Liz Wessel in

Liz Wessel

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Partner at First Round Capital
📍 San Francisco, California, United States

Liz Wessel is a Partner at First Round Capital, focusing on seed and pre-seed investments. A University of Pennsylvania graduate, she previously co-founded and led WayUp, a recruiting platform for early-career talent, through its successful exit. People often describe her as driven, dedicated, and passionate about supporting founders.

Outside of her venture capital role, Liz is an active angel investor and advisor to startups. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and volunteering in her free time. She is married with a daughter and a cavapoo named Trooper, balancing a demanding career with a fulfilling personal life.

Interesting fact: She co-founded WayUp at age 23 after identifying frustrations with the graduate hiring process during her time at Google and as a student.

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Experience
13 Years
Current Role
Partner
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Personality Overview

How Liz shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics Liz cares about

Founder-First Investing
Her investment approach is founder-centric, drawing from her own 7-year journey as a founder and CEO to support entrepreneurs with the same passion.
Early-Career Recruiting
Co-founded and scaled WayUp, a platform to solve the challenges of early-career hiring and connect millions of candidates with employers.
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Career

Work history

9-2023
Partner
First Round Capital
1-2016 - 9-2023
Angel Investor
Self-employed
4-2022 - 8-2023
Visiting Group Partner
Y Combinator
3-2022 - 4-2023
Advisor
WayUp
7-2014 - 2-2022
Co-Founder & CEO
WayUp
In the press

Media appearances

Liz Wessel – Y Combinator Startup Podcast (Episode 79). Featured in Y Combinator Startup Podcast (Spotify)
See now
Y Combinator Alum Liz Wessel Joins First Round Capital. Featured in Business Insider
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Education
2008 - 6-2012
BA with Honors
University of Pennsylvania
2003 - 2008
High School Diploma
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

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