The Seed 100 is Insider's annual list of the best early-stage investors based on data analysis.
Seed-stage investing represents the pinnacle of risk and the promise of exceptional rewards in venture capital. During this crucial phase, the choice of a seed investor can either catapult a startup to success or doom it to failure. Remarkable seed investors possess the power to guide and nurture startups, offering invaluable mentorship and even facilitating subsequent rounds of capital infusion.
For over 40 years Sierra Ventures has focused on finding the best early-stage opportunities. During challenging times like the current market landscape, having someone like Ben Yu by your side proves advantageous. Yu embarked on his venture capital journey at Sierra Ventures in 2000, concentrating on telecom and networking. When the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s, Ben faced an arduous period in venture capital, particularly within the telecom sector, which he described as one of the most formidable years.
This experience formed Ben's long-standing investing strategy of getting “in the trenches with the team.”
Now, Ben Yu is focused on deep tech and industrial automation and is especially interested in the opportunities for disruption in education in response to the rise of AI and automation.
Read more about Insider's 2023 Top 100 Seed investors.
