Jeff Richards
Managing Partner at Notable Capital
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Managing Partner at Notable Capital (formerly GGV's US arm, now $4B AUM). Seed to Series B investor focused on AI-driven vertical SaaS and enterprise applications. Checks $250K-$25M with operator background: founded two SaaS companies sold to Verizon and TPG. Former GGV partner with deep Asia operating experience.
Background
Jeff Richards is a Managing Partner at Notable Capital (formerly GGV Capital), where he focuses on AI-driven business applications and vertical SaaS 12. He joined GGV Capital in 2008 after spending 13 years as an entrepreneur and operating executive in the US and Asia 12.
Richards graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was a four-year varsity basketball letterman 12. He is on the Advisory Board for the Dartmouth Entrepreneur Network (DEN) 2.
Early in his career, Richards worked in Asia and Latin America as a management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (1995-1997) 13. He then founded two software companies: QuantumShift, a telecom software business backed by Texas Pacific Group (TPG) (1997-2002), and R4 Global Solutions, a supply chain SaaS business that was acquired by VeriSign (2003-2005) 123. Following the R4 acquisition, Richards served as Vice President of Digital Content Services at VeriSign from 2005 to 2008 3.
In March 2024, GGV Capital split its U.S. and Asia operations into two separate firms: Notable Capital (U.S., led by Richards and others) and Granite Asia (Singapore-based) 4. Notable Capital manages approximately $4 billion in assets 3.
Richards co-created Notable’s Founders + Leaders program and co-founded AllRaise’s Board Xcelerate program, which advances board diversity in private tech companies 1.
Stated Thesis
Richards publicly describes his investment focus as “SaaS, SMB Tech and vertical SaaS,” citing portfolio examples including Brightwheel, Slice, BigCommerce, Houzz, and Square 3. He avoids “cleantech” and “hardware” 3.
As a former founder and CEO, Richards has stated he is “passionate about leadership and company culture” 1. He has advised founders: “Do not raise for the highest valuation,” explaining that overpriced rounds can hurt both the founder and the company long-term 5.
On Silicon Valley resilience, Richards has stated: “I think there is a level of resiliency in Silicon Valley that we did not have 10 years ago and 20 years ago” 6.
Richards emphasizes the importance of the founder-to-CEO transition, the early hiring of a VP of People, and the delicate balance of fundraising valuations 5.
Inferred Thesis
Based on 24 verified investments in the portfolio table below:
Sector Breakdown (from 24 verified investments)
- Enterprise SaaS / vertical SaaS: 10 of 24 (42%) — BigCommerce, Brightwheel, Gladly, People.ai, Workboard, Zylo, Electric.ai, Fairmarkit, Vic.ai, Namely
- SMB tech / operations: 3 of 24 (13%) — Slice, Homebase, Belong
- Consumer marketplace: 3 of 24 (13%) — HotelTonight, Handshake, Boxed
- Fintech / crypto: 2 of 24 (8%) — Coinbase, Tala
- Data / analytics: 3 of 24 (13%) — BlueKai, Buddy Media, Evolv OnDemand
- Healthcare / edtech: 2 of 24 (8%) — PlushCare/Accolade, Brightwheel (also edtech)
- AI: 1 of 24 (4%) — Ateria.ai
Stage Distribution
Richards invests primarily at Series A and Series B, with check sizes ranging from $250K to $25M and a target of $10M 3. He leads rounds rather than following.
Geographic Focus
Predominantly US-based companies, with some investments in international markets (Tala in emerging markets, Reebonz in Southeast Asia) reflecting GGV’s historical US-Asia bridge 24.
Founder Profile Preferences
As a two-time founder himself, Richards gravitates toward founders with operational experience and strong leadership instincts. He emphasizes the founder-to-CEO transition and often takes board seats to provide active governance support 15.
Co-investor Patterns
Frequent co-investors during the GGV era included other GGV partners (Hans Tung, Glenn Solomon, Ravi Viswanathan) as well as external firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, and Accel 27.
Notable Patterns
Richards has a strong track record in enterprise exits via acquisition: Appirio (Wipro), BlueKai (Oracle), Buddy Media (Salesforce), HotelTonight (Airbnb), Evolv OnDemand (Cornerstone), Convex (ServiceTitan) — 6 of 24 verified investments (25%) exited via strategic acquisition 12. This suggests a focus on companies that become acquisition targets for large enterprise buyers.
Notable Gaps
Despite GGV’s historical strength in consumer internet and gaming (particularly in Asia), Richards’ personal portfolio is almost entirely enterprise/SaaS focused. The Asia-focused consumer bets were primarily driven by other GGV partners.
