Mar Hershenson is an educator and investor who works with company founders to make compelling pitches.

Why you should listen

Mar Hershenson is a founding managing partner at Pear VC, a seed-stage investment firm in Menlo Park, California that backs companies like DoorDash, Gusto, Aurora Solar, Guardant Health and Branch. Prior to Pear, Hershenson cofounded three companies and held executive positions in product and engineering at Magma Design Automation.

Hershenson holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University, where she is currently a lecturer in the Engineering School. Hershenson also serves on the board of trustees of Harvey Mudd College and is on the advisory council of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. She is also a founding member of All Raise and the Equity Summit. She's appeared on the Forbes "Midas List" in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Mar Hershenson’s TED talk