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Jonathan Lehr
Co-Founder & General Partner at Work-Bench
Jonathan Lehr is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Work-Bench, a venture capital firm based in New York City that specializes in early-stage enterprise technology investments. He has been with Work-Bench since its inception in June 2013, focusing on sectors such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud-native infrastructure.124
Professional Background
Before co-founding Work-Bench, Lehr worked at Morgan Stanley in the Office of the CIO, where he facilitated the integration of emerging technologies into the firm's operations. His earlier experience includes roles at Cohen Commercial Properties and a strong educational background with a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, complemented by minors in Mathematics and Economics.12
Contributions and Initiatives
Lehr is also the founder of the New York Enterprise Technology Meetup (NYETM), which promotes collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists in the enterprise tech ecosystem. This initiative has grown to over 10,000 members and hosts monthly events to foster networking and innovation.123
Notable Achievements
Under his leadership, Work-Bench has achieved significant exits, including investments in companies like CoreOS and Kensho, which were acquired for substantial sums by major corporations.1 Jonathan Lehr is recognized for his insights into enterprise technology trends and has contributed to publications such as The Wall Street Journal's CIO Journal and TechCrunch.2
Highlights
The quiet shift inside large enterprises: AI Centers of Excellence are taking control.
The “backdoor” paths that used to get AI startups in the door are closing:
• Innovation teams • Labs and Tech BD groups • A single hungry business-unit sponsor
If it says “GenAI,” it now triggers:
→ Enhanced procurement → Mandatory AI CoE + architecture review → Build vs. buy debate → “Should we just wait 6 months?”
One champion is no longer enough.
What used to be a 1-thread sale is now a 4-thread political process (AI CoE + architecture + platform + business).
More veto points. Slower cycles. Louder internal “we’ll build it” voices.
Enterprise sales was always hard. Now it’s political chess. ♟️
AI Founders and Sales leaders selling into large enterprises, are you seeing the same or anything different?
Pumped for this conversation with @alexklein0x to go live!
We first met on Twitter, then linked up in NYC, and his community-first approach to his craft and creativity in rethinking exec talent aligns with our values at @Work_Bench.
We covered a ton of ground. Hope you enjoy 🙏
