Education and Career

Born in Singapore in 1972, Jenny Lee graduated from Cornell University (like other well known investors such as Ratan Tata) in 1995 with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering, then returned to Singapore to work as a fighter jet engineer at ST Aerospace. In 2001, she earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Determined to transition into venture capital, Lee quit her engineering job to join Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, before taking a role with Japanese venture capital firm, JAFCO Asia. In 2005 she became managing partner of California-based GGV Capital, opening its first China office in Shanghai and later re-opening its Singapore office in 2019.

In 2024, Lee co-founded Granite Asia, a dedicated Asia-focused venture firm spun out from GGV Capital. She currently serves as Senior Managing Partner, continuing to focus investment strategies on transformative technology startups across emerging sectors in Asia.

Lee serves on the boards of Temasek International, Duke-NUS Medical School, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. She is also a member of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), the Singapore Business Federation, the Future Economy Advisory Panel, the Asia Business Council, and the International Advisory Council of Edmond de Rothschild.

Notable Investments

Lee’s ability to identify emerging technologies was crucial in GGV’s early-stage investments into what became some of China’s most important tech firms, including Alibaba, Toutiao (Bytedance), Didi, and Grab. One early bet in 2005 was Chinese IT outsourcing services firm HiSoft – now Pactera. It grew to become the mainland’s biggest IT outsourcing firm with annual revenues over $1 billion dollars, and enabled GGV to exit with three times return on their investment. Other notable early discoveries include the startup Xiaomi in 2010, and Kingsoft WPS in 2013.

Lee’s portfolio currently includes 21 companies valued at more than $1 billion each, and she has facilitated 16 IPOs across 5 different global exchanges, with numerous portfolio company exits through mergers and acquisitions.

Jenny Lee in the News

Jenny Lee is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top venture capitalists. She has appeared on Forbes’ Midas List every year since 2012, and made history in 2015 as the first woman to break into the top 10. Other lists and accolades include Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Forbes Asia Power Businesswomen 25, Vanity Fair New Establishment, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and The Business Times Outstanding Overseas Executive Award.

Other honors include Forbes Asia Power Businesswomen 25, Vanity Fair New Establishment, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and The Business Times’ Outstanding Overseas Executive Award.

In March 2025, Granite Asia announced a joint venture with Japanese private equity company Integral Corporation. With initial capital of $100 million, Granite-Integral will drive and facilitate investment in high-growth companies expanding to and from Japan, further consolidating Lee’s influence in the region’s tech policy, investment strategy, and startup