About
Julie Lein is the co-founder and Managing Partner of the Urban Innovation Fund, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm managing over $200 million in assets that provides seed capital and regulatory expertise to early-stage startups tackling urban challenges in areas like climate tech, transportation, health, education, and economic vitality—backing over 60 companies since 2016 to enhance city livability, sustainability, and equity while supporting often-overlooked founders, particularly women and people of color. With co-founder Clara Brenner, whom she met at MIT Sloan School of Management, Lein previously launched Tumml in 2012, an urban tech accelerator that offered mentorship, small investments, and community-building before evolving into the fund's model. A Stanford University BA graduate with an MBA from MIT Sloan, she began her career in political polling and consulting, later recognized as one of Living Cities' "25 Disruptive Leaders" in 2016; her impact-driven work bridging public-private innovation has been featured in outlets like CNN, The San Francisco Chronicle, and MIT Technology Review.