Photo of Jeremy Levine, Partner

Jeremy Levine

Partner
New York City

Biography

Jeremy Levine is a partner in Bessemer’s New York office. He joined the firm in 2001 and focuses primarily on software and Internet opportunities. He has led investments for Bessemer in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Five of his early stage investments—LinkedIn, MindBody, Pinterest, Shopify and Yelp—grew into billion-dollar publicly traded companies. In addition, he has also served on the boards of several portfolio companies before they were acquired by larger corporations such as Amazon, Cox, Sony and Naspers.

Jeremy graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in computer science and economics.

Learn more about many of the entrepreneurs Jeremy has backed by listening to This is Series A and hear more about his investing outlook and Bessemer’s approach to the venture capital business on this episode of Invest Like the Best.

Portfolio Highlights

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Getting to know Jeremy

 

Clip from Duke news paper article

The oldest of four siblings born within five and a half years of each other, Jeremy grew up in a lively household filled with constant companionship and friendly competition. This close-knit family dynamic shaped Jeremy’s outlook on life, instilling in him the values of teamwork and responsibility from an early age. On the basketball court, Jeremy and his younger brothers grew up playing against each other, and eventually played together as teammates on the high school varsity team.

Jeremy’s approach to uncovering promising startups comes from an unexpected experience: being a sports journalist in college. At Duke, he honed his ability to spot and share compelling narratives while covering sports games and the athletes. Now, Jeremy applies his reporter’s instinct to the world of startups, always searching for entrepreneurs with serendipitous insights and unconventional ideas.

Yelp celebrating IPO at NYSE

In 2005, when Yelp was just a fledgling San Francisco startup with 8 employees, Jeremy sent a cold email to Yelp co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman. Jeremy was impressed by the platform’s ability to foster detailed, high-quality user generated content. This was not the norm. Despite Yelp’s co-founders being well-known members of “PayPal Mafia,” local investors had passed on the opportunity. But despite the views of others, Jeremy was convinced that Yelp could be a valuable media business and decided to lead their Series A. Just seven years later, Yelp went public and Jeremy Stoppelman continues to lead Yelp as its CEO today.

LinkedIn celebrating IPO at NYSE

In late 2006, when LinkedIn was around an 80-person company, Jeremy saw an opportunity to lead their Series C. He tried to persuade the two existing venture investors to invest in the round alongside Bessemer, but the insiders didn’t participate, which made Jeremy nervous. Did they know something he didn’t know? LinkedIn grew into a public company and was later acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion, so in hindsight – this experience reinforced Jeremy’s belief in the power of independent thought and building your own conviction, teaching him that sometimes the best opportunities come from seeing what others overlook.

group photo posed on rooftop with skyline behind
Bessemer’s annual analyst reunion in 2022

Early in his investing career at Bessemer, Jeremy focused on identifying promising companies and convincing entrepreneurs to partner with him. Over the last 20 years, he’s had a front-row seat watching founders navigate challenges and build billion-dollar publicly traded companies like LinkedIn, MindBody, Pinterest, Shopify, and Yelp. Now, in the second half of his career, Jeremy not only continues to invest and guide founders but also dedicates his time mentoring fellow investors at Bessemer.

Group of cyclists on road
Jeremy's family on cycling trip in Mallorca

Whether it’s cycling through the mountains of Mallorca, camping in the Moroccan desert, or navigating the dense streets of the Medina in Fez, Jeremy loves going on adventures with his wife and three kids. These annual trips are more than just vacations – they’re a chance to explore different parts of the world, challenge comfort zones, and strengthen family bonds.

Portfolio Companies

Indicates Enduring

Datalot

ACQUIRED BY: LIGHTYEAR CAPITAL
Enterprise
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Datalot

Datalot is a provider of mobile and web marketing technology services designed to connect consumers with insurance carriers and agents.

ACQUIRED BY: LIGHTYEAR CAPITAL

Investors

Jeremy Levine

Founded

2009

Partnered

2009

Roadmaps

Enterprise

LinkedIn

NYSE: LNKD / ACQUIRED BY: MICROSOFT
Consumer Cloud Enterprise
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LinkedIn

LinkedIn operates the world's largest professional network. In May 2011, LinkedIn went public (NYSE: LNKD) and in 2016, was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

NYSE: LNKD / ACQUIRED BY: MICROSOFT

Founded

2002

Partnered

2006

Roadmaps

Cloud Consumer Enterprise

Investment Memo

Read the LinkedIn memo

Mindbody

ACQUIRED BY: VISTA EQUITY PARTNERS
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Mindbody

Mindbody is a business management software for yoga and pilates studios, fitness facilities, spas, salons, and other retail clients.

In June 2015, Mindbody went public (NASDAQ: MB).

After four years as a public company, MindBody went private in 2019 when it was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $2 billion.

ACQUIRED BY: VISTA EQUITY PARTNERS

Investors

Jeremy Levine

Founded

2001

Partnered

2010

Investment Memo

Read the MindBody memo

Pinterest

NYSE: PINS

Quidsi (fka Diapers.com)

ACQUIRED BY: AMAZON
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Quidsi (fka Diapers.com)

Quidsi is one of the world's fastest growing e-commerce companies and parent of Diapers.com (baby care), Soap.com (household essentials) and BeautyBar.com (prestige beauty). In April 2011, the company was acquired by Amazon.

ACQUIRED BY: AMAZON

Investors

Jeremy Levine

Founded

2005

Partnered

2007

Roadmaps

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Stubhub

Bessemer originally invested in Viagogo in 2012 and then helped finance the company’s acquisition of StubHub from eBay in 2020. The combined company is the leading global event ticketing marketplace on the Internet.

Founded

2005

Partnered

2012

Insights & News