Julie Lein is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Urban Innovation Fund. See sector focus and contact routes.
Julie Lein is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Urban Innovation Fund, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm she launched in 2016 alongside Clara Brenner to invest in startups transforming massive, regulated industries. Her investment thesis targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies in urban technology sectors such as energy, transportation, fintech, climate technology, mobility, and government technology. The firm typically provides checks ranging from $500,000 to $3.5 million, with a willingness to go as low as $300,000 for pre-seed rounds, acting as active, hands-on investors who emphasize regulatory support. Notable portfolio companies include Solarcycle, where Lein serves as a Board Member, Dataships, and Chariot, which was acquired by Ford. Lein distinguishes her approach by placing special emphasis on providing regulatory insights to founders, noting that regulatory support is a critical area of need in these sectors. Before founding her current firm, she co-founded Tumml, a startup hub for urban tech, and began her career in political polling and consulting.
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