Jerry

Chen

Partner

Jerry focuses on category-defining companies building new products in enterprise software that transform markets or create entirely new ones.

Jerry is an experienced technologist and company-builder who has helped create some of the defining infrastructure of transformative, enduring businesses. He works with entrepreneurs building companies in cloud infrastructure, data products and enterprise SaaS.

People and ideas are at the core of Jerry’s investment thesis. He seeks out ambitious founders who focus on developing new technologies, business models, and solutions for SaaS, data, AI, cloud infrastructure, and DeFi markets.

“I like to work with founders tackling hard problems, who have a strong point of view about what is right or wrong in an industry, and a clear vision of how they will change it.”

Jerry joined Greylock in 2013, and backs founders with a strong product and operational sense across a range of sectors including AI, data, business applications, cloud infrastructure, and open source technologies. He is a board director for Blend (NYSE: BLND), Bluesky, Cato Networks, Chronosphere, Gladly, Rhumbix, Rockset, and Truera, and led investments in Docker, Instabase, and Notable Health.

His ability to work with a variety of teams across different company stages made him instrumental in VMware’s growth. He spent a decade at a cloud computing and virtualization company, where he was Vice President of Cloud and Application Services. As part of the team that created Cloud Foundry, Jerry ran the product management and marketing teams responsible for all of VMware’s application infrastructure products including vFabric, Spring, GemFire, and its big data projects. Prior to building VMware’s Cloud Application Platform, Jerry created and coined the term “VDI” for virtual desktop infrastructure as part of the inception of VMware’s enterprise desktop and application virtualization businesses. During his tenure, the company went from 250 to over 15,000 employees and $5B in revenue.

Jerry’s background makes him the ideal partner for founders from company inception to late-stage scaling. He is particularly adept at advising on finding product market fit and go-to market strategies.

“Strong partnership is important, but not always easy. I try to be the trusted advisor that the entrepreneur and company needs when they need it,” says Jerry. “That might mean being a strategic thought partner, or coach, or critic, or cheerleader — I want to meet the needs of the company at any given time.”

Prior to VMware, Jerry spent two years as an associate at Accel Partners. He also worked as an associate at AEA Investors and Bain and Company. He received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School where he was a George F. Baker Scholar.

Outside of work, Jerry is a road cyclist and an aspirational chef whose interests run the gamut from exploring and improving San Francisco, to live music and collecting whiskeys (especially bourbon).

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