TRAE VASSALLO

Trae Vassallo is co-founder and managing director of Defy, an early stage venture capital firm. She is an engineer, an entrepreneur, and an investor, and her passion is collaborating with the world’s best entrepreneurs. Trae recently co-authored the study "Elephant in the Valley" to help highlight the underlying data around the experiences of women in technology. She was previously a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Over her 14-year investing career, Trae invested in a number of leading companies including eero (acquired by AMZN), Nest Labs (GOOG), Dropcam (GOOG), Aggregate Knowledge (NSR), and Opower (GOOG). A "design thinker" and engineer at heart, Trae thrives at the intersection of great products and big markets.

Before joining KPCB, Trae was a Co-Founder of Good Technology, a KPCB portfolio company that provides end-to-end wireless email services to the enterprise. Trae began her career at IDEO, where she developed ground-breaking products for companies including Palm and Dell. Trae holds 13 patents across a broad array of technologies and disciplines.

Trae earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in mechanical engineering with honors from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Trae participated on the Trust of the Stanford Business School and as an advisor to the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stanford. In addition to working with inspiring entrepreneurs, Trae is passionate about empowering women in technology and adventuring with her husband, Steve, and three children.