Eight years after becoming Benchmark’s first female general partner, Sarah Tavel has announced that she is shifting to a new, more limited role at the renowned venture capital firm. Tavel revealed on social media that she will transition into a role as a venture partner, allowing her to continue investing and remain active on the boards of her existing portfolio companies.
In announcing her switch, Tavel expressed her intention to dedicate increased time to exploring what she described as “AI tools at the edge” and reflecting on the broader trajectory of artificial intelligence.
Tavel first joined Benchmark in 2017, arriving from Greylock Partners, where she had spent a year and a half as a partner. Prior to Greylock, she served as a product manager at Pinterest for three years and, even earlier, as an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners, participating notably in the investments of both Pinterest and GitHub.
Benchmark, founded in 1995, is known in the venture community for intentionally maintaining a lean partnership structure, typically capped at six general partners or fewer. In contrast to many peer firms—where seniority dictates greater portions of management fees and returns—Benchmark adheres strictly to an equal-partnership model, equally splitting fees and profits among all general partners.
Throughout her tenure as a general partner, Tavel has spearheaded backing several prominent startups, including campsite marketplace Hipcamp, cryptocurrency intelligence firm Chainalysis, and beauty-focused platform Supergreat, later acquired by Whatnot in 2023. Although some of her co-investments encountered setbacks—photo-sharing app Poparazzi ceased operations two years ago, and recent controversies surrounding AI sales startup 11X drew widespread attention—Tavel remains highly respected within the venture capital landscape.
