Jeff Crowe spent his first career as a technology operator, not an investor - he co-founded the enterprise software company Edify Corporation in 1990, led it through a Nasdaq IPO in 1996, and later served as President and COO of DoveBid, growing the business auction firm's revenue twelvefold. He joined Norwest Venture Partners in 2004 and became Managing Partner in 2013, focusing on internet, consumer, and software investments. Crowe and Norwest were the largest investors in Lending Club at its 2014 IPO, and his portfolio includes Spotify's 2018 public listing, Jet.com's $3 billion acquisition by Walmart, and Glint's $400 million acquisition by Microsoft the same year Spotify went public. He has appeared on the Forbes Midas List six years running and is known for a hands-on, product-focused investing style - he has said he validated the opportunity behind Minted, the design marketplace, partly by discovering his own wife had been a loyal customer for years.
Education
B.A. History, summa cum laude & Phi Beta Kappa, Dartmouth College
M.B.A., Stanford Graduate School of Business (Arjay Miller Scholar)
Previous Experience
Marketing & General Management, ROLM Corporation's voice messaging division
Co-Founder & CEO, Edify Corporation (1990–1999) - led the company through its 1996 Nasdaq IPO; acquired by S1 Corporation in 1999
President & COO, DoveBid, Inc. - grew revenue from $10M to $120M
Notable Investments
Spotify SPOTLending Club LCJet.comGlintPlaidFaire
Board Seats
HoneyBook
Minted
Madison Reed
ICON
Common
Career Timeline
1978
Graduates Dartmouth College summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, majoring in history.
1990
Co-founds Edify Corporation, a venture-backed enterprise software company.
1996
Leads Edify through its IPO on Nasdaq.
1999
Edify is acquired by S1 Corporation; Crowe moves to DoveBid as President and COO.
2004
Joins Norwest Venture Partners.
2013
Becomes Managing Partner.
2014
Norwest is the largest institutional investor in Lending Club's IPO.
2018
Portfolio company Spotify goes public; Glint is acquired by Microsoft-owned LinkedIn for $400 million.