Iva Messy

I am driven by challenges, the unconventional, and extremely motivated by meaningful relationships and bright minds. I've been mastering the skills of discipline, leadership, strategy and performing under pressure since my career began in tennis when I was 10 years old. Hand selected by legendary coach Nick Bollettieri to be one of his "Nick's Kids", I earned the #1 juniors title in California and Florida in multiple age brackets, was ranked top ten nationally, sponsored by Adidas and Wilson, and a member of the U.S.T.A National Team. I turned pro before being sidelined by a career ending injury.

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Today, I bring that same competitive drive and focus to the venture capital arena, with a mission-driven approach. With 20 years of operating experience, I have had the privilege of leading critical functions at top-performing funds, collectively managing over $15B in assets, including a16z and 5 years at Felicis.

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Additionally, I spent over 4 years at Stanford Management Company, a $20B endowment. I’m passionate about strategically building high-impact organizations from the ground up, with a focus on engineering operational excellence, scalability, and efficiency. My north star is to deliberately design high trust and performance environments that support individuals and the collective to achieve their fullest potential and am in constant pursuit of safeguarding the firm's most valuable assets.

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I earned my B.A. from Seton Hall University and later an MBA in Global Business Management while working full time and raising my family. I live in the Bay Area and most nights and weekends you can find me in the bleachers cheering at my children's basketball and volleyball games.