Portfolio
| Company | Stage | Year | Sector | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appirio | Series A (led) | ~2008 | Enterprise SaaS | Acquired (Wipro, 2016) | 12 |
| BlueKai | Series A (led) | ~2009 | Data/Analytics | Acquired (Oracle, 2014) | 12 |
| Buddy Media | Series A (led) | ~2010 | Social/Analytics | Acquired (Salesforce, 2012) | 12 |
| BigCommerce | Series B (led) | ~2011 | E-commerce SaaS | Public (BIGC) | 12 |
| Coinbase | Series B | ~2013 | Crypto exchange | Public (COIN) | 12 |
| Evolv OnDemand | Growth (led) | ~2012 | HR analytics | Acquired (Cornerstone, 2014) | 12 |
| HotelTonight | Series A (led) | ~2011 | Travel marketplace | Acquired (Airbnb, 2019) | 12 |
| Tile | Series A | ~2014 | Consumer IoT | Acquired (Life360, COIN:LIF) | 12 |
| Brightwheel | Series A (led) | ~2017 | EdTech/vertical SaaS | Active | 128 |
| Gladly | Series B | ~2018 | Customer service SaaS | Active | 12 |
| Handshake | Series B | ~2018 | Career marketplace | Active | 12 |
| Slice | Series A (led) | ~2017 | SMB tech (pizza) | Active | 12 |
| People.ai | Series B | ~2018 | AI/Sales SaaS | Active | 12 |
| Tala | Series C | ~2018 | Fintech/lending | Active | 12 |
| Workboard | Series B | ~2019 | Enterprise SaaS | Active | 12 |
| Boxed | Series B | ~2016 | E-commerce | Active | 2 |
| Homebase | Series B | ~2019 | SMB tech | Active | 1 |
| Electric.ai | Series B (led) | ~2020 | IT management SaaS | Active | 1 |
| Fairmarkit | Series B | ~2021 | Procurement SaaS | Active | 1 |
| PlushCare/Accolade | Growth | ~2019 | Telehealth | Public (ACCD) | 12 |
| Zylo | Series B (led) | ~2019 | SaaS management | Active | 12 |
| Vic.ai | Series B | ~2021 | AI/Accounting | Active | 1 |
| Namely | Series B | ~2015 | HR SaaS | Active | 2 |
| Ateria.ai | Series A | ~2024 | AI | Active | 1 |
Note: Investment years marked with ~ are estimates based on company funding timelines and Richards’ tenure at GGV/Notable (2008-present). Richards has led or been actively involved in additional investments not listed here.
In Their Own Words
On valuation discipline: Richards has advised founders: “Do not raise for the highest valuation,” explaining that overpriced rounds can damage both the founder and the company. — 20VC podcast 5
On market cycles: “I think anyone who has gone through, who went through the dot-com bubble in 2000, 2001, or who went through the crash in 2008 or 2009 has a very distinct view of what that’s like.” — Jeff Richards, 20VC podcast 5
On Silicon Valley resilience: “I think there is a level of resiliency in Silicon Valley that we did not have 10 years ago and 20 years ago.” — Jeff Richards, TechCrunch interview, July 2020 6
On investment focus: Richards describes his focus as “SaaS, SMB Tech and vertical SaaS,” with examples including “Brightwheel, Slice, BigCommerce, Houzz, Square.” — NFX Signal profile 3
What Founders Say
Dave Vasen, founder and CEO of Brightwheel, has publicly thanked Jeff Richards on LinkedIn, crediting him for his support as an investor and board member 8.
No additional independently sourced verbatim founder testimonials with full attribution were found through dedicated searching. Richards’ portfolio founders do not have extensive public testimonials in major press or social media.
Sources
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Notable Capital team page, “Jeff Richards,” accessed March 2026. https://www.notablecap.com/team/jeff-richards↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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Crunchbase, “Jeff Richards - Managing Partner @ Notable Capital,” accessed March 2026. https://www.crunchbase.com/person/jeff-richards↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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NFX Signal, “Jeff Richards’ Investing Profile,” accessed March 2026. https://signal.nfx.com/investors/jeff-richards↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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TechCrunch, “GGV Capital is no more, as partners announce two separate brands,” March 2024. https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/31/ggv-capital-is-no-more-as-partners-announce-two-separate-brands/↩↩
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The Twenty Minute VC, “20VC: The Transition From Founder To CEO… with Jeff Richards, Managing Partner @ GGV Capital,” accessed March 2026. https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/jeffrichards↩↩↩↩↩
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TechCrunch, “GGV’s Jeff Richards: ‘There is a level of resiliency in Silicon Valley that we did not have 10 years ago,’” July 2020. https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/03/ggvs-jeff-richards-there-is-a-level-of-resiliency-in-silicon-valley-that-we-did-not-have-10-years-ago/↩↩
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VCSheet, “Jeff Richards (GGV Capital),” accessed March 2026. https://www.vcsheet.com/who/jeff-richards↩
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LinkedIn, Dave Vasen post thanking Jeff Richards, accessed March 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davevasen_thank-you-and-credit-to-jeff-richards-the-activity-7237232237354569728-ERn3↩↩