John Lilly posted thisDelighted to share that I’ve joined Gigascale Capital as an Advising Partner! My close friend & collaborator Mike Schroepfer started Gigascale a few years ago with Victoria Beasley and Evaline Tsai, PhD Tsai to focus on the intersection of deep tech, energy and the physical economy — an area I believe some of the most consequential technology and company building of our lives will happen. I’ve spent my career building, operating & investing in some spectacular technology companies: Figma, Duolingo, Nuro, Mozilla, Instagram, Dropbox and others. Each one has taught me something different about what it takes to go from idea to real scale. Mike’s been on that journey, too, and what he’s building with the team at Gigascale is incredible. It’s a group of very sharp & committed people focused on deep partnership with founders on everything that matters: talent, tech, partnerships, supply chain, customers and more. And maybe goes without saying, but Mike is a very special guy. You could go your whole career and not get to work with someone like him. This is (at least!) our fourth chance to work together, on something that really matters. Excited to get after it :)
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John Lilly shared thisTed is the best.John Lilly shared thisThree years into my executive coaching practice, here are two things that keep jumping out at me. Founders are navigating a business climate where the old playbook is no longer reliable. AI has accelerated the pace to the point where "this is how we did it last time" is often the wrong starting point. VCs operate in a feedback desert. Structurally, there aren't many people who give unbiased and useful feedback to venture investors. This is particularly true for newly elevated partners and people building their own firms. I've been sharing the learnings from the huge "n" of great executives and investors I've worked with to help address these challenges. Because people keep asking what I'm up to, I've put it all in one place: www.tedwang.co If you know a founder or VC who enjoys direct feedback and would be stoked for this type of partnership, I'd love an introduction. And yes — I've finally gone full shaved head. Grass doesn't grow on a busy street.
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John Lilly reposted thisJohn Lilly reposted this🗳️ We're building voting equipment every American can trust. We start with paper ballots and post-election audits. Then we add modern software integrity, built to the latest federal standard, vetted by third parties, robust to human error, and fully open-source. It's time for us to scale up. We're looking for a Head of Business Operations to help. Is that you? https://lnkd.in/eU9jU8Eq
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John Lilly reposted thisJohn Lilly reposted thisHello world! We are building the first GPU-native software company. Today we are sharing the thesis, people, and partners behind it: https://lnkd.in/ggifqZre
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John Lilly reposted thisWhen Harvey Anderson passed away late last year, I lost my husband, my best friend, and the person who showed me that one person can leave a lasting impact on the world—not through grand gestures, but by seeing the potential in others and helping them realize it. Harvey was kind, brilliant, magnetic, but what made him extraordinary was his heart. It was the way he made everyone feel seen, capable, and worthy of opportunity. As our five sons and I navigate this grief we keep coming back to the same question: How do we honor someone whose impact was so personal, so human? The answer: Do exactly what Harvey would do, open doors. That's why our family made a $1 million gift to Common Sense Media to establish the Harvey Anderson Fellowship—a program for first-generation college graduates pursuing careers in advanced tech and policy. When Harvey was accepted to Marquette University's educational opportunity program, it impacted the trajectory of his life. He never forgot the people who believed in him before he'd proven anything, who took a chance on him. He carried that gratitude forward, served on boards and mentored countless young professionals. He never stopped showing up for people who needed someone to believe in them. Harvey believed that first-generation students bring something irreplaceable—perspective that is not taught and drive that comes from knowing what opportunity costs. He saw in his own work how diversity of experience makes tech better, policy smarter, and organizations stronger. He saw potential everywhere, especially in places others overlooked. The Fellowship embodies that belief. These Fellows will work on some of the most pressing challenges of the day, AI literacy, tech policy, digital privacy, and equity in the tech landscape in an environment that believes in them. I think about the first cohort of Fellows, how Harvey would have loved meeting them, hearing their stories, learning from them. I think about how he would have made each one feel like the most important person in the room. Our boys and I have been overwhelmed by the love and stories. Stories of how Harvey changed their career, advocated for them, saw something in them that others missed. Each a reminder that Harvey's impact was an accumulation of thousands of moments of generosity, mentorship, and faith in human potential. This Fellowship is our way of ensuring those moments continue. Every Fellow will be part of Harvey's legacy. Every door that opens for them is Harvey still opening doors. Every insight they bring to technology is Harvey's vision of shaping the digital world. If Harvey's story moves you, I hope you'll consider supporting this Fellowship. You can help us ensure that Harvey's legacy of opening doors continues to grow. It's what Harvey would be doing right