Derek Xiao

As an investor at Menlo Ventures, Derek concentrates on identifying investment opportunities across the firm’s thesis areas, covering consumer, digital health, supply chain, cybersecurity, and enterprise SaaS. Derek is especially focused on investing in soon-to-be breakout companies at the inflection stage.

Derek joined Menlo from Bain & Company where he worked with leading San Francisco-based technology investors and companies spanning a broad range of industries. In one case, he advised a growth equity fund on potential investments in two rocket launch companies. That introduction to frontier tech and startups on the verge of hypergrowth sparked his desire to pursue venture capital.

Derek graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government. During his time on campus, he served as President of the student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson. Battling strong headwinds associated with the decline of the print publication industry, Derek led the effort to return The Crimson to financial stability, bringing revenues to a decade high. Derek’s passion for media inspired him to begin his career as a journalist for Forbes.  

During his free time, you can find Derek skiing in Tahoe or scanning Twitter for the latest commentary on the future of news. You can follow him at @derekgxiao.