Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Ethan Kurzweil is a prominent American venture capitalist specializing in technology investments, particularly in enterprise software and cybersecurity. He currently serves as a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, where he joined in 2018 and leads investments in innovative tech companies. His notable portfolio at Bessemer includes investments in Twilio (communications platform), PagerDuty (incident management software), Verkada (cloud-based security cameras), and other high-growth startups. Kurzweil's investment philosophy emphasizes backing founders building scalable software solutions that address critical business needs, drawing from his extensive experience in both venture capital and operational roles in tech.
Prior to Bessemer, Kurzweil was a partner at Benchmark Capital from 2014 to 2018, where he focused on early-stage investments in consumer and enterprise software, contributing to successes like Pinterest and other unicorns. Before entering venture capital full-time, he held operational positions, including Head of Product at Pinterest from 2012 to 2014, where he helped scale the platform's user growth and product features. Earlier in his career, Kurzweil worked as a Principal at Battery Ventures and as a Consultant at Bain & Company, gaining foundational experience in strategy consulting and tech investments. He also worked as a product manager at Google starting in 2008.
Kurzweil holds an engineering background and emphasizes strong product-market fit and long-term value creation in B2B technology. He is known for his insights on cybersecurity trends and enterprise SaaS, often sharing perspectives through industry talks and writings. A graduate of Harvard College with an AB in History in 2006, he also has ties to Stanford University. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he continues to play a key role in shaping the future of enterprise technology through strategic investments. Kurzweil hails from a Jewish background and has built a network in Silicon Valley's tech ecosystem.
Kurzweil maintains a low public profile outside professional circles, with no major controversies or legal issues documented. His work intersects with key figures in venture capital, including financial ties to investors like Eyal Vogel, and he continues to influence the tech startup landscape through strategic funding and board roles.