Liz Wessel

Enthusiast
DISC Type : i

Partner at First Round Capital

San Francisco, California, United States

Overview

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.

Personality Overview

Story Driven

Consensus Focused

Non-Confrontational

They are more about building relationships than just cutting deals.  Unlike D or C types, they are convinced more by stories and testimonials. They agree with others often, so exercise caution when relying on their word.

Topics They Care 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.
Breakthrough Technologies
Actively invests in companies that are either reimagining traditional industries or are built upon new and innovative technologies.

Media Appearances

Liz Wessel – Y Combinator Startup Podcast (Episode 79). Featured in Y Combinator Startup Podcast (Spotify)

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Y Combinator Alum Liz Wessel Joins First Round Capital. Featured in Business Insider

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Meet First Round's Newest Partner: Liz Wessel, a Founder, Experienced Angel and Former YC Visiting Partner. Featured in First Round Capital News

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Work History

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

Education

2008 - 6-2012
BA with Honors from University of Pennsylvania
2003 - 2008
High School Diploma from Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : San Francisco, California, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Partner at First Round Capital
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Insights For Selling To Liz

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Give them the opportunity to lead the conversation where possible
  • Refer to interesting customer testimonials and stress on great customer experience
  • Invite them for a lunch or a drink/coffee

DONT's

  • Don’t be excessively objective, be like a storyteller with them
  • Avoid overloading them with too much information
  • Don’t be too formal with them, they trust informality more

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Liz is

  • Relationships and rapport matter to them, but so does the value of the product.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Liz

  • They probably won't say no directly.


Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Liz move?

  • They are not the ones to make fast decisions, even while they stay committed.
  • Can Liz take some risk or not?

  • If it seems really necessary, they can take small risks.

You And Liz

Personality Compatibility


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