Alumna
Jess Lee ’00 is an entrepreneur and business leader who has built a successful career in tech, e-commerce and venture capital.
After studying Computer Science at Stanford University, Jess was recruited into Google’s associate product manager (APM) program in 2004, working on Google Maps.
Her mentor at Google, Marissa Mayer, taught Jess to “always take the more challenging path.”
In 2008, she joined fashion and home décor e-commerce site Polyvore, starting out as a product manager. She was soon recognized as an official co-founder of the company and was appointed CEO in 2012. The company was acquired by Yahoo! Inc. in 2015 for US$230 million.
In its annual ranking of the most influential young people in business, Fortune magazine named Jess as one of its “40 Under 40” in 2012.
In November 2016, Jess took on a new challenge as an investing partner with Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. She was the firm’s first-ever female investing partner for its US operations. Giving back to her community, Jess enjoys mentoring women in tech.
Giving back to her community, Jess enjoys mentoring women in tech.
Alumna Hilary Thompson Green ’00, who knew Jess well at school, commented, “I always knew Jess Lee would do something amazing when she graduated from HKIS. She was so hard-working and creative and such a people person at school. Jess always had a smile on her face and was so lovely to be around. It is no surprise to me that she has been so successful in life, both with work and personally, and I have loved seeing her success grow over the years.”