Sarah Tavel Steps Down from General Partner Role at Benchmark to Focus on AI Ventures

Sarah Tavel, who made history as Benchmark’s first woman general partner, has announced that she is stepping into a more limited role at the prestigious venture capital firm. After eight years of influential work, Tavel will now serve as a venture partner, allowing her to maintain her investment activities and board roles while exploring her interests in "AI tools at the edge" and reflecting on the broader implications of AI technology. Tavel joined Benchmark in 2017, bringing a wealth of experience from her previous roles. She spent a year and a half as a partner at Greylock and three years as a product manager at Pinterest, where she played a significant part in shaping the platform's growth and strategy. Prior to her tenure at Pinterest, Tavel worked as an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners, a role that saw her identify and support early-stage companies like Pinterest and GitHub. Benchmark, founded in 1995, has maintained a unique structure with a small team of six or fewer general partners. Unlike many other venture capital firms, where compensation is often skewed toward senior partners, Benchmark operates on an equal partnership model. All general partners share management fees and profits equally, fostering a collaborative and fair environment. During her time as a general partner at Benchmark, Tavel made notable investments in several startups. These include Hipcamp, a marketplace for campsite reservations; Chainalysis, a company specializing in cryptocurrency intelligence; and Supergreat, a beauty platform that was acquired by Whatnot in 2023. Additionally, she backed Paparazzi, a photo-sharing app that unfortunately shut down two years ago, and 11X, an AI-driven sales platform that recently garnered attention from TechCrunch. Tavel’s transition to venture partner signifies a strategic shift that will allow her to balance her investment responsibilities with her passion for exploring emerging technologies. Her continued involvement in the firm underscores her commitment to supporting innovation and driving progress in the tech industry. As she takes on this new role, the tech community will watch with keen interest to see where her expertise and insights lead her next.