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Mar Hershenson
Managing Partner, Pear VC
Mar Hershenson: Pioneering Venture Capitalist and Electrical Engineer
Mar Hershenson is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Pear VC, a seed-stage venture firm in Palo Alto that has backed successful companies like Guardant Health, Doordash, Gusto, and Branch.14 She is a Spanish-American venture capitalist, electrical engineer, professor, and business executive recognized for her contributions to the electronic design automation industry.2
Education and Career Highlights
- Earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, where she developed a groundbreaking technique for optimizing analog semiconductor design134
- Co-founded three startups in mobile/ecommerce, enterprise software and semiconductor industries, registering 14 patents14
- Served as Vice President of Product Development at Magma Design Automation after they acquired her startup Sabio Labs2
- Taught as a Consulting Professor at Stanford for nearly a decade, lecturing on analog circuit design and entrepreneurship4
Awards and Recognition
- Ranked #29 on Forbes' Midas List of Top Tech Investors in 202125
- Recipient of the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award in 201025
- Named a Top Innovator Under 35 by MIT Technology Review and a Champion of Innovation by Fast Company45
Community Involvement
- Serves on the Board of Trustees of Harvey Mudd College and the Advisory Board of Carnegie Mellon University's ECE department4
- Founded Equity Summit, a premier conference connecting underrepresented minority VCs with LPs, and is a founding member of All Raise4
Mar Hershenson's impressive technical background, entrepreneurial experience, and passion for teaching have made her a pioneering force in the venture capital industry. Her leadership at Pear VC and involvement in the startup ecosystem continue to drive innovation.
Highlights
Our partner Arpan Shah discusses AI safety. Important topic for all.
One of the greatest advantages of living in the Bay Area is being able to hike every weekend with friends. I loved hiking with you after work Shuly Galili, co-founder and Managing Partner at UpWest. You have built a great firm from zero to success. 🚀
Anyone that is interested in hiking - reach out!

