NEA Appoints Lila Tretikov Partner, Head of AI Strategy

Former Microsoft Deputy CTO Joins as Firm Accelerates AI Investment and Implementation Across Its Portfolio, Investing Practices and Operations

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) announced today that Lila Tretikov has joined the firm as Partner, Head of AI Strategy. A renowned expert on artificial intelligence and business transformation, Tretikov’s career-long focus on applying technology to solve the world’s most challenging problems has encompassed all facets of AI, from entrepreneurship to engineering to ethics. She most recently served as Microsoft’s Deputy Chief Technology Officer, fueling the growth of several multi-billion-dollar businesses as the company scaled AI out of the lab and into the mainstream. In her newly created role at NEA, Tretikov will spearhead the firm’s strategy to advance AI innovation, adoption and implementation across its portfolio and investing practices, as well as pursue new investment opportunities.

“Lila is a leading global AI expert with an extraordinary depth of knowledge, from the most esoteric technical details to productization to its sweeping impact on humanity. Her unique perspective on this dynamic landscape will be an invaluable resource to our portfolio companies and organization,” said Scott Sandell, Chairman, CEO and CIO, NEA.

“AI signals a profound technological shift with far-reaching implications for every business and every consumer, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Lila to the team as we continue to invest in this space and accelerate its impact on businesses across our portfolio,” added Tony Florence, Co-President, NEA.

NEA’s investing focus on AI spans well over a decade, with a vast portfolio that includes pioneering companies like Databricks, DataRobot and Forethought and emerging leaders such as Modyfi, Orby AI, Perplexity, Rewind, Sana, Uniphore, Weaviate, and others. The firm seeks to invest across the spectrum of AI in ways that leverage the full depth and breadth of its expertise, from the application layer to the underlying infrastructure. Companies across NEA’s existing portfolio are applying AI to drive competitive advantage and accelerate growth, from using generative AI to revolutionize workflows or addressing inefficiencies in the $4 trillion healthcare industry.  

“NEA sees AI as a singular, nonlinear shift that will reshape every industry, reimagine our everyday lives, and open doors to massive breakthroughs in currently unsolved areas such as biology, medicine, climate, robotics. This secular moment belongs to founders and the passion, capabilities, and grit they bring to solving the world’s most pressing problems,” said Tretikov. “NEA has supported me as an entrepreneur, and now I’m deeply honored and excited to share knowledge and empower entrepreneurs everywhere as part of the firm’s global platform.”

Prior to assuming the Deputy CTO role in 2020, Tretikov commercialized AI services as Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, AI, Perception & Mixed Reality. Before joining Microsoft in 2018, Tretikov was Senior Vice President at Engie and Chief Executive Officer & Vice Chair at Terrawatt, leading the largest IPP transformation to renewables. She was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation and founder of the Wikipedia Endowment, and also held various executive roles across cloud, product and GTM at SugarCRM. Earlier in her career, Tretikov founded several companies in the U.S. and Europe that went public or were successfully acquired. She is currently an independent director of Volvo Cars, Sophia Genetics, Xylem and Onfido, and serves as an advisor on innovation to the United Nations and numerous organizations. Tretikov studied at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and Stanford University. She has been named among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes and the 21 Most Powerful Women in Bay Area Tech by SFGate.

About NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA has over $25 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023 and invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of investing includes more than 270 portfolio company IPOs and more than 450 mergers and acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.nea.com.