now, he'd be telling everyone about these incredible Fellows and finding ways to create opportunities for them. https://lnkd.in/gmeQWJ8YJohn Lilly reposted thisToday, I'm honored to announce that Common Sense Media has received a generous gift from Denelle Dixon and her sons Luke, Dylan, Trevor, Cole, and Jax to establish the Harvey Anderson Fellowship—a tribute to my dear friend and longtime board member, Harvey J. Anderson II. Harvey was one of the most insightful and generous people I've ever worked with, and I was fortunate to call him a friend. He had an unshakable faith in people—especially those just starting their careers. Harvey understood the barriers talented young people face. He earned his engineering degree from Marquette University through a support program for first-generation and lower-income students, went on to earn his law degree from the University of San Francisco , and built a distinguished career in Silicon Valley at companies like Mozilla, HP, and AVG Technologies. What made Harvey truly special was his commitment to paying it forward. As a father of five and a passionate advocate for kids in the digital world, he served on our board for more than a decade, helping guide Common Sense Media through transformative growth and strengthening our voice in Silicon Valley. The Harvey Anderson Fellowship will provide opportunities specifically for first-generation college graduates to work on our advanced technology programs team—developing AI literacy programs, shaping responsible tech policy, and addressing critical issues like privacy and equity for families and educators. As Denelle beautifully said: "This fellowship is our family's way of ensuring that Harvey's legacy lives on—empowering first-generation students to pursue the opportunities he believed everyone deserves." Thank you, Denelle and family, for this extraordinary tribute. Harvey's legacy will live on through every fellow who follows in his footsteps. #FirstGen #TechForGood #CommonSenseMedia #Legacy
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John Lilly reposted thisJohn Lilly reposted thisI am thrilled to share that I’ve joined Harvard Business School as an Executive Fellow for the 2025-26 school year! I’ll be collaborating with the dynamic faculty team of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, including Jim Matheson & Christopher Stanton [The Entrepreneurial Manager], Thomas Eisenmann & Shai Bernstein [Ideation & Prototyping for Innovation], and Executive Fellows Ian Brady and Tom Jennings. We’ll be doing a deep dive on the process of discovery and ideation: gaining insights from the people you serve, using those insights to create prototypes, and then iterating to greatness. We’ll also be focusing on how an entrepreneurial mindset can be used to lead innovation and change within established organizations. This role brings me full circle: since graduating 25 years ago, I’ve contributed to the Harvard community as an HBS Global Advisor, an HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur-in-Residence, a President’s Innovation Challenge judge, an HBS MS/MBA program advisor, an HBS New Venture Competition finals judge, and as a Harvard University Overseer. It is beyond awesome to now get to work alongside the professors and colleagues who shaped so much of my own life journey. Above all, I can’t wait to learn from everyone at HBS — students, faculty, and staff. Excited for the year ahead! https://lnkd.in/g3NUY5stHBS Announces 2025-2026 Cohort of Executive FellowsHBS Announces 2025-2026 Cohort of Executive Fellows
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John Lilly reposted thisJohn Lilly reposted thisYesterday, news broke that Dominion Voting Systems was sold to a new company, Liberty Vote. Dominion, the second-largest voting systems vendor in the US that currently tabulates 1 in 5 American votes, is no more. On its website, Liberty Vote says, "We are turning the page and beginning the vital work of restoring faith in American elections." There is indeed a crisis of trust in American elections. As the saying goes, trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair. We urgently need a new strategy that repairs voter trust. American freedom and democracy depend on it. We must start with a foundational commitment to transparency. Every voting machine vendor in the US claims to be transparent. It may come as a surprise, then, that most Americans vote on machines that run proprietary, secret software! A voting machine that every American can trust must run software that is fully open to public scrutiny. Today, VotingWorks makes the only open-source voting equipment in the US. Open-source is the modern standard for public-trust and high-security software. Signal, the most secure and battle-tested messaging app, is open-source. The US Military recommends open-source. A modern voting system needs to be open-source. Liberty Vote, and every other vendor of voting machines in the US, can fulfill their commitment to transparency by making their technology open-source today. If every vendor takes this opportunity, together, we can turn the page and launch a new generation of voting systems every American can trust. View the full post: https://lnkd.in/e2ziEHxd
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John Lilly reposted thisJohn Lilly reposted thisWe're excited to announce that Paul Grewal and Raylene Yung have been appointed to our Board of Directors, joining Ben Adida and John Lilly. Their deep public sector, program management, and legal expertise will prove invaluable as we continue to grow! Read the full details: https://lnkd.in/ggya3a76VotingWorks Strengthens Board with Two New AppointmentsVotingWorks Strengthens Board with Two New Appointments
John Lilly commented on a post
9mo
Amazing. Just donated via our DAF. Love that you're honoring him in this way!
