Sam Lessin

Sam Lessin is a General Partner and co-founder of Slow Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. See portfolio and contact routes.

About Sam Lessin

Sam Lessin is a General Partner and co-founder of Slow Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, following his prior role as Vice President of Product at Facebook from 2010 to 2014 and as CEO of the acquired startup drop.io[1][2][3]. His investment thesis targets seed and early-stage companies across consumer, fintech, SaaS, crypto, healthcare, and the creator economy, with a geographic focus on San Francisco, New York, and Silicon Valley[3][9]. While specific check sizes for his VC role are not explicitly detailed, he is known as an angel investor who typically invests up to $100,000 in very early-stage companies with technical founders[8]. Notable portfolio companies include Solana, which generated a reported 2000x return for him, as well as Airtable, Venmo (where he was an original investor), and Slack[1][5][7]. Lessin distinguishes himself through contrarian thinking and a public advocacy for "joyful" investing, arguing that significant breakthroughs require time, a philosophy reflected in his firm's name, Slow Ventures[5][6]. He also publishes investment theses and commentary as an intern writer and columnist at The Information[1][6].

Sam Lessin at a glance

Role
Founder & General Partner
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Investor type
Individual/Angel
Portfolio companies listed
19
Investments recorded
21

Frequently asked about Sam Lessin

What does Sam Lessin invest in?
We have not verified a stated sector or stage focus for Sam Lessin (San Francisco, California, United States). The profile lists the organization, location and investors we track alongside them.
How do I contact Sam Lessin?
Sam Lessin's published profile links (website, LinkedIn or X where available) are listed on the StartupFundraising.com investor profile.
Where is Sam Lessin based?
Sam Lessin is based in San Francisco, California, United States.

Details on this investor come from filing and round data held in the StartupFundraising directory, refreshed on ingest. Founders use profiles like this one to qualify fit and to shortlist investors in San Francisco.

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