Ann Miura-Ko

Ann Miura-Ko is a co-founding partner at Floodgate, a seed-stage venture capital firm recognized for its influence in the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. Miura-Ko has been named to the Forbes Midas List, Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, and the New York Times Top 20 Venture Capitalists Worldwide. She is known in the venture capital industry for her investments in technology startups and her expertise in early-stage company development. Miura-Ko holds a doctorate from Stanford University in mathematical modeling of cybersecurity. Before co-founding Floodgate, she worked at Charles River Ventures and McKinsey and Company.

After completing her undergraduate studies and beginning her doctoral program at Stanford, Miura-Ko sought guidance from venture capitalist Mike Maples Jr. on launching a startup. Through this mentorship, she gained exposure to the early stages of entrepreneurship and venture capital. Together, Miura-Ko and Maples co-founded Floodgate, which has invested early in companies such as Twitter, Lyft, and ModCloth. Her portfolio includes investments in Lyft, SmarterDX, and early-stage artificial intelligence companies such as Counsel Health, Hebbia, and ReadyOn.

Miura-Ko's investment thesis focuses on the concept of the "AI-pilled organization," where artificial intelligence serves as the foundation for business operations. She writes and speaks on the impact of AI on startup structure, the evolution of roles like product management and engineering, and the emergence of new technology categories. Miura-Ko partners with a select group of founders each year, drawing on her experience with pre-product market fit startups and her approach to navigating early-stage challenges.

In addition to her work in venture capital, Miura-Ko is an educator and advocate for diversity in technology. At Stanford University, she lectures in engineering, covering topics such as blockchain and startup growth, and co-directs the Stanford Mayfield Fellows Program, which prepares undergraduates for leadership in technology. She co-founded AllRaise, a nonprofit focused on increasing diversity in venture capital, and launched Founders for Change, an initiative with over 1,000 venture-backed founders committed to improving organizational diversity. Miura-Ko has served on the Yale Corporation Board of Trustees and participated in leadership roles within the School of Engineering & Applied Science.

Miura-Ko's career in venture capital has been shaped by her commitment to continuous learning and rigorous analysis. At Yale, she competed on the debate team and won the National Tournament of Champions, an experience that influenced her approach to investing and public engagement. She continues to teach and co-direct the Mayfield Fellows Program at Stanford, sharing her insights on startup formation and technology entrepreneurship with the next generation of founders.