John Lilly commented on a post
11mo
Tons of excellent non-profit organizations who are LPs in more than one of the VC firms, too -- have been hearing from several that are anticipating really meaningful new annual giving as a result of returns -- at a time when they really need the boost. (Not to mention the Marin Community Foundation, which Evan donated a lot of his shares to.)
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John Lilly liked thisJohn Lilly liked thisPracticing lawyers are now shipping production code in a San Francisco startup. Last night I caught up with my long time friend Sahin Boydas at SF AGI House. Sahin has built and successfully exited five (5) companies over the years, so when he talks about hiring trends, I listen. **Sahin's 6th startup has completely thrown out traditional hiring playbooks.** Two of his core engineers are lawyers. Not "lawyers who learned to code on the side" – actual practicing attorneys who joined his team six months ago with zero programming experience. One of them now owns their entire cap table product line. Built it from scratch in two months: email integration, DocuSign automation, and bank reconciliation. If you still think production software is written by programmers, you are already behind. Gen xAI NortonNeo Norton Devashish Sharma Shubh Jagani
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John Lilly liked thisJohn Lilly liked thisThree years into my executive coaching practice, here are two things that keep jumping out at me. Founders are navigating a business climate where the old playbook is no longer reliable. AI has accelerated the pace to the point where "this is how we did it last time" is often the wrong starting point. VCs operate in a feedback desert. Structurally, there aren't many people who give unbiased and useful feedback to venture investors. This is particularly true for newly elevated partners and people building their own firms. I've been sharing the learnings from the huge "n" of great executives and investors I've worked with to help address these challenges. Because people keep asking what I'm up to, I've put it all in one place: www.tedwang.co If you know a founder or VC who enjoys direct feedback and would be stoked for this type of partnership, I'd love an introduction. And yes — I've finally gone full shaved head. Grass doesn't grow on a busy street.
Experience & Education
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Gigascale Capital
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Patents
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Method and apparatus for transmitting documents over a network
Issued US 7,496,836
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Providing security for external access to a protected computer network
Issued US 7,043,753
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Providing security for external access to a protected computer network
Issued US 7,552,471
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Providing security for external access to a protected computer network
Issued US 6,845,452
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Object oriented editor for creating world wide web documents
Issued US 6,938,205
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Method and apparatus for transmitting documents over a network
Issued US 6,101,509
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Object oriented editor for creating world wide web documents
Issued US 5,956,736
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Jocelyn Goldfein
Jocelyn Goldfein
Zetta Venture Partners is named after the zettabyte (a trillion gigabytes!) Founded in 2013, we were the first AI-focused fund and we've been backing AI and infrastructure entrepreneurs since long before it was cool.<br><br>We are keenly interested in cloud and data infrastructure (like MotherDuck or Domo), tools and platforms for developers and data scientists building with AI (like Kaggle, Domino, Weaviate or Fixie) and applications powered by ML (like Tractable, Lilt, Skan, and too many more to name). <br><br>We lead or co-lead $1-5M rounds for pre-product-market-fit startups with B2B business models. We believe in verticals like financial services, insure tech, life sciences, health care, sustainability, cloud infra, devops, cybersecurity, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics. <br><br>More about us: https://zettavp.com<br><br>Before venture, I spent my career as an engineer and engineering leader. I led engineering teams in the high growth early years of VMware and Facebook (as well as a few startups including one of my own). I've worked across systems from OS'es to LAMP and mobile apps, to shrink-wrapped native software to developer tools and of course ML. The one "constant" has been high-growth and industry transformation. I'm passionate about scaling products, teams, and companies, and I care deeply about STEM education.
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